There aren't any affordable processors on the market right now that handle more than 11.2 channels. Those that do, are not priced where mere mortals can afford to buy them. When I talk to the manufacturer reps, they say there isn't a sizable market for home theaters larger than 7.1.4 to justify developing a chip set that processes above 11.1 channels for the mass market.
However, I believe that as the immersive sound format matures, it will receive an even greater emphasis in movie sound tracks, and will become much more commonplace in home installations. Just like in surround sound, where many home theaters started at 5.1 them moved to 7.1, and finally 9.1 with heights, the immersive sound installations will expand in size over time.
I believe there is a growing demand right now for more than 4 height channels, the ability to remap speaker placement between Atmos and Auro positions (and even compensate for sub-optimal locations), plus advanced phase and time room correction like Dirac processing. Right now there is a sizable void between the $3,999 Marrantz AV 8802a at $4,000 and the more expensive $20,000+ processors listed below.
Hopefully the nest generation of Immersive Sound AV processors will provide these additional features at a more reasonable price. Below is my interpretation of the feature set in a affordable processor that would be the Holy Grail of Home Theater many of us are searching for. Sort of an AV enthusiast's "Bill of Rights" if you will... Is there anything else you would add to this list, and when do you think can we expect to see such an ideal product?
On the other hand, if you have the disposable income and are willing to risk six figures for a processor (that may become obsolete in a rapidly changing AV market), then the following options are currently "available" to you:
Steinway Lyngdorf P200
16 channel $18,000
The Steinway Lyngdorf P200 preamp/processor is capable of handling up to 16 native audio channels in multiple output configurations. It includes both Dolby Atmos and AURO-3D decoding, and can do virtual speaker position remapping so that one speaker configuration will be optimized for both formats.
Trinnov Altitude 16/24/32
16 channel $28,000
24 channel $33,000
32 channel $37,000
The Trinnov Altitude 32 processor can be configured for 8, 16, 24 or 32 independent channels. It supports AURO-3D and Dolby Atmos as well as advanced speaker remapping technology to take advantage of both AURO-3D and Dolby Atmos, which each have different recommended speaker placements.
Datasat Digital Rs20i/Ls10
15 channel $11,000
16 channel $21,000
The Datasat processors will support up to 16 channels (Rs20i) and up to 15 channels (Ls10). They include both AURO-3D and Dolby Atmos decoding with Dirac Live on the Lc10 and full Dirac room correction on the Rs20i.
Theta Digital Casablanca IV/V
12 channel $17,995
24 channel $21,995
The Theta Digital Casablanca processor supports 12 channels (IV) or 16 channels (V). They include both AURO-3D and Dolby Atmos decoding.
Emotiva RMC-1
However, I believe that as the immersive sound format matures, it will receive an even greater emphasis in movie sound tracks, and will become much more commonplace in home installations. Just like in surround sound, where many home theaters started at 5.1 them moved to 7.1, and finally 9.1 with heights, the immersive sound installations will expand in size over time.
I believe there is a growing demand right now for more than 4 height channels, the ability to remap speaker placement between Atmos and Auro positions (and even compensate for sub-optimal locations), plus advanced phase and time room correction like Dirac processing. Right now there is a sizable void between the $3,999 Marrantz AV 8802a at $4,000 and the more expensive $20,000+ processors listed below.
Hopefully the nest generation of Immersive Sound AV processors will provide these additional features at a more reasonable price. Below is my interpretation of the feature set in a affordable processor that would be the Holy Grail of Home Theater many of us are searching for. Sort of an AV enthusiast's "Bill of Rights" if you will... Is there anything else you would add to this list, and when do you think can we expect to see such an ideal product?
On the other hand, if you have the disposable income and are willing to risk six figures for a processor (that may become obsolete in a rapidly changing AV market), then the following options are currently "available" to you:
Steinway Lyngdorf P200
16 channel $18,000
The Steinway Lyngdorf P200 preamp/processor is capable of handling up to 16 native audio channels in multiple output configurations. It includes both Dolby Atmos and AURO-3D decoding, and can do virtual speaker position remapping so that one speaker configuration will be optimized for both formats.
Trinnov Altitude 16/24/32
16 channel $28,000
24 channel $33,000
32 channel $37,000
The Trinnov Altitude 32 processor can be configured for 8, 16, 24 or 32 independent channels. It supports AURO-3D and Dolby Atmos as well as advanced speaker remapping technology to take advantage of both AURO-3D and Dolby Atmos, which each have different recommended speaker placements.
Datasat Digital Rs20i/Ls10
15 channel $11,000
16 channel $21,000
The Datasat processors will support up to 16 channels (Rs20i) and up to 15 channels (Ls10). They include both AURO-3D and Dolby Atmos decoding with Dirac Live on the Lc10 and full Dirac room correction on the Rs20i.
Theta Digital Casablanca IV/V
12 channel $17,995
24 channel $21,995
The Theta Digital Casablanca processor supports 12 channels (IV) or 16 channels (V). They include both AURO-3D and Dolby Atmos decoding.
Emotiva RMC-1