Dolby Atmos Setup - Good idea?

[anonymous-user]

My house refurb and extension starts in the next 2 weeks and I'm currently planing the living room extension.

The room will be 6m x 4m with the TV wall mounted on one of the 4m walls with a general idea of layout below.



I'm going for Monitor Audio 265 IDC and FX ceiling speakers for a 5.1 cinema system. The only thing I'm still not sure about is whether to go Atmos and add either 2 or 4 more 265 IDC speaker for the Atmos system.

The question I have is twofold - 1) is it worth going for Atmos in a room of this size (will the sound difference be amazing over 5.1) and 2) in a room of this size would I be better with 2 or 4 Atmos speakers if I go down this route?

Thanks, Gary.

[VEX]

Yes and 2. Personally, the depth of the room doesnt lends itself to needing 4 over the cost or the lack of sides.

And if you are close, come and listen to mine.

'nough said.

V.

[anonymous-user]

VEX said:

Yes and 2. Personally, the depth of the room doesnt lends itself to needing 4 over the cost or the lack of sides.

And if you are close, come and listen to mine.

'nough said.

V.

Cheers Vex.

Will be in contact soon once the electrician confirms everything is go!

[tonyg58]

If you think about it, you are paying roughly £500 for two Atmos speakers that will be active for a tiny fraction of the the time the film is on.
Why not put that money in to something that is active all the time (my choice would be a better sub)?

Since you are building the room/extension, get it wired for Atmos, but just leave the cables above the ceiling for use later if required.

[anonymous-user]

tonyg58 said:

If you think about it, you are paying roughly £500 for two Atmos speakers that will be active for a tiny fraction of the the time the film is on.
Why not put that money in to something that is active all the time (my choice would be a better sub)?

Since you are building the room/extension, get it wired for Atmos, but just leave the cables above the ceiling for use later if required.

This is being considered.

[anonymous-user]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Trouble is having 2 holes that I don’t want in a brand new ceiling

[normalbloke]

I’ve just upgraded from my old non 4K 5.1 AV setup, and gone Atmos. Went for a Pioneer Atmos Sonos compatible AV amp,KEF Atmos speakers to sit on the front floorstanders, and some better wiring. It is fantastic, and I appreciate that your ceiling speakers will be even better. I didn’t have the opportunity to fit in the ceiling without a lot of upheaval, but if I had, I wouldn’t have hesitated.Good luck on your decision.

[markj113]

Running a 5.1.2 Atmos setup the ceiling speakers are superb,

[VEX]

normalbloke said:

I’ve just upgraded from my old non 4K 5.1 AV setup, and gone Atmos. Went for a Pioneer Atmos Sonos compatible AV amp,KEF Atmos speakers to sit on the front floorstanders, and some better wiring. It is fantastic, and I appreciate that your ceiling speakers will be even better. I didn’t have the opportunity to fit in the ceiling without a lot of upheaval, but if I had, I wouldn’t have hesitated.Good luck on your decision.

Several manufacturers offer topper speakers that sit on top of your floorstander and fire sound at a 45deg angle up to the ceiling, which bounces off and down to the seating position.

It is a recognised dolby solution.

V.

[markj113]

@vex, you do need a nice smooth ceiling for that solution to work properly. Any beams or artex finish can reduce the effect.

You cant beat real speakers where they are supposed to be over a virtual work around.

[hyphen]

markj113 said:

Running a 5.1.2 Atmos setup the ceiling speakers are superb,

How much of the content you watch is Atmos?

[VEX]

markj113 said:

@vex, you do need a nice smooth ceiling for that solution to work properly. Any beams or artex finish can reduce the effect.

You cant beat real speakers where they are supposed to be over a virtual work around.

Of course, but it was just to clarify that it is possible even if you cant get actual speakers up there.

[markj113]

hyphen said:

How much of the content you watch is Atmos?

I watch quite a lot of content on Netflix with Atmos, also have a NAS drive with 130 4k films with Atmos soundtracks.

Just in the process of moving house and planning on converting an outbuilding into a standalone cinema.

[Red 5]

garyhun said:

My house refurb and extension starts in the next 2 weeks and I'm currently planing the living room extension.

The room will be 6m x 4m with the TV wall mounted on one of the 4m walls with a general idea of layout below.



I'm going for Monitor Audio 265 IDC and FX ceiling speakers for a 5.1 cinema system. The only thing I'm still not sure about is whether to go Atmos and add either 2 or 4 more 265 IDC speaker for the Atmos system.

The question I have is twofold - 1) is it worth going for Atmos in a room of this size (will the sound difference be amazing over 5.1) and 2) in a room of this size would I be better with 2 or 4 Atmos speakers if I go down this route?

Thanks, Gary.

Am I correct in that you will have C265IDC x3 for the front soundstage and a pair of FX for surround?

If this is the case, the the idea of Atmos is really moot.
Atmos height speakers allow for triangulation of sound, in conjunction with conventionally located speakers.
If you are having a ceiling based system, then it’s a bad idea to try add the Atmos speakers too, as there can’t ever be any triangulated sounds.
You will just dilute and confuse the main soundstage.

It would be better to buy better LCR speakers, with perhaps a better rotation angle to the higher frequency drive units.
If the floor is carpeted, then this can be really good and well worth doing.

[anonymous-user]

Red 5 said:

garyhun said:

My house refurb and extension starts in the next 2 weeks and I'm currently planing the living room extension.

The room will be 6m x 4m with the TV wall mounted on one of the 4m walls with a general idea of layout below.



I'm going for Monitor Audio 265 IDC and FX ceiling speakers for a 5.1 cinema system. The only thing I'm still not sure about is whether to go Atmos and add either 2 or 4 more 265 IDC speaker for the Atmos system.

The question I have is twofold - 1) is it worth going for Atmos in a room of this size (will the sound difference be amazing over 5.1) and 2) in a room of this size would I be better with 2 or 4 Atmos speakers if I go down this route?

Thanks, Gary.

Am I correct in that you will have C265IDC x3 for the front soundstage and a pair of FX for surround?

If this is the case, the the idea of Atmos is really moot.
Atmos height speakers allow for triangulation of sound, in conjunction with conventionally located speakers.
If you are having a ceiling based system, then it’s a bad idea to try add the Atmos speakers too, as there can’t ever be any triangulated sounds.
You will just dilute and confuse the main soundstage.

It would be better to buy better LCR speakers, with perhaps a better rotation angle to the higher frequency drive units.
If the floor is carpeted, then this can be really good and well worth doing.

You are correct in what I’m planning. I spoke to the tech guys at MA and they seemed happy with the choice of celing speakers throughout.

I’d be interested in any other comments on this.

[markj113]

with Atmos you need to separate the sound stage so surround speakers at ear height with Atmos overhead.

with ceiling speakers it's a non starter

[anonymous-user]

markj113 said:

with Atmos you need to separate the sound stage so surround speakers at ear height with Atmos overhead.

with ceiling speakers it's a non starter

I understand that but with the directional IDC speakers I was under the impression that it was achievable?

[benjipeg]

agreed, ATMOS will not work as designed witht the surrounds - be it rears or sides set in the ceiling, the sounds will be muddied and the overheads ATMOS will be lost.
i would look at stand mounts or wall mounts for rear or if that is not an option - what about a soundframe such as the ones from monitor audio?

[anonymous-user]

I’m open to all suggestions to get the right solution.

[Tony Starks]

Why not go in walls for the 5 and maybe even squeeze in 7 in walls and then 4 in ceilings