ATMOS
Dolby Atmos is anew home theater speaker configuration that "transports you from anordinary moment into an extraordinary experience with breathtaking, movingaudio that flows all around you" according to Dolby. Basically you'retaking an existing surround system and either adding speakers in the ceiling,or on top of the front and rear channels. The ceiling setup has two options: 2speakers in the center, or one speaker in every corner totaling 4. Ifin-ceilings aren't an option, you can use reflecting speakers. You can placeone reflecting speaker on top of your front left and right channels, totaling2. Or you can place one on top of each of your front and rear channels,totaling 4.
Atmos Pros:
1. We found thatwith 2, or better yet, 4 in-ceiling speakers you will indeed increase youraudio dimensionality and create a more immersive experience. Airplanes,bullets, rain, etc. really will come from above you. You'll also notice moreaccurate sound placement than a standard surround system. Adding Atmos viain-ceilings is definitely a step towards the ultimate goal of realism.
2. Cost.Receivers aren't cheap, especially when you get to 9 channels and above.Fortunately, you can get a 5.1.2 Atmos system (2 in-ceiling speakers) with somereasonably priced 7.2 receivers. For those of you that already own one, all youmay need to do is download a free update. If you want to have 4 in-ceilingspeakers, then you'll need a 9 channel receiver or an additional stereoamplifier.
3. Space. Atmosis spatially efficient. Considering the fact that you're installing speakersinto the ceiling, an Atmos system is not very intrusive in your room. For somepeople, putting 5 speakers in a family room is a tough enough sell. Now if youwant to add more, at least they're out of sight.
Atmos Cons:
1. Compatibility. Atmos is not compatible with every room. Actually, to achievethe desired results, you really need a fairly specific room with a flat ceilingno lower than 9 to 10 feet. Unfortunately, if you have vaulted ceilings, youmay be entirely out of luck. For those of you who can't install into yourceilings, you're faced with a less desirable alternative, which brings us topoint #2.
2. Reflectingspeakers. We're not big fans of this approach. That's not to say it can't work.We just feel the results are inconsistent and less fulfilling than the in-ceilingsystems. We found that the reflecting speakers don't achieve the desireddispersion commonly leaving you with a narrow sweet spot. So one seat may soundgreat; its just too bad for anyone not sitting in it. Also, we didn'texperience the same level of definition as we did with the in-ceilings. If youask us, we'll say that firing sound directly at you is definitely more optimalthan bouncing it off of another surface.
3. Lack ofsource material. Right now there's only a few movies actually recorded inAtmos. Obviously this will increase over time, but how do we know somethingbetter won't come along in the meantime?