Dolby Atmos benefits

[Ex Machinas]

"Audio/video receivers (AVRs), amplifiers, or preprocessors that support Dolby Atmos play content encoded in Dolby Atmos, of course, but they can also upmix stereo, 5.1-, or 7.1-channel content to make full use of all your speakers, including the speakers that produce overhead sound. (If you’d rather listen to older recordings just the way you heard them years ago, you can switch off the upmixer.)"

http://blog.dolby.com/2015/07/what-surprised-one-home-theater-buff-about-dolby-atmos/

Has anyone tested this with music or stereo, and can provide any feedback? Thank u.

[Ex Machinas]

This is literally the future of sound. Where else does sound have to go but 3D? Object based sound in my room sounds amazing. As well anything that gets turned up a notched can be recreated with Atmos Enabled speakers.

[El Heggunte]

Where else does sound have to go but 3D?

QUALITYward

[Cornucopia]

"A future", yes. "The future"? Not likely. Atmos (and similar competitor formats), provide a lot of cool features, but those features come at the cost of putting an intelligent decoder+re-mixer into the final audio section (where it has never previously existed). Smart CPU, more energy usage, more heat generation, more downstream control data, more latency, and obviously more cost. Most people don't want to devote that much resources to their audio section, even to provide improved localization (hell, they rarely do it for quality). Plus, there are already small footprint formats that provide great localization (binaural, Ambisonic), so Atmos will add to the variety of options, but probably won't ever be the ONLY option.

@El Heggunte, I think since we already have 24bit/96kHz LPCM (or better), there's not really a lot better one could/should go quality-wise (at least for file format - there's always the option for better speakers, amps, etc. but those aren't SEXY or cheap).

Scott

[El Heggunte]

@Scott — I was talking about the (lack of) quality of the content itself.

The last time I went to a movie theater, it was for seeing "Revenge Of The Sith".

As I think most movies suck, it won't be their Atmos soundtracks that will make me change my mind

[Ex Machinas]

Neither of which I think are valid or good points. The movies have gone down hill just as music, it's just the way it is. Dolby Atmos does a nice and as I said amazing job doing 3D sound. 3D sound is the future, since there is no dimension higher. I am sure there are some specs rather this or that, but it is nice enough. Don't know about DTSX, b/c it is not available, and don't know about Aura3D. I do know that on my room, which is far from ideal Dolby Atmos, music and other films sound BA. I don't like 3D movies, the glasses are not my thing, but the future will probably be somewhere in the hologram realm.

[Ex Machinas]

I would have seen The Martian and The Age of Adeline, both without Atmos, since they were both good movies. However still awaiting the true Atmos version of The Martian, which sounds again BA with Atmos Enabled speakers. Even Quentin's latest was a disappointment. "The day the music dies" is near.

[Ex Machinas]

provide a lot of cool features, but those features come at the cost of putting an intelligent decoder+re-mixer into the final audio section (where it has never previously existed). Smart CPU, more energy usage, more heat generation, more downstream control data, more latency, and obviously more cost.

I think feeling like I am inside of a pyramid speaks for itself. Maybe I just have great acoustics. Maybe your just a hater, cause there aint nothing to hate about my speakers and their recreation capabilities. Atmos!!!