Advice on going from a 5.1 set up, to a 5.1.2 (ish) for Dolby Atmos?

LeeDicko

Distinguished Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2006
Messages
4,558
Reaction score
573
Points
1,145
Location
Norwich
Hey everyone, I have just bought a new Denon 2700 amp. I am looking to take advantage of Dolby Atmos.

I currently have a 5.1 set up, with speakers in front beside the TV and then 2 speakers behind the sofa.

Does anyone have any idea where I would add two more speakers to make the most of Dolby Atmos? I have done a little picture here to try show my set up.

I don't have the option of putting speakers in the ceiling. Would it be best to put 2 more speakers above the front speakers (but almost at ceiling height) or behind the sofa pointing down so they are almost above the sofa? Or have I got this completely wrong and they should go somewhere else completely?

Any advice will be very much appreciated!
 

Attachments

  • dolby.jpg
    dolby.jpg
    62.5 KB · Views: 1,253
Hi welcome to the forum.

What speakers do you currently use in you 5.1 setup? What's your budget for the 2 atmos speakers? Or do you have some you plan to re-use?

Since you don't have the option of in ceiling speakers. These are the 2 configurations you can do to implement a 5.1.2 (Dolby Atmos) setup. (When using only 2 atmos speakers, they are always placed at the front.

Option 1:
Front Height
Pict FrontHeight SP Layout X__ZHOBILpnupsqdk.png

Which as you suggest is placing 2 speakers high up near the ceiling above your front left & right speakers

Option 2:
Dolby Atmos Enabled Add-on Modules
snapshot002.jpg

Where you place "upfiring" Dolby Atmos Speakers on top of your front left & right speakers.

For option 1 - you can pretty much use any wall mountable speaker.

For option 2 - Dolby recommend the following:

For optimal performance, the ceiling should be flat (not angled or vaulted), with a height
between 7.5 and 14 feet (2.3 to 4.3 meters), and made of an acoustically reflective material
(drywall, plaster, hardwood, or another rigid, non---sound-absorbing material). The ideal
ceiling height is between 7.5 and 12 feet (2.3 to 3.66 meters).
To improve sound quality and system performance, we recommend using sound-absorbing
and sound-diffusing treatment to reduce unwanted reflections from the walls and floor.
When using Dolby Atmos enabled speakers, first audio reflection from the ceiling is desired;
audio reflections from elsewhere within the room should be avoided.
Note: If your room has acoustic ceiling tiles, replace the tiles where the reflection from the
Dolby Atmos enabled speakers will occur with foam-core board or other reflective material.

Here are some good examples of Atmos Enabled Speakers:



There are lots of Atmos Enabled Modules.

Of the 2 options I would go option 1, as I find you get a better effect with front height speakers. In my setup I use some Dali Alteco C1's mounted near the ceiling:



Not the cheapest, but they sound great.

Here's what they look like mounted as heights on the wall:

spektor-6-walnut-5-1-m-wall.jpg


They can also be placed on top of your current front speakers like this:

spektor-alteco-cropped.jpg


Many members also use Cambridge Audio Minx Min12's mounted high up on the wall.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any further questions!
 
Hello, thank you for your detailed reply! It was very useful!

I currently have Tannoy sfx 5.1 speakers and I just bought two more that I was hoping to use for the Dolby Atmos, do you think these will work okay?

I was thinking connecting them to the the top of the wall either above the front speakers or above the behind speakers. Looking at your first picture, it seems the front is the best place to have the speakers?
 
I was thinking connecting them to the the top of the wall either above the front speakers or above the behind speakers. Looking at your first picture, it seems the front is the best place to have the speakers?
In a 5.1.2 setup the .2 part (atmos speakers) have to be placed at the front. The only time you have atmos speakers behind you is if you have a 5.1.4 (4 atmos speakers - 2 at the front 2 at the back up high or on top of the front & surround speakers). However your AVR will only do 2 atmos speakers max, so front placement it is!

Try to mount the extra pair of Tannoy speakers as high & near the ceiling as possible, directly above your left & right front speakers. Also if you can, angle them down do they are firing towards your seating position. Maybe use 2 brackets like this: Depending on weight of the speaker!


Once you've positioned & connected the additional speakers to your AVR. Set the "amp assign" to "front height" like this:

Screenshot_20210410-210303_Chrome.jpg


Then re-run the Audessey calibration using the setup mic that came with your AVR.
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Hi welcome to the forum.

What speakers do you currently use in you 5.1 setup? What's your budget for the 2 atmos speakers? Or do you have some you plan to re-use?

Since you don't have the option of in ceiling speakers. These are the 2 configurations you can do to implement a 5.1.2 (Dolby Atmos) setup. (When using only 2 atmos speakers, they are always placed at the front.

Option 1:
Front Height
View attachment 1492475
Which as you suggest is placing 2 speakers high up near the ceiling above your front left & right speakers

Option 2:
Dolby Atmos Enabled Add-on Modules
View attachment 1492477
Where you place "upfiring" Dolby Atmos Speakers on top of your front left & right speakers.

For option 1 - you can pretty much use any wall mountable speaker.

For option 2 - Dolby recommend the following:

For optimal performance, the ceiling should be flat (not angled or vaulted), with a height
between 7.5 and 14 feet (2.3 to 4.3 meters), and made of an acoustically reflective material
(drywall, plaster, hardwood, or another rigid, non---sound-absorbing material). The ideal
ceiling height is between 7.5 and 12 feet (2.3 to 3.66 meters).
To improve sound quality and system performance, we recommend using sound-absorbing
and sound-diffusing treatment to reduce unwanted reflections from the walls and floor.
When using Dolby Atmos enabled speakers, first audio reflection from the ceiling is desired;
audio reflections from elsewhere within the room should be avoided.
Note: If your room has acoustic ceiling tiles, replace the tiles where the reflection from the
Dolby Atmos enabled speakers will occur with foam-core board or other reflective material.

Here are some good examples of Atmos Enabled Speakers:



There are lots of Atmos Enabled Modules.

Of the 2 options I would go option 1, as I find you get a better effect with front height speakers. In my setup I use some Dali Alteco C1's mounted near the ceiling:



Not the cheapest, but they sound great.

Here's what they look like mounted as heights on the wall:

View attachment 1492487

They can also be placed on top of your current front speakers like this:

View attachment 1492489

Many members also use Cambridge Audio Minx Min12's mounted high up on the wall.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any further questions!
Spot the elephant in the room!
 
The tiny-looking TV in the photo?
Possibly....

It's a stock photo from the Dali website, so not "my elephant" or indeed "room" 🤣🤣🤣😂
 
You can also have speakers in or on ceiling in line with your FL/FR and about where your knees are when sitting.

That, probably, won't suit the speakers you've bought.
 
The tiny-looking TV in the photo?
Actually you could argue that Dali have deliberately made the TV tiny, so attention is drawn to their speakers. Quite the masterstroke really! 🤣
 
In a 5.1.2 setup the .2 part (atmos speakers) have to be placed at the front. The only time you have atmos speakers behind you is if you have a 5.1.4 (4 atmos speakers - 2 at the front 2 at the back up high or on top of the front & surround speakers). However your AVR will only do 2 atmos speakers max, so front placement it is!

Try to mount the extra pair of Tannoy speakers as high & near the ceiling as possible, directly above your left & right front speakers. Also if you can, angle them down do they are firing towards your seating position. Maybe use 2 brackets like this: Depending on weight of the speaker!


Once you've positioned & connected the additional speakers to your AVR. Set the "amp assign" to "front height" like this:

View attachment 1492521

Then re-run the Audessey calibration using the setup mic that came with your AVR.
Sorry for jumping on the forum but I had the same question!
Following this advice, I have monitor audio mass ver 2 5.1 which I'm happy with and also bought monitor audio bronze Atmos speakers which for the last 48 hours (age of new system) have sat about 2ft up facing up.
Following this advice I will mount on wall much higher up facing down.

Thinks for the informative response to op.
 
-- As an eBay Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases --
Sorry for jumping on the forum but I had the same question!
Following this advice, I have monitor audio mass ver 2 5.1 which I'm happy with and also bought monitor audio bronze Atmos speakers which for the last 48 hours (age of new system) have sat about 2ft up facing up.
Following this advice I will mount on wall much higher up facing down.

Thinks for the informative response to op.
I'm glad you found my tips useful. The Bronze AMS (atmos modules) you have are (according to reviews) very good.

Once you've repositioned them, make sure you rerun your AVR's calibration setup - using the supplied microphone.

Let us know the result of the change. If you need any further help, let me know 😊
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom