PS Audio - Surround Sound not more popular with Audiophiles?

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I am careful about talking up 5.1, 7.1 or Atmos to my friends. When I play them music they usually assume it sounds so good and immersive because I have good equipment, five speakers on the floor, four in the ceiling and three subs. "That must be why background vocals seem to be coming from behind me and some sounds even above my head." They also comment that you can't see a single wire running to/from the speakers or equipment.
I have found that if I explain what is happening too much, the next thing they want to know is when can I come over to their house and a install a system in their listening area. I have to crawl through my own attic enough, thank you. I'm not looking to crawl through their attics which usually aren't as accessible as mine. ;)
 
I have found that if I explain what is happening too much, the next thing they want to know is when can I come over to their house and a install a system in their listening area.
I WISH my friends would ask me to come over and help them install a surround sound system. To them, audio is just not worth the hassle of more than two speakers.
 
I am careful about talking up 5.1, 7.1 or Atmos to my friends. When I play them music they usually assume it sounds so good and immersive because I have good equipment, five speakers on the floor, four in the ceiling and three subs. "That must be why background vocals seem to be coming from behind me and some sounds even above my head." They also comment that you can't see a single wire running to/from the speakers or equipment.
I have found that if I explain what is happening too much, the next thing they want to know is when can I come over to their house and an install a system in their listening area. I have to crawl through my own attic enough, thank you. I'm not looking to crawl through their attics which usually aren't as accessible as mine. ;)
Try playing back the same recording for them in stereo and surround. You wouldn’t need to ask any questions. Anyway, most people won’t want to go down the surround rabbit hole when faced with the investment in time and money. Honestly, most people are happy with a Sonos or a soundbar. 🤷‍♂️
 
I have an ATMOS set-up that could and should be a lot better than it is. 7.1 speaker set up with the heights angled on top of my tall speakers to reflect (minimally) off the ceiling with a couple of satellites speakers on each side. Any ATMOS I've played is just kind of meh though of course sounds really good. My new apartment isn't speaker arrangement friendly short of having to hide wires across the floor and up the walls. Anyway, I feel that I've never truly experienced it the way it is designed, and often feel standard side surround showcases the concept better. This is very obvious when comparing the ATMOS mix with the 5.1 mix in a lot of cases on certain Bu-rays.
 
I have an ATMOS set-up that could and should be a lot better than it is. 7.1 speaker set up with the heights angled on top of my tall speakers to reflect (minimally) off the ceiling with a couple of satellites speakers on each side. Any ATMOS I've played is just kind of meh though of course sounds really good. My new apartment isn't speaker arrangement friendly short of having to hide wires across the floor and up the walls. Anyway, I feel that I've never truly experienced it the way it is designed, and often feel standard side surround showcases the concept better. This is very obvious when comparing the ATMOS mix with the 5.1 mix in a lot of cases on certain Bu-rays.
Much has been written about how having angled height speakers sitting on top of floorstanders is suboptimal for Dolby Atmos. Anyway, we all have to live within what our domestic spaces allow. 5.1 is also amazingly rewarding.
 
When I met my wife, she was playing CDs in the DVD player that was in her all-in-one 25 inch TV. The sound coming out of the tiny speakers below the screen was good enough for her. She didn't even know something better existed.

To me it's all about options. I like having options. Nothing is best for everyone. When mono transitioned to stereo, many people were up in arms and claimed it was just a ploy by the manufacturers to make more money. This same sentiment has been expressed by people at almost every technological change in audio since that time in the late 1950s.

People now claiming that Atmos is a solution looking for a problem, could've said the same thing, and likely did if they were alive, when mono > stereo > quad > 5.1 > 7.1 > Atmos etc... We all like what we like and that's just fine.

I look at immersive audio as the first time we have speaker placement in new locations and a format that adapts to whatever the environment is. That's a real solution in my opinion. With respect to the mixes, Atmos music is so knew that the engineers are still a ways away from perfecting it. The engineers I talk to who mix this stuff, wish they could go back, even a few years ago, and make changes to what they mixed in Atmos becuase of what they've learned. It will only get better.
 
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