Question Help choosing atmos enabled system (and advice!)

EDDS

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First of all, forgive me for being a complete noob.

So I've had the SphereX 5.1 surround sound system since the original Xbox days, so I've been outa the audio game for a long time.

To start off, I have the Samsung KS8000 and an Xbox One S (Xbox One X in the near future). The Xbox is the only device that is going to be used, also the inbuilt applications and freeview channels in the TV are not going to be used, literally just the Xbox is used.

As everything now seems to be connected via HDMI, how will this work when connecting the Xbox?

Xbox goes to receiver and then receiver passes the visual signal to the TV?

Or

Xbox goes to TV and then TV passes audio to receiver?

If it's the first option, does that mean the receiver also needs to have a certain HDMI version to pass through 4K? and will it also increase input lag as it has to pass through another device?

If it's the second option, will the TV have to support atmos pass through or something like that?

This is all so much more complicated than directly plugging in an optical cable :p

Budget: don't have a clue how much this will be but if any recommendations can be the best bang for your buck kinda deal, so nothing crazy and no cheap crap either.

So given my requirements, what's the best receiver to get and is it worth buying new speakers (will there be a big diff in quality?) or can i use my existing speakers from my SphereX system (if they'll even work?) and just buy two more for the overhead speakers?

Anyone that has any answers to my questions will be helping a great deal :)
 
Yes, if wanting to access 3D imersive audio formats such as Atmos and or DTS:X then you'd need to make a direct connection from the source to the AV receiver via HDMI and you'd need to bitstream the audio from the source to the receiver for the receiver to decode as opposed to having the source do the decoding. This is as things stand now, but the advent of eARC will allow the types of audio commonly associated with Atmos and or DTS:X to be passed through and or to be conveyed via a TV. THis would however need both the TV and the AV receiver to be eARC compliant which will not be the case with older TVs and receivers. Your TV for example cannot facilitate eARC.

Note that the HD formats commonly assiciated with Bku-ray and UHD discs cannot be conveyed via S/PDIF optical or via conventional ARC. These formats and the metadata associated with Atmos and or DTS:X need to be conveyed via HDMI.

It is usually advised not to use speakers sourced from all in one setups due to the low impedance associated with them. Such setups seldom include an active sub either and an active sub is a requirement of a home theatre setup utilising an AV receiver. I believe the SphereX system does include an active sub, but the sub is in itself integrated with the processing box of the setup so maybe not the best option for use with an AV receiver?

What is your budget for both a receiver and 5.1 speaker bundle? What additional monel will you have for the 2 additional speakers you'll need if wanting Atmos? Have you any idea on what type of Atmos setup you want and will you be emploting ceiling, upward firing or height speakers in this setup? Can you actually accomodate an Atmos speaker configuration within the room you intend setting it up in?

As a precursor to buying anything, you may want to start by reading this guide on Atmos setups:
https://www.dolby.com/us/en/technol...tmos-home-theater-installation-guidelines.pdf
 
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Thanks for the reply dante.

With regards to budget, I don't really wanna be spending more than £600, although I really don't know how much this is realistically going to cost, if it's going to be thousands I might as well leave now.

I'll give up the idea on recycling any of my previous equipment.

I was thinking of mounting the extra speakers in the ceiling, which I can accommodate in the room.

I'll also give that guide a good read, thanks for the link.
 
Mounting the speaker in or on the ceiling is the best option if wanting an Atmos setup. Ceiling speakers give the best portrayal of the audio as it was intended to be heard.

It is doable for under £1K:
Denon AVR-X2300W AV Receiver & Monitor Audio MR4 AV Speakers

You'd obviously have the additional cost of the ceiling speakers on top of this. You can reduce this cost be looking at smaller, less capable speakers. I'd probaby suggest you budget at least £800 towards the AV receiver and the 5.1 speaker package though. This will give you a relatively well balanced setup.

These ceiling speakers would be a suitable match for use with the above setup:
Monitor Audio CPC120 Speakers (Pair)
 
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