Dolby Atmos® FAQ

[par4ken]

If you search for "in wall" speaker cables you can find ones with more than two wires. Here is one example.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3247073649...x1gE8AYhXkrAgVzqHXBqHBew==|tkp:Bk9SR-SEyrP1Yw

 

[SharpKnight]

@Owen Smith & @par4ken
Thank you so much! That's good information to have in refining my search. My AVR also has bi-amping and it never crossed my mind to refine my search that way, though I use those channels for heights.

 

[mandrix]

Depends on the length of your run. On a quick search the cheapest 4 wire conductor/16 gauge was about 0.66/ft. Or you could always use shrink sleeving I suppose if you can find it cheap enough to encapsulate 2 wires.

 

[mandrix]

The Ebay option does look cheaper.

 

[SharpKnight]

I actually have a 5.1.4 speaker system but only have 7.1 channel AVR so it's really a 5.1.2 Atmos system with front upward firing (Dolby Atmos). I thought given the futile nature of upward firing Atmos and given the steeper angle that it fires sound upwards, the sound reaches just behind the center of the room. And since my surround sound system is "couch against the wall" it occured to me, why don't I bring the upward firing speakers from front to the rears for the Atmos effect.

So all in all, for fronts it was four short wires right behind the console, but now I'll be routing 4 wires across the room.

Just a little experiment till I ultimately drill holes in the ceiling for actual Atmos.

 

[EricKalet]

Hello everyone,
I kept searching for a thread only related to the accessories part of an Atmos setup and without any luck I have chosen to post my question here.

I was wondering if there are 4 channel speaker wires allowing me to run two channels off a single speaker unit with upward firing Dolby Atmos speaker. I would run two speakers wires, but it occured to me that there has to be 4 channel speaker wires too. But my search on Amazon has been futile. The wires are either too thick (I can't conceal to some extent) and black or brown in color, however now that I type this I occurs to me that I could simply paint the section of the exposed wires my wall color to camaflouge them. Nonetheless such 4 channel wires are pretty pricey on Amazon and too thick and...way too much for the small space that I have.

250ft 16AWG 4 Conductors (16/4) CL2 Rated Speaker Cable True Spec & Gauge Low Voltage LED Copper Clad Aluminum Wire, Pull Box (for in-Wall Installation) (16AWG / 4 Conductors, 250ft) https://a.co/d/jdGvIur

I used this to wire 4 heights for Atmos:
https://www.amazon.com/GearIT-4-Con...refix=GearIT+14/4+,electronics,99&sr=1-3&th=1

 

[barturtle]

Hello everyone,
I kept searching for a thread only related to the accessories part of an Atmos setup and without any luck I have chosen to post my question here.

I was wondering if there are 4 channel speaker wires allowing me to run two channels off a single speaker unit with upward firing Dolby Atmos speaker. I would run two speakers wires, but it occured to me that there has to be 4 channel speaker wires too. But my search on Amazon has been futile. The wires are either too thick (I can't conceal to some extent) and black or brown in color, however now that I type this I occurs to me that I could simply paint the section of the exposed wires my wall color to camaflouge them. Nonetheless such 4 channel wires are pretty pricey on Amazon and too thick and...way too much for the small space that I have.

250ft 16AWG 4 Conductors (16/4) CL2 Rated Speaker Cable True Spec & Gauge Low Voltage LED Copper Clad Aluminum Wire, Pull Box (for in-Wall Installation) (16AWG / 4 Conductors, 250ft) https://a.co/d/jdGvIur

Blue Jeans Cable sells Canare 4S11 Cable which is a 4 conductor 14 gauge cable suitable for bi-wiring, but it would also work for your use.

 

[barfle]

That's all fine but my real question for options for 2 channel speaker wires. 16 gauge. Or do I just use the 100 feet roll of 1 channel wire, glue it together into a single wire so I don't have two wires dangling from a single speaker. Again, this is upward firing Atmos speaker so it's handling 2 channels.

It looks to me like you’re trying to get the smallest wiring you can for a couple of bounce speakers. You can probably save a little by combining the black connections and using a three-wire cable. Most stereo amplifiers have a neutral terminal signified by a black binding post, although you should verify that before you try it.

Since it’s the atmos channels and probably won’t be handling large amounts of power, you could also use something like 18 or 20 guage wire, although I wouldn’t combine the neutral in that case.

 

[macpatrick]

Been loving this thread. I have a Sony HT-H9 7.1 and it sounds okay but looking to upgrade. Is there a dedicated thread that just focusses on equipment suggestions for those of us who want to build out an Atmos system? I've been searching for about 45 mins and have yet to see one. Thanks in advance!

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Been loving this thread. I have a Sony HT-H9 7.1 and it sounds okay but looking to upgrade. Is there a dedicated thread that just focusses on equipment suggestions for those of us who want to build out an Atmos system? I've been searching for about 45 mins and have yet to see one. Thanks in advance!

Reviews from ASR are a good guide for AVRs

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php

 

[Owen Smith]

Reviews from ASR are a good guide for AVRs

https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php

I disagree, ASR focus too much on one test bench measurement SINAD. Also when a manufacturer claims to have fixed a problem in firmware ASR don't re-test.

 

[Sal1950]

Been loving this thread. I have a Sony HT-H9 7.1 and it sounds okay but looking to upgrade. Is there a dedicated thread that just focusses on equipment suggestions for those of us who want to build out an Atmos system? I've been searching for about 45 mins and have yet to see one. Thanks in advance!

You could start a new thread either here or at ASR stating some particulars like your room size,
budget, and desire (5.1, 7.1, Full Atmos?).

I disagree, ASR focus too much on one test bench measurement SINAD.

Then you don't understand ASR and the science of audio..
Not one, gear is tested for noise, distortion, and power, all measurable parameters.

Also when a manufacturer claims to have fixed a problem in firmware ASR don't re-test.

Gear tested is supplied mainly by readers, Amir can't hold onto them forever.
People want them back.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I disagree, ASR focus too much on one test bench measurement SINAD. Also when a manufacturer claims to have fixed a problem in firmware ASR don't re-test.

ASR will at least let you know if something is a complete POS. And while there is a focus on SINAD, its not all Amir tests for. With the majority of DACs and amps and such, they are so close in performance, SINAD is pretty much the only differentiator.

And who does re-test when new firmware is released?

 

[ssully]

I disagree, ASR focus too much on one test bench measurement SINAD. Also when a manufacturer claims to have fixed a problem in firmware ASR don't re-test.

No, 'it' doesn't. Certain posters do. Amir is quite clear what SINAD is for -- to rate engineering precision, far beyond what humans can hear. So, for anything higher than a fairly modest SINAD rating, there isn't any likely audible difference. Some people -- audio nervosa types -- need to 'know' their gear has a higher SINAD even if it makes zero audible performance difference. I daresay there's a few of them on QQ too.

Beyond the lowest end trash, buy AVRs for their power (meets your speaker and loudness requirements) and features (e.g. connectivity, decoding, room correction).

And of course, there is no SINAD for loudspeakers, which are the most important hardware component of a system. For that, there's Klippel measurements.