What HiFi and Atmos

@erik_squires

Thank you for starting this thread! I have an MQA streamer with a Bluesound Node and a Dolby Atmos streamer with an X-Box Series S. Atmos is very, very enjoyable on my rig which has been meticulously setup to support immersive audio. You just can’t compare object based and channel based. My advice is to not make this about either/or. Take advantage of both. The other thing is how much more can they do with two channel in terms of the files? The best two channel is analog vinyl and it probably peaked more than twenty years ago. Atmos is very early and is getting better every month IMO. The classic albums remastered in Atmos are nice. The NEW music being mastered in Atmos is more interesting.
Myth- You need more than two speakers for Atmos. No, it plays back fine with two speakers or headphones.

Myth- You can slap any speaker on the ceiling to do atmos. No, Atmos has very clear specs by dolby and is easy to follow because the specs are the same for the studios as they are the consumer.

So, I think this is a healthy debate and I am not advocating one is better universally. I am advocating to have both.
I don’t want to hijack your thread but the stuff to check out is NOT from the labels, NOT from Dolby but from the engineers who have been mixing in two channel. Just listen to what they have to share about mixing in atmos, and keep in mind, this is still like less than 5 years since Apple launched spatial audio, very early days.

I’m not against listeners enjoying 50 channel music if that’s their thing.

I just don’t see the need en masse. If it does take off it’s going to be like the Windows tax, when you could not buy a PC without also paying Microsoft, regardless of your choice of OS.

The other thing to keep in mind is that object based sound reproduction always puts a CPU and software between the speakers and the source, so the idea of bit-perfect reproduction goes entirely out the window.

I think what we really need are drone Atmos speakers.  So you can deploy them and have them move around to the ideal location without physically installing anything.  Of course, they'd have to be rechargeable.

I’m not against listeners enjoying 50 channel music

This is NOT Atmos, MQA or a valid setup of any type.

I just don’t see the need en masse.

OK, that is a preference. Is it all about you? No.

I think what we really need are drone Atmos speakers

Now you are just trolling, I won’t go there. If you take your current investment in your system ($150K?) and divide by 10 you will have enough for a VERY proper Atmos setup (actually you could do it for less than $10K).

This <$15K build will play all files including immersive, video, audio, MQA , vinyl and stereo. Spend the remaining $135K on whatever.

Now you are just trolling, I won’t go there.

It was clearly a joke, not a troll. If it was a troll it would have to be something like realistic. However the joke illustrated a sincere perspective and personal opinion:

5.1 speakers is as far as I’m willing to go. It’s not even about the money, it’s about wiring, speaker location, etc. It is a value choice.

I just don’t see the need en masse.

OK, that is a preference. Is it all about you? No.

Actually I was making a prediction. It’s not all about me. Others will do as they will and so long as it doesn’t cost me money that’s fine. I am however predicting that the majority of music listeners don’t care or need Atmos or Atmos systems. Will the Dolby branding however will push us towards that? I will be really shocked if they are that good a snake oil vendor.

Yes, you can listen to Atmos on 2 speakers, but then, why on earth have I interjected all the CPU and software required to translate object based recordings for music to 2 speakers?

At least MQA made some plausible claims for improving the performance of individual DAC's based on their performance characteristics.  Dolby Atmos for music listening leaves me scratching my head. 

Dolby Atmos for music listening leaves me scratching my head. 

The resources I used when checking out Atmos music were the engineers, you can find many resources on youtube from engineers and srtists.