Poll: What's your current Atmos speaker layout?

[Sal1950]

Ha ha.

Yes. My better half has a Samsung HW-Q950A 616-Watt 11.1.4 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer & Up-Firing Rear Speakers connected to her TV upstairs, so this room is mine.

Looks like a great setup, the only thing possibly lacking is some room treatments.
Enjoy

 

[paligap]

I recently finished installing some ceiling speakers in our living room. The task was made somewhat easier by an attic space above, but it was still a challenge for this old guy to climb among the trusses.

In our media room, there is no such space, so I chose to mount satellites using brackets and cordmate.

Both setups sound good enough for me.

 

[zdjh22]

7.1.2, although any heavy Atmos (or Auro-3D) listening is on headphones (Realiser A16).

 

[mkt]

Currently 5.1.2, scheming underway for 5.1.4, and pondering 7.1.4.

When I look at these mixing layouts from Logic Pro, it make me wonder whether there is a layout that works well for both 5.x and 7.x material, or if a compromise on the placement of the rear surrounds is necessary ( >110° and <135°). I have a lot of non-atmos 5.x material.

 

[jimfisheye]

I do 110 deg rears as well. I did the very same when it was only 4.0 quad.

The 4 quad channels don't change and this is all "backwards compatible" as it were. The 4.0 channels are the same 4 main channels in 5.1 and 7.1. 7.1 adds side channels at 90 deg. 7.1.4 adds the quad array to the ceiling.

Quad using the fronts and 110 deg rears is unchanged.
5.1 using the quad + C + Lfe is unchanged.

110 deg rears maybe goes against the grain for 4.0 quad in that quad was not meant to have a front stage vs rear stage. This introduces a front to the sound stage. But honestly, that's how at least many quad mixes were ultimately intended. 110 deg rears makes for less head turning.

But you could decide to go 135 deg rears and the whole thing still all falls into place with 4.0, 5.1, 7.1, & now 7.1.4 coexisting in the same system.

I have a 6 channel amp running the newest 6 channels at present. So I only have to power that on for 7.1 or 7.1.4 content. Can leave it off for 4.0 or 5.1. I think I might have one 7.1 music mix? Most music is still 5.1 or 4.0.

There's a format faux pas that can land with the rear channels from a 5.1 mix routed to the side channels in a 7.1 or 7.1.4 system. That just is what it is at this point and you just have to vet your media players for convenience and avoid it.

Some quad mixes were maybe really truly meant to be 4 corner with no front of the stage really being pushed. The early stereo Beatles mixes were actually more dual mono and meant to have two mono front speakers 3' apart. This is starting to feel like one of those equal temperment vs just intonation conversations with some of that!

 

[AYanguas]

...

There's a format faux pas that can land with the rear channels from a 5.1 mix routed to the side channels in a 7.1 or 7.1.4 system. That just is what it is at this point and you just have to vet your media players for convenience and avoid it.

...

Yes, with my Denon (and perhaps other AVR's as well) the rear channels of a 5.1 are sent to the side surrounds in a 7.1 config.

I think that the upgrade from 5.1 to 7.1 did not mean adding side surrounds, but adding 'rear surrounds' while the 5.1 surrounds became 'side surrounds' and then it was recommended to reduce their azimuth angle to distribute the 4 rear speakers more.

If sides are about 90º-100º, with some mixes you may have the effect of 'intrusive' binaural that masks the front stage when listening Quad. Sometimes I reconfig the AVR to redirect the sides to the 'rears surround back' of the 7.1, to get a more 'square' locations for the Quad.

The MMH tool from @HomerJAU has the option 'Move Quad Sides to Back (Remix Quad to a 7.1 format file)' in its menu 'Remix Channel Layout'. I requested that to avoid reconfiguring AVR and have 7.1 files playing the Quad mix to the rear surround back channels.

Also mention that the DTS surround decoder sends the rear content of 5.1 both to the side surrounds and rear surrounds, to image the rear sound in a more rear location. Dolby codecs or just mch 5.1 output keep sending the 5.1 rears to the 7.1 side surrounds.

 

[ar surround]

Put the speakers where you can fit them lest your significant other throws you out of the house!

 

[AYanguas]

Put the speakers where you can fit them lest your significant other throws you out of the house!

This is my 'Wide Right' speaker, just at the exact calculated location.

I'm still 'in' the house.

 

[ar surround]

This is my 'Wide Right' speaker, just at the exact calculated location.

I'm still 'in' the house.

View attachment 98197

Excellent!!! Do you remove that shell from the top of the speaker during listening sessions so that it does not become a passive horn driver?

 

[Sal1950]

This is my 'Wide Right' speaker, just at the exact calculated location.

I'm still 'in' the house.

Most excellent, one of my brothers here that still has his pair.

 

[AYanguas]

Excellent!!! Do you remove that shell from the top of the speaker during listening sessions so that it does not become a passive horn driver?

It was a concession to my wife. With the promise to remove the Speaker if we use the table when visits are coming.

But, in the end, we have never removed them, neither the shell nor the speaker. Launch/dinner with visits are done in the Kitchen, big enough with island and two tables, and then go to the couch and additional chairs in the Theater room without using that living room table for lunch. My wife is happy also

 

[fredblue]

 

[HomerJAU]

‘I Wish’

Atmos decodes to the users speaker configuration. The ‘optimising’ wish is already implemented in the Atmos system and decoder implementation.

 

[AYanguas]

I'm afraid I don't agree with his approach.

A single Dolby Atmos mix is already rendered by the Atmos decoder to whatever Speaker configuration.

What Dolby should push is the making of a single Atmos mix that uses the most functionality available: Objects located around the whole room (360º and heights). Not only in front and just a single sound at the side for the whole movie/music.

 

[mandrix]

I'm afraid I don't agree with his approach.

A single Dolby Atmos mix is already rendered by the Atmos decoder to whatever Speaker configuration.

What Dolby should push is the making of a single Atmos mix that uses the most functionality available: Objects located around the whole room (360º and heights). Not only in front and just a single sound at the side for the whole movie/music.

What did you think of the Porcupine Tree - C/C live concert?

 

[JimHansonDC]

I run 7.2.4
Martin Logans for all but the rear surrounds which are Barefoot studio monitors. The heights are Martin Logan Sistines and they are a happy thing in the ceiling. The subs are two NHT powered dual 15".
Oppo player, McIntosh & Carver amps w/ a sweet Trinnov Altitude preamp that does a room correction you cannot believe

The room has a fair amount of treatment which I did myself including a cloud over my listening chair. All this reminds me, time to fire up the System of the Gods and rock out.

 

[mandrix]

I have a large, open shelf wood cabinet mounted high next to the top left rear surround speaker. I asked for, and my wife sewed for me a curtain out of double folded cloth which I mounted with a standard curtain rod. Unsure of any benefit yet, will see when I recalibrate the system.
Worth a try I guess.

 

[AYanguas]

What did you think of the Porcupine Tree - C/C live concert?

It is immersive enough with sounds locations around the ‘bubble’. Some discrete sounds around without ping-pong.

But still, he does not use enough content for me with objects at locations between 30º-90º azimuth. There is a slight echo in the wides speakers in my 9.1.4 config, but it is too subtle. Reasoning like the Ealan Osaborne’s youtube, there should NOT be be another alternate Atmos mix for the people with 9.1.4, but just a single mix done with more objects content at the Wide location. Those objects will image between fronts and sides for the people with 7.1.4 or 5.1.4.

If Dolby should push anything to improve, it should be things like that. Pushing mixers engineers to locate Objects to maximize the use of the ‘bubble’ for 9.1.6 users, although the mixers does not appreciate because they have a 7.1.4 mixing studio.

I liked the Steven Wilson main vocals that are spread around fronts, sides, rears (the bubble), and it is not isolated in Center like some of his initial mixes. This is a mix style used also by Bruce Soord, that I like most.

This Mix has Full Content in the LFE channel (bass and full drums). It is not ‘delayed’, perhaps because it has not been low pass filtered. It is good for listening to it isolated in a full channel. You get only the Gavin drums (with bass).

And, as Steven Wilson usually does, he has also done a 5.1 mix for the DTS HD-MA track. This sounds like Ealan Osborne's wish, but it is not an alternate Dolby Atmos mix, it is the alternate 5.1 mix delivered in DTS.

 

[JimHansonDC]

I have a large, open shelf wood cabinet mounted high next to the top left rear surround speaker. I asked for, and my wife sewed for me a curtain out of double folded cloth which I mounted with a standard curtain rod. Unsure of any benefit yet, will see when I recalibrate the system.
Worth a try I guess.

The constant battle between diffusion vs absorption.

 

[par4ken]

I listen to everything in 4.0.