Number of channels and Atmos question

[square_wave]

One of my cousins is making this home theatre and is planning to pick up a receiver. I have posted an acoustics question for him elsewhere. So, he has been hit by all the marketing blitz and is planning to stretch his budget to pick up some 11 channel receiver which includes 4 channels for atmos and then 2 subwoofer out etc. I have seen his 11 x 22 room and know this is super overkill since it will be at the expense of good quality speakers. In the past I have seen well setup 5.1 setups that brilliantly outperform poorly setup 7.2 etc ? More is not always good !

I am not into HT. So, wanted to know the current wisdom in this area. I have no clue about the critical number of channels needed for atmos.

What is the most cost effective and balanced solution in terms of channels and atmos these days if you have a moderate budget ? And what is a good receiver around 80k ?

 

[elangoas]

One of my cousins is making this home theatre and is planning to pick up a receiver. I have posted an acoustics question for him elsewhere. So, he has been hit by all the marketing blitz and is planning to stretch his budget to pick up some 11 channel receiver which includes 4 channels for atmos and then 2 subwoofer out etc. I have seen his 11 x 22 room and know this is super overkill since it will be at the expense of good quality speakers.

For the room size, he can do upto 7.2.4 layout..

In the past I have seen well setup 5.1 setups that brilliantly outperform poorly setup 7.2 etc ? More is not always good !

Why is it that 5.1 set-up better than more speakers ?.. You can defnetly do even better with more speakers.. They key is to place it right and do the calibration.. Since the acoustics for the room is ready as you said, it should only make it better..

What is the most cost effective and balanced solution in terms of channels and atmos these days if you have a moderate budget ? And what is a good receiver around 80k ?

A minimum of 9.2 AVR with 11.2 pre-outs.. He can add power amplifiers (either 2 or more) to effectively make it 7.2.4 layout.. Marantz SR 6013, Denon x 3600, Denon x 4500, Onkyo RX 730 / 740 can be some of his choices.. Yamaha might be expensive..

 

[square_wave]

@elangoas ,

Thanks. I was looking at the Marantaz. For atmos, it says as below.

Dolby Atmos
Feel every dimension in Dolby Atmos. Dolby Atmos transports you into the story with moving audio that flows all around you with breathtaking realism. Enjoy a 5.1 or even 7.1 surround sound speaker system and 4 additional overhead speakers or 4 Dolby Atmos elevation speakers (7.1.4 with additional 2 channel amplifier) for the ultimate home theatre experience - including Dolby Surround upmixer for legacy content.

From what I understood, it means that you can enjoy 7.1 and 4 additional height channels ( atmos ) without adding an external amplifier. But if you want to do 4 elevation speakers, we need to add an external amplifier.

What is the deal with elevation channels ? Are they part of atmos ? Why do you need an additional amp for that?

Also, with 7.1 ( as mentioned above ), can't we add 2 subwoofers if needed ? I can see 2 sub outs in the rear panel.

 

[elangoas]

@elangoas ,

Thanks. I was looking at the Marantaz. For atmos, it says as below.

Dolby Atmos
Feel every dimension in Dolby Atmos. Dolby Atmos transports you into the story with moving audio that flows all around you with breathtaking realism. Enjoy a 5.1 or even 7.1 surround sound speaker system and 4 additional overhead speakers or 4 Dolby Atmos elevation speakers (7.1.4 with additional 2 channel amplifier) for the ultimate home theatre experience - including Dolby Surround upmixer for legacy content.

From what I understood, it means that you can enjoy 7.1 and 4 additional height channels ( atmos ) without adding an external amplifier. But if you want to do 4 elevation speakers, we need to add an external amplifier.

Not sure from which AVR model you picked the above info..

Usually a budget friendly AVR inside the mentioned budget, would mostly do 9 (9.2) channels of amplification out-of-the box.. They also have 11 channels of Pre-out.. So if the user wants to do 7.x.4 (7 + 4) 11 channels of amplification, he would need a minimum of 2 channel power amp additionally.. Upto the user to more external amplification based on his need / budget..

What is the deal with elevation channels ? Are they part of atmos ? Why do you need an additional amp for that?

Yes.. Both Atmos / Dts X are part of elevation channels.. For budget reasons, once can opt for 9.2 capable with 11.2 pre-outs + add a streo amplifier (or) more channels of amplification.. A 9 channel AVR can only power 9 speakers at a time.. To make it 11 channels, you need that extra power amplifier..

Also, with 7.1 ( as mentioned above ), can't we add 2 subwoofers if needed ? I can see 2 sub outs in the rear panel.

Yes.. We can add two subwoofers to the single 7.1 out.. Most AVR today have dual subwoofer output.. From what i have read, they are single out, but provide dual RCA output.. The Denon / Marantz which have Audyssey XT32 room calibration and correction, has independent dual subwoofer output..

 

[square_wave]

Not sure from which AVR model you picked the above info..

This one.

Marantz SR6013 AV Receiver best price | HiFiMART®

The Marantz S65013 AV Receiver is a 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD Network AV Surround Receiver with HEOS and Alexa voice.

www.hifimart.com

Can it power 7 channels and 4 additional height channels without adding any additional amp ? This means no elevation channels, right ?

 

[elangoas]

This one.

Marantz SR6013 AV Receiver best price | HiFiMART®

The Marantz S65013 AV Receiver is a 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD Network AV Surround Receiver with HEOS and Alexa voice.

www.hifimart.com

Can it power 7 channels and 4 additional height channels without adding any additional amp ? This means no elevation channels, right ?

Ok.. 7 channels are standard layout.. 4 refers to the height channels..

6013 is a 9.2 AVR. which can power only 9 channels.. So 7 standard channels + 2 heights it can do out-of the box.. That makes it 7.1.2.. To make it 7.1.4 you need an additional 2 channel power amplifier..

 

[elangoas]

A picture for 7.1.4 layout

 

[square_wave]

Thanks Elangoas.

I was looking at the 6012 and 6013. From a channels and atmos context both are identical but there are umpteen formats and features that makes the 6013 more expensive. I am totally lost looking at all the literature.

For someone who is not an advanced home theatre enthusiast, does the 6013 makes sense ? 6012 is here :

Marantz SR6012 AV Receiver

The Marantz SR6012 AV Receiver is a 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD Network AV Surround Receiver with HEOS.Immerse yourself in stunning 3D surround sound with the SR6012 AV receiver, featuring Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround decoding, with the ability to drive overhead speakers. It is equipped with 9 ch

www.hifimart.com

 

[elangoas]

Thanks Elangoas.

I was looking at the 6012 and 6013. From a channels and atmos context both are identical but there are umpteen formats and features that makes the 6013 more expensive. I am totally lost looking at all the literature.

For someone who is not an advanced home theatre enthusiast, does the 6013 makes sense ? 6012 is here :

Marantz SR6012 AV Receiver

The Marantz SR6012 AV Receiver is a 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD Network AV Surround Receiver with HEOS.Immerse yourself in stunning 3D surround sound with the SR6012 AV receiver, featuring Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround decoding, with the ability to drive overhead speakers. It is equipped with 9 ch

www.hifimart.com

Bet 6012 and 6013, the processing ability is the same (9.2 AVR) with 11.2 pre-outs.. They mostly differ with 4K video processing capability.. Dolby Vision, HDR +. HDR 10.. Just s example.. If one is not looking for more than 1080p, 6012 would just do fine.. You can get it for a good price..

 

[square_wave]

Bet 6012 and 6013, the processing ability is the same (9.2 AVR) with 11.2 pre-outs.. They mostly differ with 4K video processing capability.. Dolby Vision, HDR +. HDR 10.. Just s example.. If one is not looking for more than 1080p, 6012 would just do fine.. You can get it for a good price..

Isn't 1080p / 4k and all that taken care of by the source gear ? Where does the AVR come into the picture ? I thought they just pass the signal through.

 

[elangoas]

Isn't 1080p / 4k and all that taken care of by the source gear ? Where does the AVR come into the picture ? I thought they just pass the signal through.

The upscaling feature and other video add-ons are inbuilt from mid-range AVR.. You can either let it pass-throuh to the projector (or) let that function handle in the AVR.. I have set it to pass-through on my AVR..

 

[sandeepgarg]

Why not look at pioneer lx303/503. Especially the 503

 

[prateekatasniya]

Two subwoofers isn't always necessary.. depends on the many other factors.
And it's true that a well done 5.1 or 5.1.2 by current standards will perform far better than a 7.2.4 or higher.

 

[ssf]

5.1 will get you most of the effects of a HT in a small to medium sized room. If you have the space to do your seating right, then 7.1 should be attempted. Graphic at post No. 7 gives the speaker placement. In my humble opinion, a 5.1.2 system should first be attempted with the best gear that you can buy in your budget. This, in a small to medium sized room will give you a very good HT experience. You could build on it later if required.

For HT, the center channel and the sub are the two most important speakers. Spend your money there. For surrounds and height, you can get away with lesser quality speakers.

 

[ktks1]

TLDR: Get the Marantz 6013 or Denon x4500h.
Agreed with ssf's suggestion with center and sub. For any HT, one should get the best center possible (of course a matching one) and a decent sub, and then worry about surrounds or atmos (which do significantly less work than LCR).

I have a 5.1.2 setup in my 23x12 living room and I can say that 5.x.4 is do-able if the 4 atmos speakers can be placed far apart to actually be able to isolate the sound effects from each other. Else, stick with 5.x.2 and your cousin would be happy. He can later get the other atmos channels as the budget builds up, and get a 2-ch amp to power them.

If 7.x.4 is a must, go for marantz sr8012 or denon x8500h and there's no turning back.