The Problem With Dolby Atmos

[OldTimer]

For me, to enjoy Dolby Atmos cost a lot of money. Samsung TV cost $200 then adding Samsung Dolby Atmos soundbars cost add $400. If it’s normal Dolby Digital Samsung Soundbars cost only $100. From Dolby Digital to Dolby Atmos need to double the cost. I don’t think that’s a good solution.

 

[Matt S]

For me, to enjoy Dolby Atmos cost a lot of money. Samsung TV cost $200 then adding Samsung Dolby Atmos soundbars cost add $400. If it’s normal Dolby Digital Samsung Soundbars cost only $100. From Dolby Digital to Dolby Atmos need to double the cost. I don’t think that’s a good solution.

You are not going to experience real Atmos/surround with a soundbar. Like stereo, you need to spend a chunk to do it properly.

 

[EirePaul]

Try adjusting the crossover points in your AVR to see if you can achieve a more pronounced bass response for the Atmos mixed. I think I managed to get a better-balanced sound also for movies after adjusting this based on the Atmos music.

Basically, I adjust the bass and treble in my AVR to balance the sound of the Atmos mix. The point is, I rarely have to do this with stereo or 5.1 mix discs. I have a lot of SACD and DVD-Audio discs, and often I prefer the 5.1 mix instead of the Atmos mix on a blu-ray. Yes, Atmos provides more space in the mix, but it can also sound kind of harsh / thin as well in some cases. I don't pay for Apple Music so no streaming Atmos for me.

 

[OldTimer]

You are not going to experience real Atmos/surround with a soundbar. Like stereo, you need to spend a chunk to do it properly.

Agree but I’m only comparing the cost to enjoy Dolby ATMOS is so high. Like you said, not from soundbar, even far more expensive. I’m saying Good Bye for that kind of stupid technology. We’re looking for solution, not just technology.

 

[EirePaul]

Agree but I’m only comparing the cost to enjoy Dolby ATMOS is so high. Like you said, not from soundbar, even far more expensive. I’m saying Good Bye for that kind of stupid technology. We’re looking for solution, not just technology.

Yes, starting from scratch would be very expensive now. I always had a 5.1 set up and only had to add a couple of height speakers for a minimal Atmos setup. It works but is sub-optimal for true Atmos. A full Atmos setup with very good source material (appropriate mix) can sound spectacular.

 

[BJL]

Try Max Coopers On Being album for bass. Track 2, press play, sit back and listen to pristine sound.

Or for that matter, any Atmos blu ray by Booka Shade or Yello . . .

 

[goat76]

The only problem I have with Dolby Atmos is that my favorite genre bands will never release their music in that format. It's actually more likely that they would go vinyl exclusive in a somewhat near future.

There is great potential in multichannel audio, but unfortunately, it’s not very likely that bands that are labeled “underground” will ever release their music in any such format or Dolby Atmos specifically.

 

[Matt S]

Agree but I’m only comparing the cost to enjoy Dolby ATMOS is so high. Like you said, not from soundbar, even far more expensive. I’m saying Good Bye for that kind of stupid technology. We’re looking for solution, not just technology.

There is plenty of surround material which also sounds great. Not just atmos - just a 4.1 or 5.1 system can really sound spectacular.

 

[EchoHead]

I have had no experience with Dolby Atmos yet. It's exciting to see that the industry is trying to take things to antoher level, and I'm happy that there are people that really enjoy it, as long as it is done well.

The first time I heard of Dolby Atmos was from music mixing engineers who talked about it, as if it were the next big thing everybody needs to get into with expensive setups. They made it sound like 2.0 stereo is going to be obsolete and if your not adapting your out of the loop. Reading this Thread, it seems like Dolby Atmos has similar strenghts but also faces similar issues to VR-Headsets, though maybe not to the same extend. You need a special dedicated Setup that requires a more or less dedicated room that is not exactly cheap to get into, if you want to make it work right. That is one thing, but another thing that is very obvious with VR is that it's not as flexible in the social settings as regular gaming setups. Having a VR Headset on in a social setting with people around is particularly weird. When it comes to Dolby Atmos it's not nearly as bad, but really you want to sit fixed in a position and the amount of people that can sit in sweatspot (which is the point of it) is limited.

The argument that dolby atmos in a quality that elevates the experience of listing to audio in a meaningful way, is going to stay at least somewhat niche seems to be quite strong, and 2.0 audio is here to stay?

 

[RDoc]

I have had no experience with Dolby Atmos yet. It's exciting to see that the industry is trying to take things to antoher level, and I'm happy that there are people that really enjoy it, as long as it is done well.

The first time I heard of Dolby Atmos was from music mixing engineers who talked about it, as if it were the next big thing everybody needs to get into with expensive setups. They made it sound like 2.0 stereo is going to be obsolete and if your not adapting your out of the loop. Reading this Thread, it seems like Dolby Atmos has similar strenghts but also faces similar issues to VR-Headsets, though maybe not to the same extend. You need a special dedicated Setup that requires a more or less dedicated room that is not exactly cheap to get into, if you want to make it work right. That is one thing, but another thing that is very obvious with VR is that it's not as flexible in the social settings as regular gaming setups. Having a VR Headset on in a social setting with people around is particularly weird. When it comes to Dolby Atmos it's not nearly as bad, but really you want to sit fixed in a position and the amount of people that can sit in sweatspot (which is the point of it) is limited.

The argument that dolby atmos in a quality that elevates the experience of listing to audio in a meaningful way, is going to stay at least somewhat niche seems to be quite strong, and 2.0 audio is here to stay?

You definitely don't need a dedicated room to appreciate ATMOS music. Our living room is far far from optimized, and the difference is more than minor between ATMOS an stereo. If I accidentally have a stereo track mixed in a otherwise ATMOS playlist, I immediately notice something's wrong, and that's with the system equalizing levels between ATMOS and stereo tracks. The surround effect isn't minor and it's not all just at one sweet spot.

The comparison to VR headsets doesn't seem at all relevant to me. Nor does the social setting seem like an issue. In social settings I participate in, we're generally talking and interacting, not quietly listening to music. If there is a musical interlude, the spread sound effect from ATMOS, or any surround system, is much nicer than a stereo system.

Our system has been equalized using Dirac, which I think is pretty essential.

 

[EchoHead]

You definitely don't need a dedicated room to appreciate ATMOS music. Our living room is far far from optimized, and the difference is more than minor between ATMOS an stereo.

Would you say, that under your living room conditions the price for the atmos upgrade is worth it compared to a stereo setup? How well does it work with people sitting in different spots in the living room?

The comparison to VR headsets doesn't seem at all relevant to me. Nor does the social setting seem like an issue. In social settings I participate in, we're generally talking and interacting, not quietly listening to music. If there is a musical interlude, the spread sound effect from ATMOS, or any surround system, is much nicer than a stereo system.

I see, my understanding was that you need a more controlled setting with you sitting somewhere in the sweetspot to experience atmos. I understand that you don't have music playing when you are in social settings, but I would argue that alot of people do.

 

[RDoc]

Would you say, that under your living room conditions the price for the atmos upgrade is worth it compared to a stereo setup? How well does it work with people sitting in different spots in the living room?

I see, my understanding was that you need a more controlled setting with you sitting somewhere in the sweetspot to experience atmos. I understand that you don't have music playing when you are in social settings, but I would argue that alot of people do.

Well, "worth it" is in the eye (or ears) of the beholder. Personally, we listen to music at least an hour a night together which makes it a very important part of the day for me and we both, being engineers and lovers of live music, appreciate the fidelity and presence of ATMOS. So, for us, it's more than worth it. Flying down to New Orleans is a lot more expensive and inconvenient, not to mention we wouldn't have our cats or wine cellar.

We sit at opposite ends of an 8' couch and both find it far better than than stereo. As I said before though, the Dirac room equalization isn't a trivial thing.

 

[jhaider]

Would you say, that under your living room conditions the price for the atmos upgrade is worth it compared to a stereo setup?

Yes.

How well does it work with people sitting in different spots in the living room?

Pretty well, better than stereo frankly—with the caveat that you need to think about your sides especially to avoid localization. I think CBT arrays are ideal.

 

[EchoHead]

There are applications of Dolby Atmos, that have speakers aiming at the ceiling, to have reflections coming from above (instead of having speakers on the ceiling) and even soundbars doing that. Does that work well enough, for it to be better than a comparably priced stereo solution?

With VR-Headsets of the Occulus Rift variety and (true) Dolby Atmos (with speaker on the ceiling) being around for about 10 years I wonder how they compare in terms of success/adoption. I understand that those two are quite different in practice, since it is very off putting having a system on your head that isolates you from the enviroment in a social setting. It is also quite tedious having to put that stuff on your head and wiggling around with your arms, compared to playing with a controller on your couch looking at a TV. However, I just looked at a video showing different Dolby Atmos setups, and I can see how that can be quite prohibitive. Even if you are willing to set that up, when youre not quite happy with it, changing the position of the top speakers, that's a real pain plus the cost.

I think it's an awsome format and great that entertainment media is evolving in a way that makes a meaningful difference. Intuitively I don't see the upside of listening to music in Atmos, but I believe you when you say it is much better than stereo when done right.

It is quite a hassle to get a room ready for mixing mono or stereo, but putting a room together with mixing monitors in atoms is just on another level of out of the question for many small producers, that want to get into media creation. But maybe AI could make it possible to have even small productions being available in Atmos, but is that a desirable outcome. I don't watch hollywood movies or play videos games of the AAA hollywood variety and I don't see how Atmos would make much sense in my case. I mean the setup, cost and benefit as someone who just wants to listen to his favorite music productions, I don't feel drawn to it. If I wouldn't have been told by mixing engineers that Atmos is going to be replace stereo, I wouldn't have thought twice about it tbh.

I'd like to hear perspective.

 

[Andysu]

dolby labs atmos licensed to the trash hollywood dubbing stages for worst sound editors , lazy re-recording mixers , trash music scoring and rubbish directors is the worst trash sound format of the last 15 years
i don't even consider gravity to be great again , just a lure to trick everyone to buying this , dolby labs garbage atmos , every avr made garbage trash , trinnov stormaudio garbage trash , i regret buying ,
overhead atmos has the worst sound continuity that i have ever heard in all my years

 

[Matt S]

dolby labs atmos licensed to the trash hollywood dubbing stages for worst sound editors , lazy re-recording mixers , trash music scoring and rubbish directors is the worst trash sound format of the last 15 years
i don't even consider gravity to be great again , just a lure to trick everyone to buying this , dolby labs garbage atmos , every avr made garbage trash , trinnov stormaudio garbage trash , i regret buying ,
overhead atmos has the worst sound continuity that i have ever heard in all my years

You need a drink? Or had too many?

 

[EchoHead]

You need a drink? Or had too many?

He just said, what we all wanted to hear.

 

[RDoc]

There are applications of Dolby Atmos, that have speakers aiming at the ceiling, to have reflections coming from above (instead of having speakers on the ceiling) and even soundbars doing that. Does that work well enough, for it to be better than a comparably priced stereo solution?

With VR-Headsets of the Occulus Rift variety and (true) Dolby Atmos (with speaker on the ceiling) being around for about 10 years I wonder how they compare in terms of success/adoption. I understand that those two are quite different in practice, since it is very off putting having a system on your head that isolates you from the enviroment in a social setting. It is also quite tedious having to put that stuff on your head and wiggling around with your arms, compared to playing with a controller on your couch looking at a TV. However, I just looked at a video showing different Dolby Atmos setups, and I can see how that can be quite prohibitive. Even if you are willing to set that up, when youre not quite happy with it, changing the position of the top speakers, that's a real pain plus the cost.

I think it's an awsome format and great that entertainment media is evolving in a way that makes a meaningful difference. Intuitively I don't see the upside of listening to music in Atmos, but I believe you when you say it is much better than stereo when done right.

It is quite a hassle to get a room ready for mixing mono or stereo, but putting a room together with mixing monitors in atoms is just on another level of out of the question for many small producers, that want to get into media creation. But maybe AI could make it possible to have even small productions being available in Atmos, but is that a desirable outcome. I don't watch hollywood movies or play videos games of the AAA hollywood variety and I don't see how Atmos would make much sense in my case. I mean the setup, cost and benefit as someone who just wants to listen to his favorite music productions, I don't feel drawn to it. If I wouldn't have been told by mixing engineers that Atmos is going to be replace stereo, I wouldn't have thought twice about it tbh.

I'd like to hear perspective.

We have 4 bounce height speakers and I've tried the system Dirac equalized with them included and not, our AVR can switch between equalizations. Again, let me emphasize I'm only interested in music, not movies. The difference isn't huge IMHO, but it does add a noticeable difference in spaciousness and feeling of being at a performance. My initial goal with going to the expense and hassle of setting up an ATMOS system was to better simulate a live music experience, and the height speakers do add to it. However, my experience is that while noticeable, they're not a big deal compared to the main horizontal speakers and going from stereo to ATMOS. OTOH, if you're interested in movies, particularly action movies, my understanding is that the height speakers are a significant improvement, and it's probably better to have them direct firing, not bounce. That's not my interest however.

As I said, my interest initially was to get closer to live performances, but what I was really surprised and very pleased by was the substantial improvement in perceived sound quality. What we both noticed immediately was how much more understandable the lyrics to songs are, then we noticed the increased localization and clarity of individual instruments in jazz groups. With a well engineered ATMOS track, it's all quite a bit better than stereo. As I said, if I accidentally have an UtraHD track mixed in with ATMOS tracks in a playlist, I notice it immediately even with the levels automatically adjusted. Unfortunately, a lot of albums will have almost all ATMOS tracks but one or two stereo tracks which is annoying. Also annoying is the poor engineering of some ATMOS albums, particularly some classical remixes.

 

[Oddball]

We have 4 bounce height speakers and I've tried the system Dirac equalized with them included and not, our AVR can switch between equalizations. Again, let me emphasize I'm only interested in music, not movies. The difference isn't huge IMHO, but it does add a noticeable difference in spaciousness and feeling of being at a performance. My initial goal with going to the expense and hassle of setting up an ATMOS system was to better simulate a live music experience, and the height speakers do add to it. However, my experience is that while noticeable, they're not a big deal compared to the main horizontal speakers and going from stereo to ATMOS. OTOH, if you're interested in movies, particularly action movies, my understanding is that the height speakers are a significant improvement, and it's probably better to have them direct firing, not bounce. That's not my interest however.

As I said, my interest initially was to get closer to live performances, but what I was really surprised and very pleased by was the substantial improvement in perceived sound quality. What we both noticed immediately was how much more understandable the lyrics to songs are, then we noticed the increased localization and clarity of individual instruments in jazz groups. With a well engineered ATMOS track, it's all quite a bit better than stereo. As I said, if I accidentally have an UtraHD track mixed in with ATMOS tracks in a playlist, I notice it immediately even with the levels automatically adjusted. Unfortunately, a lot of albums will have almost all ATMOS tracks but one or two stereo tracks which is annoying. Also annoying is the poor engineering of some ATMOS albums, particularly some classical remixes.

Well with bounce Atmos you get what you get. A step up are wall mounted Atmos bookshelves with decent response (aka not small). Then next level are in ceiling Atmos if done right. Mounting a poor speaker in ceiling will not do it. And good ones are now shallow, so will require some space that not many have.

 

[jhaider]

There are applications of Dolby Atmos, that have speakers aiming at the ceiling, to have reflections coming from above (instead of having speakers on the ceiling) and even soundbars doing that. Does that work well enough, for it to be better than a comparably priced stereo solution?

I’ve not used them except for a long time ago in a review at the dawn of the Atmos age, but, if the hardware allows, I’m intrigued by using immersive decoding to provide ambience from upfiring speakers, similar to concepts introduced here by @Duke.