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Atmos is in the House!

E

elfstone

Active Member
Finally decided to go with the Atmos speakers and see if they worked in my house. Bought a new Denon 4200 and the upfiring Klipsch speakers. Wasn't expecting them to work because most everyone said that (a) the ceilings in my house were too high, ](2) vaulted ceilings don't work (they do but you do have to do some work to get the full benefit), and (3) the open room concept thing doesn't work well (it does because I have so many angles and weird walls that it does work.

Speakers themselves are heavy as all, but at the same time, are ugly as shit. Thinking somewhere down the line I'll opt out of these and get the floorstanders with the built in atmos speakers. Much more pleasing to the eye than these (but the sound is amazing). Crutchfield has them for a great price and were very helpful in the speakers and the receiver.

The Denon 4200 is a big improvement over the Marantz. Apparently technology changed quite a bit since I bought the Marantz, and it was well worth the investment.

Watched a few Atmos movies and some are better than others. Mad Max (the new one), Gravity (The Luxe version), Insurgent, John Wick and Bahubali The Beginning (and Indian flick that was quite good). You can also use DSU on non-Atmos titles and it improves the sound tremendously (varies on some titles, but for the most part, a big improvement). Just waiting for the DTS:X update coming soon!

Next purchase is the Samsung 4K blu ray player. Got it on pre-order and a few movies. Delivery date keeps changing so I'm not sure when that will get here.

So, if anyone was on the fence about Atmos, go for it. The sound is incredible. And life is too short to worry about your credit cards. :)
 

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Nice! Thanks for the review. I think you're the first one here to get any sort of height-channel speakers?
 
PaulyT said:
Nice! Thanks for the review. I think you're the first one here to get any sort of height-channel speakers?
Click to expand...

Umm..........I'd be careful or else you'll end up with a screwdriver in your tyre.
 
Huey said:
PaulyT said:
Nice! Thanks for the review. I think you're the first one here to get any sort of height-channel speakers?
Click to expand...

Umm..........I'd be careful or else you'll end up with a screwdriver in your tyre.
Click to expand...

I have height channel speakers, but not TRUE atmos as others have. not a true dedicated signal is sent to mine so it doesn't count. Matrixed if you want to call it that.

it worked well in my condo unit we used to live in, but cant do it in ours right now.

elfstone, how much did it cost youi for a pair?
 
nice!

I used some omnipolars for it at a time, but used jbl wall mountable ones first (since it was cheaper than horns)

congrats again!
 
Very cool. I have yet to hear a system with Atmos. How would you describe the height sound? Is it just in scenes where there is sound coming from above the screen shot or are there constant sounds coming from the height speakers?
 
The sound is hard to describe. You do get overhead (like airplanes, helicopters, birds, and rain showers), but also get a lot more. It's almost like when we went from 2 channel stereo to 7.1 (or 5.1). It just adds another layer of depth and sound and fills the whole room. If you can find a place that has them on display and set up, worth a demo.
 
I've heard Atmos at a couple HTs here in KC and the best way I can describe it is wind blows through the room instead of around it. I went in thinking I wouldn't be impressed but now I'm seriously considering it for my next HT.
 
Huey said:
PaulyT said:
Nice! Thanks for the review. I think you're the first one here to get any sort of height-channel speakers?
Click to expand...

Umm..........I'd be careful or else you'll end up with a screwdriver in your tyre.
Click to expand...


LMFAO!!!! :laughing-rolling:


I'm in the "have to hear it to believe it camp", but I do have an open mind (and an extra pair of bookshelfs).
 
CMonster said:
I've heard Atmos at a couple HTs here in KC and the best way I can describe it is wind blows through the room instead of around it. I went in thinking I wouldn't be impressed but now I'm seriously considering it for my next HT.
Click to expand...

Well shit, looks like I'm going to need to spend more money.
 
One thing to consider too re: updating your non-Atmos receiver. DTS:X is coming (already the update is available on some Denon/Marantz models) and from what I hear, is a major step up in terms of how sound is processed. Waiting for the update on my receiver (should be sometime this month I think) and I'll download it and let you all know.

Have to say that I thought the Marantz I had was all I needed. I spent a shit load of money on it a few years ago, but after hearing the latest receivers, I could tell that technology had really changed and even the lower priced models were way ahead of what I had. After running Audyssey on the Denon I couldn't believe what it was capable of compared to what I had.

Like Roseanne Roseanadanna would say, "It's always something."

Ex Machina and The Last Witch Hunter are DTS:X (and I think one more but I can't remember right now). More are coming.
 
Firstly, I have to call out Elfstone for a hearty, "You Suck!"

We are very definitely in the midst of a major technology turn-over. The last time this happened, it was 1080p, Blu-Ray, Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD Master and HDMI. This time around, it is UHD HDR, UHD Blu-Ray, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and HDMI 2.0a. These types of shifts tend to really wipe out a gear stack and seem to happen about once a decade. Replacing my display pretty much cleaned me out and next year is looking a lot like a new receiver. I have vague recollections of my budget taking a pretty big hit circa 2006/2007. It seems that history is doomed to repeat itself for the home theater enthusiast crowd, but isn't it fun?!?!
 
Another guy here in KC who's active on AVS Forum just posted this about the one HT with Atmos that really impressed me:

I was able to get a demo of Derek's room on Sunday. Any of you KC guys that haven't been there should really try to make it when he hosts movie night next month because the sound is fantastic! The walls and ceiling really do seem to disappear and you are left with feeling like there are no speakers, just sounds that come from anywhere and everywhere.

I have been sold on the Atmos upgrade ever since I first heard it, but this was the first time that I felt like I need it as soon as possible. I've been to Derek's room a handful of times - 4 I think - but this time was a game changer for me. Last time I was there he still had the in-ceiling speakers that didn't match the rest of his system and he didn't have the acoustic panels up. I think hearing a lot of the new demos helped in forming my new opinion of Atmos because they seem to use the heights more than I've heard before.
Click to expand...

Hey @Randy (man, I wish this forum had mention functionality), I can probably schedule us a visit if you're ever in town and had time/interest...
 
Sounds good, might be a while though as my situation has changed a bit since my last visit.
 
Another thing I forgot to mention. With the new Denon, I can now use it as a media server from my computer to the tv and receiver. I have all my music on the computer (well a few hard drives) and had been using a streamer from Gracedigital. The Denon blows that out of the water (and one less item in my setup).

Haven't tried streaming video from the computer yet. I'll give it a try and let you know how that goes.
 
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