Is dolby atmos really worth it?

herohunter

Established Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2021
Messages
168
Reaction score
485
Points
167
Age
47
Location
aberdeen
Having just gotten into 4k movies last year, I am now considering upgrading my sound.
I currently only use a bose solo 15 soundbase for my tv.
I am not looking to invest heavily in a sound system and would probably only purchase a reasonably priced soundbar
Such as sonos beam/arc
My questions would be
Do I really need dolby atmos just to hear a few sounds above my head?
Would I be just as immersed in a 5.1 surround sounds system?
I'm thinking more the latter
 
I would say yes it's absolutely worth it but I also think the more speakers you can reasonably fit into your space the better. I personally want to eek out every bit of data/sound I can to enjoy the movie to the max but that's just me.
 
A laudable aim but sadly often difficult to realise in a domestic situation, hence the plethora of sounders sporting the feature. Unless you have a dedicated space or room, getting the full cinema experience has always been difficult to achieve in the domestic environment.
 
Dolby atmos is worth it on the condition you avoid soundbars.
You cannot get a good enough effect of it without having actual speakers that's on the ceiling.

Consider very carefully.

Even a basic 5.1 sounds better than a soundbar!
 
Just a I suspected, a marginal atmos experience with soundbar trickery pales in comparison to a surround set up
Thanks
 
My personal feeling is that the emphasis on Atmos in personal and home audio is disproportionate. It's even being tagged onto phones and cheap headphones as well. By far the most important aspect is having a good LCR but that's not as sexy to sell. I have a simple 5.1 set up that I love and for me the whole experience is more immersive and enjoyable than going to the cinema. I might look at Atmos sometime in the future but I'm in no rush, especially as I can't implement it properly by having ceiling speakers.

Done properly I'm sure Atmos is great but in truth I think it should be the last spec you look at in any HT audio set-up, not the first (despite the best efforts of Marketing Departments the world over :) ).
 
The Atmos effect is quite limited but when it kicks in during certain movies, if implemented well it really brings a smile and is hugely enjoyable. Whether that is worth the time and money to implement is dependant on each individual but I'm bought in and could never go back
 

The latest video from AVForums

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