Auro 3D or Sony 360 spatial mapping for immersion in first home theater?

[Goldhamster916]

Hello,

i am currently planing for my first ever home theater which i will mainly use for gaming and some movie watching. I aim for a 7.1.4 channel system. An option to upgrade to a 13 channel system would be nice but not a must. What i want form the system is to feel like ,,i am there''.

from what i gathered i want to either run with a auro specific speaker set up or a sony 360 spatial mapping system with one of the new STR-AZ 5000 sony receivers. From what i have heard the sony receiver line is exceptional good with surround sound detail retrieval. However for the auro 3d system i would aim for a dirac compatible receiver.

my room is rather small (14qm) but can be completly dedicated to the set up. My budget is around 5k. What do yous think would work out better for me?

I am new to home theater building and i appreciate the opportunity to learn from more knowledgable people!

thanks inm advance for any replies!

 

[techsamurai]

Hello,

i am currently planing for my first ever home theater which i will mainly use for gaming and some movie watching. I aim for a 7.1.4 channel system. An option to upgrade to a 13 channel system would be nice but not a must. What i want form the system is to feel like ,,i am there''.

from what i gathered i want to either run with a auro specific speaker set up or a sony 360 spatial mapping system with one of the new STR-AZ 5000 sony receivers. From what i have heard the sony receiver line is exceptional good with surround sound detail retrieval. However for the auro 3d system i would aim for a dirac compatible receiver.

my room is rather small (14qm) but can be completly dedicated to the set up. My budget is around 5k. What do yous think would work out better for me?

I am new to home theater building and i appreciate the opportunity to learn from more knowledgable people!

thanks inm advance for any replies!

Personally, I would make it into a multi-use entertainment room so you can get the best use out of it. My home theaters are living room based to make them more accessible.

I would forget about Auro - it's dead.

If this is your first system, you'd be surprised how good a 5.1 can sound and how many setups are still 5 or fewer. More channels don't necessarily mean better sound because those channels need to have sound coming to them and when you buy 6 more speakers, you are taking money away from another area where sound may be more important.

The LCR (left front, center, and right front) are the meat and potatoes of your system as they can handle 70-80% of the sound. The 2 surrounds (left back and right back) form a 5 speaker and they are the next most important.

The height channels (Atmos) aren't dead but they were, until recently, mostly decorative (folks would actually check for sound in the soundtrack to see if they were being used and were upset that they weren't) but they are getting a bit more sound lately.

For the surrounds and height channels the best option (if you have access to the ceiling) are in-ceiling speakers as they are cheap and disappear visually.

The AZ5000 is a great choice but it costs $2,100 and might be overkill for a 5.1 system or 5.1.2 system but it will power the LCR with authority especially if you get towers for the L+R. The AZ3000 would also do the job.

For speakers the Polk Reserve series is great.

The Triangle Borea 03 and 09 look very nice and have many lighter finish options (light oak/oak green/oak blue) and are front ported which makes placement easier as you don't need to pull them that far away from the wall.

Sadly, the green and blue are only offered as bookshelves but, boy, do they look good for their price.

BOREA LOUDSPEAKER - USA LIMITED EDITION - TRIANGLE Hifi

This hifi bookshelf speaker design to be placed on a dedicated stand. The BR03 will fit perfectly in rooms ranging from 15 to 30m2.

www.trianglehifi.com

Arendal's 1961 series is great too.

I'm sure you'll get some great recommendations here.

 

[GXAlan]

Triangle Borea BR03 Review (bookshelf speaker)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Triangle Borea BR03 bookshelf speaker. It was kindly sent to me for testing by a member and costs US $499 on Amazon including Prime shipping. I like the distinctive white face of the BR03 but don't care much for the imitation white oak...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[ooheadsoo]

Many people get auro3d just for the upmixer, not the native content. Its reputation is very good, but hard to say until you hear it for yourself.

 

[techsamurai]

Many people get auro3d just for the upmixer, not the native content. Its reputation is very good, but hard to say until you hear it for yourself.

Does it matter if you don't have the "Voice of God" speaker?

 

[tifune]

Does it matter if you don't have the "Voice of God" speaker?

For upmixing, no. I tried with an 8320 @ 80cm and some days I would forget to turn it on. I didn't notice for hours until the lack of power LED caught my eye

 

[Goldhamster916]

That is good to know, would be hard to fit it in a 11 channel set up since I want surround and rear speakers.

I guess I will take a leap of faith and go rather with proper auto 3D set up with Dirac room correction. I hope it will be as good as the Sony and saves me the Hussle and money of importing one from the US.

 

[Lbstyling]

Personally, I would make it into a multi-use entertainment room so you can get the best use out of it. My home theaters are living room based to make them more accessible.

I would forget about Auro - it's dead.

If this is your first system, you'd be surprised how good a 5.1 can sound and how many setups are still 5 or fewer. More channels don't necessarily mean better sound because those channels need to have sound coming to them and when you buy 6 more speakers, you are taking money away from another area where sound may be more important.

The LCR (left front, center, and right front) are the meat and potatoes of your system as they can handle 70-80% of the sound. The 2 surrounds (left back and right back) form a 5 speaker and they are the next most important.

The height channels (Atmos) aren't dead but they were, until recently, mostly decorative (folks would actually check for sound in the soundtrack to see if they were being used and were upset that they weren't) but they are getting a bit more sound lately.

For the surrounds and height channels the best option (if you have access to the ceiling) are in-ceiling speakers as they are cheap and disappear visually.

The AZ5000 is a great choice but it costs $2,100 and might be overkill for a 5.1 system or 5.1.2 system but it will power the LCR with authority especially if you get towers for the L+R. The AZ3000 would also do the job.

For speakers the Polk Reserve series is great.

The Triangle Borea 03 and 09 look very nice and have many lighter finish options (light oak/oak green/oak blue) and are front ported which makes placement easier as you don't need to pull them that far away from the wall.

Sadly, the green and blue are only offered as bookshelves but, boy, do they look good for their price.

BOREA LOUDSPEAKER - USA LIMITED EDITION - TRIANGLE Hifi

This hifi bookshelf speaker design to be placed on a dedicated stand. The BR03 will fit perfectly in rooms ranging from 15 to 30m2.

www.trianglehifi.com

Arendal's 1961 series is great too.

I'm sure you'll get some great recommendations here.

Hi Tech.

I have owned, operated and built hundreds of audio systems over the years. 2 channel up to 7.4.8.

Used MBL, JBL M2 and many other DIY 'ultimate speaker' attempts.

If I had to enter a competition for a DBX test for sound quality, I would use Auro3D.

It's the most misunderstood audio format out there.

Auro is the original 3D surround technology. They patented the best way to do 3D audio based on primary research.

Even Dolby would use auro layouts and tech if they could.

Live recordings are particularly impressive in Auro. Even better if you have the kit to play full Atmos music.
(Nvidia Shield with Amazon music HD app on your phone Chromecast over to surround amp)

Try dead can dance 'Anabasis' live in Auro 3D.

 

[Goldhamster916]

how is auro 3D dead if you can upmix everything? its not about the native fromat. also more and more avr brands are adopting it.

 

[techsamurai]

how is auro 3D dead if you can upmix everything? its not about the native fromat. also more and more avr brands are adopting it.

good point - the 4800h has Auro in it. I don't have height channels so it has an Auro-2d Surround mode. If you have height channels, it has Auro-3D. I'll try it out.