I am not an expert by any means, but note that Dolby website has diagrams of various speaker layouts. You may also wish to look at Dr. Floyd Toole's book. Different receiver mfrs. websites also have something to say in this area. Keep looking around & good luck!

Oh, and BTW, your 3600 has 9 discrete amp channels, not 11. It can process 11 but only power 9 of them.

I still should be all right with a 5.1.4 system without needing an additional amplifier though, right? The sub is self-powered.

I still should be all right with a 5.1.4 system without needing an additional amplifier though, right? The sub is self-powered.

I still have not seen a diagram of what I need! Which is so weird, because I still have to believe that what I want to do is what 99% of people who are upgrading to Atmos from a traditional 5.1 system would want to do. Here's the thing -- I want to add 4 more loudspeakers for Atmos. I want to leave my 6 other speakers exactly where they are. The only thing that's not quite "standard" is my 2 side surround speakers are about 7' off the floor (not at ear level) on the side walls, but still where they need to be in terms of being slightly behind the main seating position and aimed at that position.

The dimensions of my Living Room are: width - 20 feet, height - 10 feet, seating position - 9 feet from front wall.

So the question is -- where do the additional 4 speakers go? Should 2 of them be directly over the front mains on the front wall with the other 2 on the side walls? Or should all four be on the side walls? And assuming they are on the side walls, what is the optimal position for them? Just a couple of feet behind (and above) the surrounds for 2 of them, and about 5 feet in front of (and above) the surrounds for the other 2 is my current thinking. Note that there really isn't a back wall -- the Living Room opens up to the Dining Room & Kitchen beyond.

Most people that want Atmos will try to place 2 or 4 (on/in)ceiling speakers as prescribed by dolby's guide (top channel on your 3600H). I think placement as you are doing (Height channel on your 3600H) would be in the minority here.

It's the necessity of my room. I can't put any speakers in or even on my ceiling (it's coffered). Just can't do it. So "height" speakers, wall mounted but up high, right up against the ceiling (but angled down), are going to have to do the trick. But it looks like what you're saying is it's preferred to do front & back as opposed to side & side...?

I just wish there was some definitive, comprehensive document that would explain all of this Atmos stuff. The Dolby website was of no real help.

You know what would solve all my Atmos-upgrade problems? Small wireless, battery powered speakers I could just stick where I want. It's hard to believe nobody makes such an animal. Running the wires up the walls and across the ceilings is the real problem. I can get away with it in my theater, but not in the Living Room.

If you pull off the baseboard, there is usually about a half inch under the drywall (or you can cut out a channel) to run wires. When you get where you want laterally, make a bigger hole that will still be covered by the baseboard and then make another one in the same stud space up where you want to install the speaker. Tie some string to a heavy weight (like a plumb bob), drop it through the top hole and pull it out of the bottom. Make sure you have enough line so the string is still hanging out of the top hole. Remove the Bob and attach the speaker wire securely and pull it back up. If there is insulation in the wall, you will need an electrician's fish tape. Start from top staying between vapor barrier and drywall and it shouldn't be too hard.

Okay, I've figured out what I'm going to do. Ta-da! I know the only person who will care, unless there are hidden lurkers on this thread, is Darren. So this is for him.

My Living Room has a coffered ceiling. Turns out that the perfect place for down-firing ceiling speakers is at the crossing points of the coffers. A round, enclosed speaker could surface mount on those crossing points. Added benefit? They would hide some of the drywall imperfections and slight cracks that have developed in those intersections over time (above the Living Room is an outdoor deck so the ceiling/roof has settled a tiny bit in the last 5 years since I built the house).

I would still have to run the wires up the wall (in the corners) and across the ceiling to get to said surface-mounted speakers, but I can do it behind the coffer-beams on the short (TV) side of the room so they will be largely hidden from where most people could see them.

So, the question now is, are there round speakers, just like recessed in-ceiling speakers, only in an enclosed housing I can surface mount up there? They need to be relatively handsome since they will be fully exposed. The thinner the better too, although I realize there is a certain amount of depth required in any decent loudspeaker. Since nobody else but Darren will be reading this post, do you know of any, good sir? I've looked, but am having trouble finding such an animal.

As an alternative, if I can't find a nice surface-mount speaker, I could build a box that would house a typical in-ceiling speaker and attach that to the beam-crossing points. But it sure would be easier to just find a self-contained speaker in its own enclosure. So far, no joy.

Okay, I've figured out what I'm going to do. Ta-da! I know the only person who will care, unless there are hidden lurkers on this thread, is Darren. So this is for him. [IMG class=inlineimg]/forum/images/smilies/tongue.gif[/IMG]

My Living Room has a coffered ceiling. Turns out that the perfect place for down-firing ceiling speakers is at the crossing points of the coffers. A round, enclosed speaker could surface mount on those crossing points. Added benefit? They would hide some of the drywall imperfections and slight cracks that have developed in those intersections over time (above the Living Room is an outdoor deck so the ceiling/roof has settled a tiny bit in the last 5 years since I built the house).

I would still have to run the wires up the wall (in the corners) and across the ceiling to get to said surface-mounted speakers, but I can do it behind the coffer-beams on the short (TV) side of the room so they will be largely hidden from where most people could see them.

So, the question now is, are there round speakers, just like recessed in-ceiling speakers, only in an enclosed housing I can surface mount up there? They need to be relatively handsome since they will be fully exposed. The thinner the better too, although I realize there is a certain amount of depth required in any decent loudspeaker. Since nobody else but Darren will be reading this post, do you know of any, good sir? [IMG class=inlineimg]/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif[/IMG] I've looked, but am having trouble finding such an animal.

As an alternative, if I can't find a nice surface-mount speaker, I could build a box that would house a typical in-ceiling speaker and attach that to the beam-crossing points. But it sure would be easier to just find a self-contained speaker in its own enclosure. So far, no joy.

Yeah, I figured the Dolby website would probably have something. But was hoping to get those 3 specific questions answered here as a way of getting some base knowledge in - you know, begin to climb the learning curve - before I ventured over there.

Considering how many AVS members have gone the home Atmos route at this point - must be hundreds if not thousands by now - and most of them presumably were upgrading from their original 5.1 systems and started out at the same general knowledge level I am, I would have thought there would have been a "sticky" on this sub-forum with general information about Atmos and what's needed to do a basic upgrade. Kind of surprised me that there isn't.

Lol...u funny 😁

I doubt round speaker boxes exist. Maybe cut down some bass tubes that car guys use to make cylindrical subs? Why not just go square? The cross points would form a square anyway. Build a box and paint it to match the coffered ceiling. Am I right to assume that you can't install the speakers directly into the coffered beams? They are generally hollow.

In that form factor, these have gotten some good press:

https://rslspeakers.com/product/spea...-just-like-new

You might also consider the OWM3 from Polk or the Minx Min from Cambridge.

The RSL gives you better bass extension, so you can crossover at a lower point to avoid sub localization. The OWM3 is probably equivalent to the Polk you named, but in a different look. You may like it better, or not. The minx min is small and will be pretty inconspicuous (assuming white on white). The downside is a higher crossover point (150Hz).

Lastly, Gallo has small round speakers with lots of finishes available. More expensive than the above options, but WAF should be pretty high.