[soundhd]

Currently have a Denon 7.1 system in our home theater room.   Looking at the Dolby Atmos 7.1.4/11.1 setups.   Would have to add 4 speakers in the ceiling, replace the Blueray player with one that can decode the Dolby Atmos audio and up grade to a 7.1.4 AVR.....not a cheap change...well over 3 grand (to do right)....just wondering if it's worth the expense?

Thanks

1-30-2024:
First I want to thank all those who replied to my posting.   I did some checking around and found an audio place that has a 7.1:4 system in their show room and it did sound amazing so looks like I am going to do the upgrade....will get back with an update after I get it all completed....probably will take a couple months to get the "funds" together....

[WGH]

Hell yeah!

But not all films have a very noticeable Atmos track. Many Netflix programs have a subtle Atmos soundtracks. But once in a while there are films like the latest Dune or Blade Runner 2049 where Atmos is almost a requirement. If your viewing leans toward films adapted from romance novels, classic movies and "All Things Great and Small" then Atmos is not needed.

If you think it is expensive then don't do it. If you want to have fun and the cost won't affect your lifestyle or your children's education then go for it.

I'm waiting for Godzilla Minus One.

[snaimpally]

Besides movies, don't forget that many albums are now available mixed in Atmos. I was reading an article where Alex Lifeson heard the Atmos remix of a classic Rush song and he said that it was the first time he had heard the song as he heard it in his head. Look at getting some of the Steven Wilson remixes.

[kenreau]

I highly recommend adding the Atmos capabilities.  One thing to get dialed in is the location(s) of the ceiling speakers.  The location of the Atmos speakers relative to your listening position, distance, angles, offsets, etc. is crucial for the surround sound magic.  Six years ago, my original installer didn't know what he was doing (and neither did I) and he installed them lined up with the front L & R.  It sounded okay, not great. Last summer I stumbled on to Steve with Home Theater Gurus on YT and he does a great job explaining the acoustical science to it all and why it is important to engineer a speaker location plan.  Highly recommended.  Per Steve's calculations, I ended up relocating the 4 ceiling Atmos speakers and raising the mounting height of the back surrounds about 4 inches and it completely transformed my listening experience in to an immersive sound space.

Kenreau.

[WGH]

Lots of good info at Home Theater Gurus, here is the Atmos setup video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGZsrU4oNAM

I noticed Steve's diagrams have the L&R front speakers really, really wide. Atmos speakers as wide as the front speakers would be a mistake in that situation. My home theater is a combo stereo/theater setup so the front speakers are only 7'-6" apart center-to-center. The Atmos ceiling speakers are also 7'-6" apart. It worked out quite well sound wise.

The Atmos speakers are still wider than the sofa, if they were any closer together the people at each end would get too much direct sound from the closest speaker instead of an immersive experience. The Atmos speakers are about 1'-4" wider than the sofa and the distance from head to speaker is 7' to the front speaker and 6' to the rear Atmos speaker. The ceiling rafters determined where the speaker boxes would fit.

I was concerned about beaming. I have read Atmos works best with 9'-10' high ceilings, mine is 8'. Above my ceiling is the attic with 16" blown fiberglass insulation so the speaker would need to be enclosed too. All three potential problems were solved by using Triad InWall Bronze/4 speakers as Atmos speakers. It has been 4 years since the install and I wouldn't change a thing, Atmos is totally immersive without any speaker beaming. The sound is very natural, the Triad speakers are not a bright, in-your-face design but they can still easily reproduce sharp, quick sounds if required. The more common Atmos ambient soundtrack is seamless and does not call attention to itself, just as it should be.

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=163696.msg1762772#msg1762772




A note about the Anthem ARC Genesis room calibration: Anthem has chosen to roll off the high frequency's starting at 2 KHz, probably a good idea based on the small, screaming, cheap Atmos many people buy. A more balanced surround and ceiling speaker with a fabric tweeter like the Triad's sound better with a flatter frequency profile. The Genesis software has a tilt adjustment that can raise just the mid and high levels to make the surround and Atmos effects come alive.

The Triad InWall Bronze/4 Surround are always available on eBay. I found out the timbre of one pair of Atmos speakers is different. Two of the Triad InWall Bronze/4 Surrounds (eBay) were the old dipole design (I flipped the polarity of the rear facing tweeter to make them bipole), two are brand new, crazy expensive and bipole from the factory. The old and new drivers are different, the difference in timbre is easily heard during the Anthem ARC test/calibration procedure. The Anthem DSP corrects the timbre close enough that in actual use it is never noticed. If Atmos surround music is a goal then all the speakers should be identical.

Triad speakers are also around 83dB efficient. I use an Adcom 5 channel amp that has 60 high current watts per channel, a class D multi-channel amp would work just as well.

The Triad Owners Thread has a lot more info, Dawn is always helpful. Start at the last page and read backwards for the most currant thoughts. Retail prices are hard to find, the price in 2019 was $550 each, eBay prices are less than half that.
But they are very, very nice.

[WC]

Like everything in life it depends. For me it was too much trouble and cost for the benefits. I have less than 8 ft ceilings and a 10 year old receiver. If the receiver craps out I might consider it, but I am not changing out the receiver to get Atmos or 8K support.

[Lobster Astronaut]

Hi.  I'm a new guy here. 

I have a HT space I carved out of a multi-purpose room in my basement.  It is not up to the degree that many of the forum goers here have built but I find it adequate for my entertainment needs.  I started the space with 2 bookshelf speakers and a sub.  Later I added a center channel and two surrounds.  Eventually, I replaced all my speakers with 7 timber matched speakers all from the same manufacturer and in the same series.  That is a story all by itself.  This left me with two pairs of orphaned bookshelf speakers.  My listening space is not in-ceiling friendly.  So, I chose to mount my orphaned bookshelf speakers to the front and rear walls.  Each speaker is about 4 to 6 inches to the outside of their matching bed layer speakers.  Each height speaker matches the toe in of its corresponding bed layer speaker.  And each height is tilted downward toward the prime listening position.

I had to upgrade my AVR.  That was my next upgrade anyway.  I also purchased a 4-channel amp to power the heights.  If I feel that my AVR is struggling then I will eventually add a second to power my LCRs.  But, I am not there yet. 

Atmos sounds good.  I am unsure if I have everything aligned correctly for proper atmos.  It is the best I can do with the space I have.  Auro 3D, however, sounds amazing.  For example, I was watching a Mission Impossible movie that had a lot of dialogue that took place in a sewer.  The echos in the sewer were out of time alignment with what seemed like all my speakers.  I have no idea why.  Switching to Auro 3D fixed all of the sound timing domain issues like magic.  This one Mission Impossible Movie is the only notable problem I have had.  So maybe it is more the movie than my system. 

Movies like Pacific Rim and Mad Max Fury Road sounded amazing.  It's like, "where have all these movies been my whole life" kind of amazing.   

However, not all content has Atmos or, if it does, may not leverage it well.  For example, one would expect special affects laden films like Transformers would have a rocking Atmos track.  Very little if any at all.  The heights are mostly used to increase the volume of the music more than anything else.  I have not come across any Netflix content with anything more than 5.1 soundtrack.  And Disney+, from an audio perspective, will provide Atmos but is nothing compared to watching the same content from a 4K disk.

Is it worth it?  I think so.  How much do you want to spend on this solution?  Only you can answer that question.  I can tell you that if your AVR or processor does not support the channels you want then you will be upgrading your AVR or processor.  You will also want to look at investing in an external amp to take some of the stress off your AVR.  If it's a processor only then you will be investing in external power amps for all channels.   

My advice: make a list, make a plan, settle on a budget, and be practical. 

I hope sharing a little bit of my experience helps.

[GeorgeAb]

My advice: make a list, make a plan, settle on a budget, and be practical. 

Audio Circle needs to give the new guy a star! Third post, thoughtfully answering OP question, providing experienced based answers, and "sound" advice. Bravo Zulu Lobster Astronaut!

[Lobster Astronaut]

Thank you for the positive reinforcement.   

Out of curiosity.  What is an OP?

[GeorgeAb]

What is an OP?

Original poster.

[ajzepp]

Before I actually did go to Atmos, I honestly was thinking it was mostly a gimmick or just another way for HT companies to sell more product. After I installed it, and learned about the differences in object based surround (Atmos) vs the more traditional 5.1/7.1 bed layer only systems, and how placement of images in the soundfield is entirely different, I was sold on giving it a go. And having lived with it for four years now, I would really miss it if I didn't have it. So my vote is a strong "yes", it's worth it.