petetherock Posted November 5, 2014 Author Posted November 5, 2014 Listened to the Pioneer setup recently... The room was acoustically treated and really quiet... that was impressive.. Atmos itself was subtle, and for those expecting a massive difference might be disappointed, but actually that's fine to me, as I don't want all the attention drawn to some DSU enhanced sounds, or just hear those leaves.. Yet if it's one of the blockbuster movies, Atmos may be less impressive than those quieter ones where ambience is important.. It's an improvement, but not a gamer changer. IMHO, game changers in the past 5 years were: Audyssey XT 32 Lossless sound Full HD to name a few...
petetherock Posted November 8, 2014 Author Posted November 8, 2014 Dolby Surround, the 'bonus' you get with Atmos: http://www.soundandvision.com/content/meet-new-dolby-surround What is the new Dolby Surround? Dolby Surround is part of the Dolby Atmos bundle of technologies. It is an upmixer designed to function with traditional channel-based layouts, as well as Atmos enabled layouts that include overhead or Atmos-enabled speakers. It processes native stereo, 5.1, and 7.1 content. How does it work? The Dolby Surround upmixer is based on phase and gain relationships of elements in the signal, but importantly employs wideband functionality that analyzes and processes multiple perceptually spaced frequency bands in the signal. The benefit is a finer-grained analysis of the source content prior to steering. The result, we believe, is a more accurate soundstage. How does it sound? What was critically important here was for the upmixer to complement (and not compete with) the intent of the artist's original mix. When employed with overhead or Dolby-enabled speakers there is sense of additional spaciousness or what I call "air." What's the best speaker configuration for Dolby Surround? It is not limited to a specific speaker count. It can be employed in a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos system, a 24.1.10 Dolby Atmos system, or any speaker configuration in between. Dolby Pro Logic and its descendants have side-to-side and front-to-back adjustments. Does Dolby Surround work the same way? There is a Center Spread control (optional to implement by manufacturer) that is designed to spread the center image into the L and R mains. Like the Center Width control of Pro Logic, it is designed to complement musical content, or can be used by consumers who have a very wide screen display and want to spread the dialogue more evenly across the screen. Why no front-to-back control? The new algorithm we employ for Dolby Surround does a better job of extracting and separating elements of the mix—including ambient content—and distributing them evenly throughout the soundstage. Hence there is less need for controls that were inherent to a wideband algorithm. What is going to happen with the existing Pro Logic family, such as Pro Logic II, IIx, and IIz? As part of the Dolby Atmos bundle, Dolby Surround is a total replacement of Pro Logic. However, we are still licensing Pro Logic family. You will see it in non Dolby Atmos equipped AVRs. A manufacturer could also choose to include Pro Logic family as a complement to their licensed Dolby Atmos technology bundle, and in fact Onkyo and Yamaha are including it in their Dolby Atmos receivers.
petetherock Posted November 13, 2014 Author Posted November 13, 2014 Tonight I had my own personal experience with Atmos, courtesy of the Denon 4100 kindly lent to me... The AG A'Divas do an excellent job... the diffusion of sound works well. And the benefit of Atmos is very soundtrack dependent. In those explosion heavy, action packed loud movies, you will get info overload and the Atmos speakers won't make their presence felt as much. BUT, here is the caveat... as bro Desray has mentioned, it's about the Atmosphere, i.e. the speakers should not draw excessive attention to themselves. It should be a blend of sound, so you feel that you are sitting within a cocoon.. Try it without turning up the Atmos channels too much..
econav Posted November 13, 2014 Posted November 13, 2014 Tonight I had my own personal experience with Atmos, courtesy of the Denon 4100 kindly lent to me... The AG A'Divas do an excellent job... the diffusion of sound works well. And the benefit of Atmos is very soundtrack dependent. In those explosion heavy, action packed loud movies, you will get info overload and the Atmos speakers won't make their presence felt as much. BUT, here is the caveat... as bro Desray has mentioned, it's about the Atmosphere, i.e. the speakers should not draw excessive attention to themselves. It should be a blend of sound, so you feel that you are sitting within a cocoon.. Try it without turning up the Atmos channels too much.. you can also try out the refection by point the spk 15-30 toward wall and feel how Auro should sound like,try it you will find new ground ,have fun.
petetherock Posted November 14, 2014 Author Posted November 14, 2014 Right now the Top fronts and rears are a little prominent, and I did an experiment: I switched off the fronts and rear backs, leaving only the ceiling speakers and the centre. And guess what, it's pretty enjoyable still! For those getting into Atmos, IMO, you will need to turn down the ceiling speakers a bit, as Audyssey tends to set their volumes a little high.. Then when all the speakers are running, the back and the rear backs become a little too loud. Remember the ceiling speakers are meant to add mood and ambience.. not over-power.
econav Posted November 14, 2014 Posted November 14, 2014 I switched off the fronts and rear backs, leaving only the ceiling speakers and the centre. And guess what, it's pretty enjoyable still! that is what set the AG design and speaker apart from most of other made , perhaps for those who already have AG flushed in ceiling for the pass 10 over years , already know how immersive sound it can get from a very small 3" speaker.
petetherock Posted November 16, 2014 Author Posted November 16, 2014 After playing with ATMOS for three days, I have come to a few conclusions. Firstly, I like it.. It's a subtle addition and the DSU component does make a difference. Ceiling speakers work, but avoid turning the volume up too much.. As for which ones work better, IMHO, small footprint ones that are easy to mount, and can be directed work nicely. They don't need to have a lot of bass, as your sub can take care of that. They need to have a wide dispersion but brand matching isn't do important. Audyssey can help with this. They don't need to be expensive but quality helps, if they disperse well and don't simply beam at you...
desray Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Agreed...here's another tip for those on the fence whether to install ceiling speakers or use an existing speakers to simulate Atmos-elevated speakers. "If your ceiling height is low - like less than 2.6m, Atmos-elevated speakers may be a better choice for you. The reason is simple, the lower the ceiling, the more "localize" the speakers and that will be very distracting. For anything higher - like more than 3.0m and above, ceiling speakers with wide dispersion will be the best for Atmos implementation..."
Ccyao Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 My ceiling is 2.6m. However, I have a ceiling fan at the center of the small room (3m x 3.5m). I'm getting 2 pairs of AG Micros as the Atmos speakers. They will be at the same position as my Front and Rear Height speakers. But with the micros, I have the flexibility to point them downwards instead of directing them forward and backward with my current bookshelf speakers. Will the Micros provide a wide dispersion? And should I be directing all the 4 to the MLP? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
desray Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 My ceiling is 2.6m. However, I have a ceiling fan at the center of the small room (3m x 3.5m). I'm getting 2 pairs of AG Micros as the Atmos speakers. They will be at the same position as my Front and Rear Height speakers. But with the micros, I have the flexibility to point them downwards instead of directing them forward and backward with my current bookshelf speakers. Will the Micros provide a wide dispersion? And should I be directing all the 4 to the MLP? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Its subjective as it is different for every room. You have to try it yourself...since AG Micros seems to have a wider dispersion, you need not point towards the MLP for better results.
Ccyao Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Thanks Bro Des! Will try it out when I receive my Micros. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
petetherock Posted November 16, 2014 Author Posted November 16, 2014 Thanks Bro Des! Will try it out when I receive my Micros. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Bro I suggest you try the Atmos suggestion angles and point them at the MLP as a start... then adjust from there.. that's what I am doing. Cheers
petetherock Posted November 16, 2014 Author Posted November 16, 2014 Bro Des Maybe after one or two more people get Atmos we can start a "knowledge base" kind of thread for Atmos / Auro... For now, my money is on Atmos... but someone told me more will be know in Feb... For Cash: Feb, the "water will lower and the stone will be revealed" and I leave it to the ever pleasant and politically correct Mod Des to help you explain that.... :)
Ccyao Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Thanks Bro Pete! Will do that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Guest CASH Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Omg!! Words of wisdom... so if i read it right, in feb 2015 i will know what it all means? Chim leh....
Guest CASH Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Bro Desray, 3 more months till feb 2015.. so wats brewing in the pot? Hehehehe!!
desray Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Bro Desray, 3 more months till feb 2015.. so wats brewing in the pot? Hehehehe!! I have no idea what pete is talking... Sent from my iPad Mini
Guest CASH Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Oh no!!! Wat is happening then? Pls dont tell me Pete's account has been hacked into!! Been seeing lots of spambots posting recently..
Guest CASH Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Bro Des Maybe after one or two more people get Atmos we can start a "knowledge base" kind of thread for Atmos / Auro... For now, my money is on Atmos... but someone told me more will be know in Feb... For Cash: Feb, the "water will lower and the stone will be revealed" and I leave it to the ever pleasant and politically correct Mod Des to help you explain that.... :) pete, is it u posting??
petetherock Posted November 16, 2014 Author Posted November 16, 2014 pete, is it u posting?? Some whispers, AVS folks also talked... maybe it's the Denon 7200 or the new HDCP 2.2 chips coming online... Atmos is something that is evolving... I feel like the old HD DVD vs Blu Ray days and I don't like it... so I might bear with things for a while. ISSE is time for some auditions, but from my few days spent with Atmos, I think it will be something I can use... besides I have already installed the four AG speakers. And using the DSU was quite nice. I really wish we can see what's the deal with Auro and DTS-UHD too. As for explaining, I meant the Chinese idiom... not the Feb part...
Guest CASH Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Oh... okie.. i think Auro will take the cup.. but thats my opinion.. atmos not involving n not much support from producers at the moment.. its only my honest opinion.. dont get me wrong here.. ; )
petetherock Posted November 16, 2014 Author Posted November 16, 2014 One more thing about Atmos.. When there's a busy soundtrack, like Transformers, where there is plenty of explosions, and plenty of noise from each surround, it's not the ideal track... I think bro Des has said it, and I will too... I tried Resident Evil 1-4, and Desray's old Demo disc - Rules of Engagement, in "only" DD and it was very immersive. We used it during the demo too, and we were plunged into the forests of Vietnam...
Guest CASH Posted November 16, 2014 Posted November 16, 2014 Yup... if the track can do dd+ , i would sure enjoy it.. being on a legacy avr... ; )
petetherock Posted November 20, 2014 Author Posted November 20, 2014 S & V get their own Atmos setup: http://www.soundandvision.com/content/atmos-here-sound-visions-first-foray-object-based-sound Here is an interesting observation: One interesting note: Noisy, bright movies like Age of Extinction tend to make me grope for my processor’s treble-taming Re-EQ mode or equivalent; Denon’s Cinema EQ imposes a mild down-tilt over the uppermost two octaves or so, no more than perhaps 4 decibels at 20 kilohertz (and much less at 10 kHz). As the gnashing of machines and blowing-up of stuff ground on, my ears thanked Cinema EQ again and again—but the Atmos effects seemed slightly less pronounced with this feature turned on; flyovers/-arounds were a bit less dramatic and the ambient bubble less distinct and one-piece. From this, I suppose that Cinema EQ is applied to all channels including the height outputs (red-face me if I’m wrong). Since the height modules must bounce off of a reflective ceiling, and reflectivity of sound increases with frequency, less high-frequency content will mean fewer reflections. I suspect that the higher frequencies need a boost since they will be dilated once they bounce off a ceiling.. Perhaps that's why ceiling speakers might do better?
desray Posted November 21, 2014 Posted November 21, 2014 S & V get their own Atmos setup: http://www.soundandvision.com/content/atmos-here-sound-visions-first-foray-object-based-sound Here is an interesting observation: I suspect that the higher frequencies need a boost since they will be dilated once they bounce off a ceiling.. Perhaps that's why ceiling speakers might do better? The issue here is audyssey not coming out to clarify what goes on behind the scene during the calibration process. It leaves many reviewers wondering why the height and the atmos elevated speakers behaved the way it is. I m always curious what has been changed, If any to the latest AVR with Dolby Atmos.
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