On my Denon AVC 3700 there are two speaker presets, and I think it's possible to have two different speaker setups saved.
5.2.2 vs. 5.2.4?
- Thread starter RustyStatic
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Yeah, at the very least I've committed to the tinkering, so I'll see what I can find out... I'd be psyched if there was something similar I could figure out on my Marantz!
EDIT: This looks promising... I'll mess with it once I have the new speakers installed...
https://manuals.marantz.com/SR8015/NA/EN/DRDZSYdbdgoqfu.php
EDIT: This looks promising... I'll mess with it once I have the new speakers installed...
https://manuals.marantz.com/SR8015/NA/EN/DRDZSYdbdgoqfu.php
jlladuke
Member
Yeah, I was thinking about that being a possibility, especially using the Audyssey app (I think it's like $20); however, I don't know that the main 5 channels are Assignable like the rest of them. So, I don't think you could use the rear surrounds in a 7.2.4 setup and then also use them as side surrounds in a 5.1 or quad setup. But I'd love to know if that's the case, so please keep us updated!
Good luck!
I have a 5.2.4.
Actually 3 subs. 2 are LFE connected, 1 for the front L/R and 1 for the rear L/R. The 3rd sub is connected high frequency only directly to center channel speaker terminals. My 4 heights, I am sitting basically in the middle, a little closer to rears. I have the 4 heights adjusted up 3db after Audessy correction.
I have said many times the biggest bang for the buck compared to anything in my home rig was the bass traps, side absorbers and rear diffusers, all from GIK Acoustics.
Emotionally, so far, I have been listening to Dolby Atmos to almost two years now, is the lack of satisfaction. The mixes are all over the place, whether it be movies or music.
For beginners the 5 on the floor and at least one sub are paramount to a successful surround listen. The heights are of course extremely rewarding. I remember the first Dolby Atmos movie I bought, 1915, I think there where two scenes where the heights kicked in. Of course there are fantastic examples of Atmos, Abbey Road, etc.
What seems to be a common thread in my listening to Atmos (4) is when it is a lack luster height experience, the two rear heights seem to be the most active, this is not the rule, just an observation.
So, all that said, if based on my experience, I only had a choice of two heights, I would put them behind me. General rule is try to make your heights line up with your floors, and situate 1/3 to 1/3 in ceiling, more or less and get your seating as best you can in middle, again, my seating is a tiny bit closer to rear heights.
The 7 point speaker configuration on the floor is mostly fluff, sound redirected. Keep in mind 99% of all surround recordings are 5.1, 4.0, Dolby Atmos, it is not common to see a 7.1 option.
Glad @RustyStatic you are having fun with your new adventure, I find it so rewarding to scratch and claw through information I don't understand and eventually come out the other end, highly rewarding.
Actually 3 subs. 2 are LFE connected, 1 for the front L/R and 1 for the rear L/R. The 3rd sub is connected high frequency only directly to center channel speaker terminals. My 4 heights, I am sitting basically in the middle, a little closer to rears. I have the 4 heights adjusted up 3db after Audessy correction.
I have said many times the biggest bang for the buck compared to anything in my home rig was the bass traps, side absorbers and rear diffusers, all from GIK Acoustics.
Emotionally, so far, I have been listening to Dolby Atmos to almost two years now, is the lack of satisfaction. The mixes are all over the place, whether it be movies or music.
For beginners the 5 on the floor and at least one sub are paramount to a successful surround listen. The heights are of course extremely rewarding. I remember the first Dolby Atmos movie I bought, 1915, I think there where two scenes where the heights kicked in. Of course there are fantastic examples of Atmos, Abbey Road, etc.
What seems to be a common thread in my listening to Atmos (4) is when it is a lack luster height experience, the two rear heights seem to be the most active, this is not the rule, just an observation.
So, all that said, if based on my experience, I only had a choice of two heights, I would put them behind me. General rule is try to make your heights line up with your floors, and situate 1/3 to 1/3 in ceiling, more or less and get your seating as best you can in middle, again, my seating is a tiny bit closer to rear heights.
The 7 point speaker configuration on the floor is mostly fluff, sound redirected. Keep in mind 99% of all surround recordings are 5.1, 4.0, Dolby Atmos, it is not common to see a 7.1 option.
Glad @RustyStatic you are having fun with your new adventure, I find it so rewarding to scratch and claw through information I don't understand and eventually come out the other end, highly rewarding.
As you I have bass absorbers in all 4 corners, Isobaric #Tubetraps and some half rounds i the ceiling for absorption/diffusion. Expensive, but worth it to me. When I went from 5.2.4 to 7.2.4 I was surprised on how much information som mixes have in the SB speakers that are different to the side surrounds. As I listen mainly to Atmos music from Apple Music and disc, I got me som LED bars from amazone so I could monitor if there's output in the heights. Some mixes have output all the time, some have something now and then, and some have not enough to move the LED bars.
So, both pairs of new speakers have confirmed shipping and are on their way, so I've started mucking around in the crawl spaces and pulling wires... I thought for sh*ts and giggles I'd move my rears to the sides to see what my AVR was gonna do with 5.1 and 4.0 mixes when I've got 7 on the floor.
Based on the fact that when listening before I was so often getting up to see what was going on back there, I thought that I might actually dig this setup... weirdly, this is the speaker configuration the Marantz shows for 5.1 when setting it up, so like others have said, the diagrams seem to change based on the provider and there's definitely a degree of personal preference here.
If I'm being honest, the soundstage isn't the same just in terms of the feeling of size. But I can hear so much more detail on the sides now that I don't wonder "what specifically is going on back there?" in the way I did...
I dunno, it's new, and very subjective. And a different kind of experience that I might just be geeking out on in the present. But I'm definitely not like "oh, hell no, this'll never do".
And yeah, @jlladuke, you're right, you can't assign speakers in that way to presets. I mean, if I wanted to get super anal about it I guess I could throw banana connectors on those two pairs (the sides and rears; I've just got wire now) and swap 'em if I'm really feeling like I need to for a listening session that I know is going to stay in 5.1/4.0 vs. Atmos/Auro/etc.
Based on the fact that when listening before I was so often getting up to see what was going on back there, I thought that I might actually dig this setup... weirdly, this is the speaker configuration the Marantz shows for 5.1 when setting it up, so like others have said, the diagrams seem to change based on the provider and there's definitely a degree of personal preference here.
If I'm being honest, the soundstage isn't the same just in terms of the feeling of size. But I can hear so much more detail on the sides now that I don't wonder "what specifically is going on back there?" in the way I did...
I dunno, it's new, and very subjective. And a different kind of experience that I might just be geeking out on in the present. But I'm definitely not like "oh, hell no, this'll never do".
And yeah, @jlladuke, you're right, you can't assign speakers in that way to presets. I mean, if I wanted to get super anal about it I guess I could throw banana connectors on those two pairs (the sides and rears; I've just got wire now) and swap 'em if I'm really feeling like I need to for a listening session that I know is going to stay in 5.1/4.0 vs. Atmos/Auro/etc.
MidiMagic
2K Club - QQ Super Nova
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That is the beauty of all this, embrace the geek.
Actually, for the 5.1 v 7.1 dilemma... I'm going to give this little box a shot, I feel like this just might do it, with some easy toggles...
https://www.amazon.com/SSVC2-Source-Speaker-Selector-Control/dp/B002C99DW8
https://www.amazon.com/SSVC2-Source-Speaker-Selector-Control/dp/B002C99DW8
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So, I got my second pair of heights hung and now I'm at 5.2.4 (will be at 7.2.4 hopefully by the end of next week if shipping cooperates). What I am noticing now is, yes, it sounds awesome... and immediately, stuff that sounded fabulous before now even has more definition and detail, like the new Tears for Fears that I now know so well. Like, I was surprised at how much additional detail was suddenly there when I already thought it was a 10. Wild.
But the other super interesting thing is that, when I only had the two overheads, they were directly to the right and left of my head. So, not only was there no movement to perceive up there, but also, with the benefit of hindsight, what I was hearing up there was often coming off as gimmicky because anything up high was RIGHT THERE. Very whizz-bang. Whereas now, information in the heights is more dispersed in the room and in the mix too... and at first things that were very prominent in the heights to me in the Atmos mixes I was really getting to know... I missed them being that overt. But then I started shedding that very subjective take and realizing how much more natural, balanced, and truly immersive it is with the 4 up there. Not gimmicky, with a "woah! what just whizzed over my head?!?" but much more serving of the music (I'm sure there will be some of that whizzy stuff but it'll be on purpose).
I just got going so I have a lot more tinkering to do, and that'll amp up again when the two surround-backs arrive... but it's an interesting and rewarding journey...
But the other super interesting thing is that, when I only had the two overheads, they were directly to the right and left of my head. So, not only was there no movement to perceive up there, but also, with the benefit of hindsight, what I was hearing up there was often coming off as gimmicky because anything up high was RIGHT THERE. Very whizz-bang. Whereas now, information in the heights is more dispersed in the room and in the mix too... and at first things that were very prominent in the heights to me in the Atmos mixes I was really getting to know... I missed them being that overt. But then I started shedding that very subjective take and realizing how much more natural, balanced, and truly immersive it is with the 4 up there. Not gimmicky, with a "woah! what just whizzed over my head?!?" but much more serving of the music (I'm sure there will be some of that whizzy stuff but it'll be on purpose).
I just got going so I have a lot more tinkering to do, and that'll amp up again when the two surround-backs arrive... but it's an interesting and rewarding journey...
When it comes to ATMOS - 4 is always better than 2.
Glad your enjoying the fruits of your labors (and money).
Glad your enjoying the fruits of your labors (and money).
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OK, I'm thinking going to add four ceiling speakers to my old 7.1 home theater system that I spent about $2K on, mostly for the speakers. I also have an audiophool 5.2.2 system that I spent more like $15K on. I have three questions:
1) I need a new receiver. I'm torn between getting a new one for the 5.2.2 system and using my old top-of-the-line RX-A3080 Yamaha for the 7.1.4. But I'm not sure a new RX-A6A for $2300 would be any better, and maybe there something is something cheaper I should be looking for the 7.1.4. Any suggestions?
2) I need 4 ceiling speakers. I have Infinity TSS satellite speakers, which cost roughly $200 each. I figure spending about that for the ceiling speakers, preferably surface mount. Any suggestions?
3) Rusty's Confused diagram has all the ceiling speakers in front of the listener with the front speakers near the front and the rear speakers overhead. [My 5.2.2 system has the speakers overhead]. But I've seen other diagrams that have the fronts more like halfway between the front and the listener and the rears well behind the listener. I could do that with the 7.1 system. Is there I a right way to do it?
1) I need a new receiver. I'm torn between getting a new one for the 5.2.2 system and using my old top-of-the-line RX-A3080 Yamaha for the 7.1.4. But I'm not sure a new RX-A6A for $2300 would be any better, and maybe there something is something cheaper I should be looking for the 7.1.4. Any suggestions?
2) I need 4 ceiling speakers. I have Infinity TSS satellite speakers, which cost roughly $200 each. I figure spending about that for the ceiling speakers, preferably surface mount. Any suggestions?
3) Rusty's Confused diagram has all the ceiling speakers in front of the listener with the front speakers near the front and the rear speakers overhead. [My 5.2.2 system has the speakers overhead]. But I've seen other diagrams that have the fronts more like halfway between the front and the listener and the rears well behind the listener. I could do that with the 7.1 system. Is there I a right way to do it?
Hey @riskylogic; I don't think I'm the right person to answer the first question... all I really have any experience with is the Marantz SR8015, which handles the 7.2.4 swimmingly but comes with a hefty price tag averaging around $4000 new.
For the second, I'm digging the surface mounts for the ceiling and even like the look of them... I went with Focal Dôme Flax all around to keep things Focal like the rest of my system (except the subs) but I paid through the nose to make that work... like just under $3K for the four of them (
). I'm sure there are cheaper options that work very well too... though I'm very content with what I've got cooking over here.
For the placement, I can definitely weigh in there—the only reason I've got the overheads placed in the "Rusty Confused" configuration is because I can't physically do it more ideal like the other diagrams you've mentioned ("the fronts more like halfway between the front and the listener and the rears well behind the listener"). Again, what I've got is working pretty darn well and it's as good as I can do due to physical locations, but if I had a clean slate and could make it work, I'd do as you're describing.
For the second, I'm digging the surface mounts for the ceiling and even like the look of them... I went with Focal Dôme Flax all around to keep things Focal like the rest of my system (except the subs) but I paid through the nose to make that work... like just under $3K for the four of them (
). I'm sure there are cheaper options that work very well too... though I'm very content with what I've got cooking over here.For the placement, I can definitely weigh in there—the only reason I've got the overheads placed in the "Rusty Confused" configuration is because I can't physically do it more ideal like the other diagrams you've mentioned ("the fronts more like halfway between the front and the listener and the rears well behind the listener"). Again, what I've got is working pretty darn well and it's as good as I can do due to physical locations, but if I had a clean slate and could make it work, I'd do as you're describing.
I just bought a Denon AVR-X4700H.
It is one of the best measuring & sounding AVR's on the market and will do 11.2.4 with an outboard 2 channel amp for one of the rear surround pairs, just like the Yama A6A and it retails for a little less. It also has Audyssey DRC that can offer a lot more room correction power than YPAO software IMHO.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/denon-avr-x4700-avr-review-updated.14493/
A hard one to answer. If Infinity doesn't have anything that will work for you I can state that the SVS Prime Elevations offer great sound and a very flexible mounting system. They are just a hair more money than your talking about.
https://www.svsound.com/products/prime-elevation?variant=26537027974
Yes, if you can do the arrangement with the rear heights behind the listening position and the front about midway between the listener and the front speakers that's the best (Dolby recommended) way
https://www.dolby.com/about/support/guide/speaker-setup-guides/7.1.4-overhead-speaker-setup-guide/
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I think we can eliminate the third question at this point. But let me refine my first two questions. Let's keep in mind that my 5.2.2 system is great for quad and 5.1 mixes and I'm just trying to upgrade a lesser system in order to make it better for Atmos.
The amplifier. I don't think the Yamaha A6A would be better than my old Yamaha in system #1 and the Denon AVR-X3700H at $1600 would be decent option for a mid-fi Atmos system. Yes, I would like to replace the Yamaha with a $10K+ McIntosh system but I think I won't.
The speakers. I have been imagining that I want speakers mounted flat against the ceiling like the many ceiling speakers I already have. But since I'm going to hang them anyway perhaps speakers angled towards the listener are better. Any thoughts on that?
The amplifier. I don't think the Yamaha A6A would be better than my old Yamaha in system #1 and the Denon AVR-X3700H at $1600 would be decent option for a mid-fi Atmos system. Yes, I would like to replace the Yamaha with a $10K+ McIntosh system but I think I won't.
The speakers. I have been imagining that I want speakers mounted flat against the ceiling like the many ceiling speakers I already have. But since I'm going to hang them anyway perhaps speakers angled towards the listener are better. Any thoughts on that?
Thanks a bunch, @Sal1950 — my ceiling speakers are these:Who's speakers are those on the ceiling?
Nice component rack, very handsome.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_091DFW/Focal-Dome-Flax-White.html
Wow, nice Focal's, I'm envious.
