Who has a 7.1.4 Atmos setup?

[Blumlein 88]

So I'd like to know how many of you have a 7.1.4 or more Atmos system up and going. Not a soundbar, not Atmos phones or any of that. A minimum of 7 speakers, 1 sub and 4 overhead speakers. As a counter point in this poll also those who have 5.1 surround and of course what I assume everyone will have which is stereo. I'll even throw in mono as a choice. You can choose as many of these categories as you wish.

 

[thewas]

Unfortunately none of the answers is exactly appropriate for me as my answer would be:

Except my Yamaha sound projector at my TV system which emulates a multichannel setup through controlled sound steering and reflections I have unfortunately only stereo speaker systems due to space/cost/life restrictions but I wish I had there also according multichannel setups.

 

[sergeauckland]

No mention of Quadraphonics?
S

 

[Blumlein 88]

No mention of Quadraphonics?
S

To be honest simply didn't think of it. Didn't list 3 channel LCR either even though there are a few such recordings.

 

[voodooless]

What about soundbars I’ve got 5.1.4

 

[Blumlein 88]

Unfortunately none of the answers is exactly appropriate for me as my answer would be:

Except my Yamaha sound projector at my TV system which emulates a multichannel setup through controlled sound steering and reflections I have unfortunately only stereo speaker systems due to space/cost/life restrictions but I wish I had there also according multichannel setups.

My idea was to see how many have put together an Atmos system. I might want one, not sure. I think the available recordings and the requirements to have that many speakers will keep it a very niche part of the market. Dolby has really gone all out on marketing managing to pretend (imo) that Atmos is applicable to soundbars and headphones. I'm not convinced. As others have said if Atmos were all that once word got out and people hear it they'll want it. In this case even wanting it will still be an issue with the requirements for 12 or more speakers.

So in your case looks like the response would fit in stereo. You want more, but you have put together and use stereo. I specifically wanted to filter out things like your Yamaha which use fewer physical speakers and claims to emulate more. I've heard some similar systems. They do more than stereo, but the emulation isn't equivalent or close enough in my opinion at this time. If it worked a single pod with directional capability would be what anyone wants, but I'm not convinced we have reached that point.

Do you think the Yamaha is really close to having all the separate speakers in terms of the result?

 

[MattHooper]

I have a 7.0 surround set up.

(Not Dolby Atmos, as it would be too involved to retrofit for that at this point).

 

[Blumlein 88]

What about soundbars I’ve got 5.1.4

Nope, no soundbars. That is why I mentioned having the actual 12 or more speakers.

Maybe a side topic suitable for this thread. Do you think the sound bar really gets you close to an actual 5.1.4 result?

 

[Blumlein 88]

I have a 7.0 surround set up.

(Not Dolby Atmos, as it would be too involved to retrofit for that at this point).

So I'd put that in the basket of regular surround of 5.1 or more speakers. If all or enough of your 5 or 7 speakers are full range .1 isn't a requirement in my mind.

 

[masterhw]

I'm at 5.1 and toy with the idea of going beyond, but have reservations around how much it would really enhance the experience. I've heard the ceiling bounce type Atmos speakers are not great fidelity, and it would be some labour to do on-ceiling mounts. I aspire to eventually have 7.2.4 (don't we all) when I'm no longer a renter, but truth be told I think I'm quite pleased with a nicely calibrated 5.1 setup, and some of my most cherished recordings have native 5.1 mixes so I don't feel left out.

 

[MattHooper]

So I'd put that in the basket of regular surround of 5.1 or more speakers. If all or enough of your 5 or 7 speakers are full range .1 isn't a requirement in my mind.

My centre channel is particularly large and goes quite deep. My L/R are fairly sizeable stand mounts that also go quite deep and since they are near room corners and the centre channel is on the floor beneath the screen there’s a bit of room lift as well.
The sound is plenty deep and huge. I found that I did not need my subwoofers and sold them.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

I will install 4 Revel speakers in plaster ceiling on first floor. Will be a real pain. I can do it but will wait until Wife goes on vacation.

 

[voodooless]

Do you think the sound bar really gets you close to an actual 5.1.4 result?

It’s close enough given I can’t properly fit 2.0.4 anywhere in the room

 

[Madlop26]

Nope, no soundbars. That is why I mentioned having the actual 12 or more speakers.

Maybe a side topic suitable for this thread. Do you think the sound bar really gets you close to an actual 5.1.4 result?

I do have both, main listening room is a 7.2.4 system with revel speaker front and surrounds, and an "Atmos" high-end Soundbar HW-Q990D, the soundbar sounds great, but mostly as a 5.1 system, cannot compete with the soundstage of a full system, also the sound of the revels are superior.

 

[thewas]

So in your case looks like the response would fit in stereo. You want more, but you have put together and use stereo. I specifically wanted to filter out things like your Yamaha which use fewer physical speakers and claims to emulate more. I've heard some similar systems. They do more than stereo, but the emulation isn't equivalent or close enough in my opinion at this time. If it worked a single pod with directional capability would be what anyone wants, but I'm not convinced we have reached that point.

Do you think the Yamaha is really close to having all the separate speakers in terms of the result?

Except Yamaha I don't know any other soundbar which uses beam steering with an DSP controlled array of many small drivers* so its quite superior to any other soundbars in that regard but the room needs also to have not too far side and rear walls for it work, then results can be quite impressive.

My objection was rather on the answer "I have stereo speakers and that does it for me" where I wanted to say I have and mainly listen to stereo systems but I would rather prefer/have a multichannel system.

*The Yamaha uses up to 56 drivers which is more than many atmos systems, its just that their location is limited.

 

[Anton S]

I run a 7.1.4 setup, but probably an atypical one. For my bed speakers I run front-wides plus surrounds in addition to L-C-R, instead of surrounds plus backs. The .4 consist of the usual front and rear heights.

 

[Newman]

I voted for both of the top two. I currently have 5.1 that I have been using for many years, but I have purchased the gear to move to 7.1.4 and am in the process of making the move.

cheers

 

[Oddball]

9.5.4 and loving it. Had 5.1 and then 7.1 for more than 25 years now. Atmos is definitively a great step up - but will be limited to how the soundtrack was mixed. Expanding 5.1 track with the favourite up mixer works really great at least for HT that is nowadays most of my use - sometimes even better than the original Atmos sound track.

 

[Wolf11Man]

I had a usual 5 speaker + two subs Dolby system for some years now. When my Onkyo 818 broke down, I replaced it with a Denon capable of Atmos. I spent another year with the Denon, that is just as good or even better than the older Onkyo it replaced, until I put 4 extra speakers on the ceiling. These are very similar to the front and center speaker, which makes them virtually disapper as single sound sources. My experience with mixed speaker models is not that good.
The Atmos effect is extremely dependent on the source material. It is like on a scale from inaudible to really impressive. There seem to be more movies that make use of the upper channels now, like birds in the sky, helicopters, planes etc. which can be quite surprising.
The first time my daughter listened to the new system, she instandly asked "do you even have speakers up there now?" The front height are up 10 foot or 3,3 meters, black on black and you hardly notice them with the usual living room light.
My two dogs love HD animal films that are not spoiled with stupid music, but have natural sounds. They are all "ears" and She-dog even barks at the screen when things get scary or wild. I think this is a a clear sign that Atmos works well
With most music Atmos works just fine, may it be streaming, CD or FM, even very old recordings. There are just a few recordings that seem to be extremely flat and reduced, just like a low rate MP3, when played with Atmos. I have not discovered what this funny problem is, these sound better in stereo or "all channel stereo" in my room. Maybe they have no useable information for the decoder.

I will not go back to anything less and want to add two more speakers in the future, but this has to be planed and carefully matched to the room. If you have the space and relative high walls, real Atmos is definately worth it. Don't go for any reflecting speaker extensions or the like, these are a waste of money, just like any "made for Atmos" thingys. Keep the quality and signature of your front speakers, otherwise you will not get a homogeneous sound experience.

 

[middlemarch]

I clicked the 7.1.4 button but in fact have a 7.5.6 system, with the caveat being that I run my fronts full range thanks to A1 Evo Maestro MJ. So does that make it a 7.7.6 system?

Doesn't matter, it finally works really really well after a couple of years of futzing around. My five "subs" are configured as a single using two MiniDSP 2x4HDs. This was not by design, no two subs are alike, and there's a ported HSU in among four sealed units of various sizes. It was pretty acceptable but then came the "fronts full range" and by golly, I'm done. It finally all clicked in a big way and I'm afraid to touch anything ever again.

If the source is in stereo I switch between upmixing to either Dolby Surround or Auro3D depending on what sounds best. Sometimes plain old stereo sounds best. I do listen to as many Atmos music mixes as I can via Apple Music. Some of these are fantastic (example being Fleetwood Mac Rumors, Van Morrison and many others) and others being "why bother", but generally a good experience. My use is 80% music, we're not that big on movie watching.

My (hopefully) final tweak arrives tomorrow in the form of a Revel C426CE center to replace a C208 in the hopes it will blend better with my Studio 2s, although my suspicion is it won't make much difference. We shall see