The primary purpose of this thread is to have an open dialog about direct experience—yours and mine—with Dolby Atmos at home. I consider it the most exciting advance in audio since the advent of surround sound for the home. Therefore, I intend to explore as many angles as I can, which I will chronicle here. I'm open to any discussion about experiences with Atmos speaker types, configuration options, electronics, and content. I'll even discuss experimenting with non-standard configurations.
If I post an Atmos-related article or review, you'll find the link to it here. If you want to know about my system configuration on any given day—it changes a lot—you'll also find that info here. For the most part, I'll be updating the first reply post after this original post, which I have reserved for just that purpose.
Over the past year, I've established a dialog with Dolby regarding Atmos. If a new and relevant question comes up, I'll do my best to get an answer from the source.
Initial Setup
These days, I'm listening to a Pioneer Elite 5.1.4 system. It consists of an Elite SC-85 AVR, a pair of Elite SP-EFS73 towerspeakers in front, an Elite SP-EC73 center speaker, a pair of Elite SP-EBS73 bookshelf speakers for the surrounds, and anElite SW-E10 subwoofer. The bookshelf and tower speakers are Atmos-enabled, which means they include integrated, discretely powered, upward-firing drivers.
The LCR speakers are approximately seven feet from my main listening position. The surrounds are six feet away, and raised about a foot above ear level using speaker stands. I placed the center channel on top of my TV, and its tweeter is about 17" higher than the ear-height tweeters on the towers.
I configured the SC-85 using Pioneer's MCACC room correction in automatic mode, and I selected "All Channel Adjust" as the EQ type. I'm primarily interested in a seamless soundfield, and All Channel Adjust does the most to EQ out the room. The speakers themselves are timbre-matched already, since they all share the same concentric midrange/tweeter driver.
The SC-85 set the front and surround speakers to "Large" and chose a 100 Hz crossover for the sub. I changed the speaker setting for all channels to "Small" and manually set the crossover to 80 Hz, which is the THX standard for home systems. Mind you, unlike my Elite SC-55 AVR, the SC-85 is not THX certified . However, that doesn't stop me (or anyone else) from using THX-style settings.
I'll post a comprehensive review the Pioneer Elite components in the coming weeks. But for now, I can say that it was easy to set up and immediately rewarding. I screened Transformers: Age of Extinction and it created a superior immersive experience compared to the non-Atmos 7.1 mix. The speakers are pure Andrew Jones—smooth and accurate with great imaging. Moreover, the subwoofer surprised me with its tight and nuanced bass. The system is visually attractive, easy to set up, and highly effective at creating an immersive 3D soundfield.
Future Plans
The Pioneer Elite Atmos-enabled system is just the beginning. I have in-ceiling speakers on the way, which will allow me to test any 5.1 speaker system with Dolby Atmos. I also plan to test other Atmos-enabled speaker products, as well as other receivers and pre/pros. At CES 2015, I'll cover what Dolby is up to, and I'll search out Atmos-related products. You'll find links to those articles here as well.
Also, when Atmos comes to Vudu , it'll add a new wrinkle to my Blu-ray vs. Vudu vs. iTunes vs. Amazon comparisons. Currently, there's no real difference in sound quality between the three streaming services that I use for my comparisons. That could change with streaming Atmos soundtracks.
AVS Blu-ray reviewer Ralph Potts plans to add Atmos to his dedicated theater shortly. But until then, I'll supplement his reviews with my posts describing the difference between 5.1/7.1 surround sound and Atmos sound.
Finally, I'll cover Atmos installations in dedicated home theaters. Atmos for the home can handle up to 34 speakers, including 10 for the height channels. As soon as I can audition a maxed-out Atmos home-theater rig, I'll be there.
For your part, I encourage you to post your experiences with Atmos in your home theater or those of friends. So let's get this thread started...
If I post an Atmos-related article or review, you'll find the link to it here. If you want to know about my system configuration on any given day—it changes a lot—you'll also find that info here. For the most part, I'll be updating the first reply post after this original post, which I have reserved for just that purpose.
Over the past year, I've established a dialog with Dolby regarding Atmos. If a new and relevant question comes up, I'll do my best to get an answer from the source.
Initial Setup
These days, I'm listening to a Pioneer Elite 5.1.4 system. It consists of an Elite SC-85 AVR, a pair of Elite SP-EFS73 towerspeakers in front, an Elite SP-EC73 center speaker, a pair of Elite SP-EBS73 bookshelf speakers for the surrounds, and anElite SW-E10 subwoofer. The bookshelf and tower speakers are Atmos-enabled, which means they include integrated, discretely powered, upward-firing drivers.
The LCR speakers are approximately seven feet from my main listening position. The surrounds are six feet away, and raised about a foot above ear level using speaker stands. I placed the center channel on top of my TV, and its tweeter is about 17" higher than the ear-height tweeters on the towers.
I configured the SC-85 using Pioneer's MCACC room correction in automatic mode, and I selected "All Channel Adjust" as the EQ type. I'm primarily interested in a seamless soundfield, and All Channel Adjust does the most to EQ out the room. The speakers themselves are timbre-matched already, since they all share the same concentric midrange/tweeter driver.
The SC-85 set the front and surround speakers to "Large" and chose a 100 Hz crossover for the sub. I changed the speaker setting for all channels to "Small" and manually set the crossover to 80 Hz, which is the THX standard for home systems. Mind you, unlike my Elite SC-55 AVR, the SC-85 is not THX certified . However, that doesn't stop me (or anyone else) from using THX-style settings.
I'll post a comprehensive review the Pioneer Elite components in the coming weeks. But for now, I can say that it was easy to set up and immediately rewarding. I screened Transformers: Age of Extinction and it created a superior immersive experience compared to the non-Atmos 7.1 mix. The speakers are pure Andrew Jones—smooth and accurate with great imaging. Moreover, the subwoofer surprised me with its tight and nuanced bass. The system is visually attractive, easy to set up, and highly effective at creating an immersive 3D soundfield.
Future Plans
The Pioneer Elite Atmos-enabled system is just the beginning. I have in-ceiling speakers on the way, which will allow me to test any 5.1 speaker system with Dolby Atmos. I also plan to test other Atmos-enabled speaker products, as well as other receivers and pre/pros. At CES 2015, I'll cover what Dolby is up to, and I'll search out Atmos-related products. You'll find links to those articles here as well.
Also, when Atmos comes to Vudu , it'll add a new wrinkle to my Blu-ray vs. Vudu vs. iTunes vs. Amazon comparisons. Currently, there's no real difference in sound quality between the three streaming services that I use for my comparisons. That could change with streaming Atmos soundtracks.
AVS Blu-ray reviewer Ralph Potts plans to add Atmos to his dedicated theater shortly. But until then, I'll supplement his reviews with my posts describing the difference between 5.1/7.1 surround sound and Atmos sound.
Finally, I'll cover Atmos installations in dedicated home theaters. Atmos for the home can handle up to 34 speakers, including 10 for the height channels. As soon as I can audition a maxed-out Atmos home-theater rig, I'll be there.
For your part, I encourage you to post your experiences with Atmos in your home theater or those of friends. So let's get this thread started...