i mean thats the exact reason why it wouldnt supersede 2 channel imo the barrier to entry is just too high. you are saying i need to buy 3 more genelec 8030cs to make proper use of it? Or if i buy 5 cheap speakers would i get more enjoyment out of them with music than 2 genelecs? and most of the time i listen through headphones or iems
"supersede stereo" A nice piece of clickbait where-ever it gets posted, how much truth there is we'll all learn it about 10 years.
He also seems to 'forget' a few things like an ATMOS setup being 10x more expensive and 100x more trouble. I like my 5.1 but not sure if I'll ever go further.
Now that's an extreme exaggeration in both cost and trouble
Until something really big changes, (true) ATMOS will remain a thing for the 1%. The ones who have the money, the time, the space .. and the will to put up with the extra effort.
There's a good bit of truth in that. I'd say the vast majority of members here are also just 1% of the music listening world. Outside of a possible few audiophile friends made because this is both of your passions, how many people do you know that have even a half-assed decent HiFi with the speakers and listening chair setup to provide a even passable stereo image? We here are all part of that
very small passionate group
Personally I believe Atmos, due to it's down sampling ability has a greater chance of becoming the default distribution codec than MQA ever did. Yes I'm sure there are many in our 1% that will never accept it, just as we have many spending tens of thousand of dollars on vinyl gear to get second rate audio quality. I do believe that of the really passionate 1% audiophiles, maybe 50% will, in the next 5-10 years, expand into the multich world.
Let me just present a couple detail facts.
I don't know why anyone would think they can build a Atmos or even just a 5.1 rig with second rate gear and then compare it's sound quality to their 2ch rig built with near SOTA gear? Yes, you'll need at least 3 more speakers of equal quality to your front L & R, and at least 4 specially designed very high quality speakers for the over-heads.
The current huge outrush of new Atmos recordings are just like all other recordings since Edison Cylinders, some are demo quality, a lot just average, and the rest not quite world killers.
Before you can determine if a Atmos investment if worth it to you, you must listen to at least 1 multich system of equal or better quality in all areas than your current stereo. How can you ever hope to get a worthy demo on a $2-5k multich rig when you listen to a $10k stereo system at home?
I spent more than I ever believed I would on my rig over the last 10 years but it's been worth every damn penny.
The improvements made in digital multich recording and playback technology has increased tenfold over what was offered in the past.
Just My Humble Opinion, YMMV