I've not heard Dolby Atmos myself but a friend of mine who has thinks it will be the next big thing.
The idea of a more immersive sonic experience certainly sounds interesting to me. Spatial audio seems to be the way forward and omnidirectional speakers do seem to be a clear step up from poorly designed boxed ones.
Can I ask what are the main differences to 5.1 and what do you mean by saying that atmos is 'object based'?