Ep 9: Massive Atmos Demos in a Small Home Theater

[@tagtag-connected5263]

Holy yellow Batman. I thought my room was small this one takes the cake. feet can literally touch center speaker. You need depth to have any sorta atmos

[@sage11x]

I just can’t get over how close your feet are to that front channel. Haha! Having trouble hearing the dialogue? Lean your foot! 😂

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

😆😆 I’ve had that same thought many times and I move my feet to hear if the sound changes.

[@ZeonStar77]

I’ve really enjoyed this series. When I was making my small theater I’ve mentioned in previous comments, I had a few people suggesting that 7.1 for the bed layer was too much but I was certain it would be fine and it most definitely is. Like you, I’d never go less. I’m also rockin’ 2 x PB-3000s in my small rooms. (I have them set as sealed though!)

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Nice! Sounds like a great setup!

[@Totalplonker]

7 bed layer channels in a small room are able to sound amazing. However, that amazement is constraint to one chair. The guest seat's near surround channel will be louder than the guest seat's further surround channel! Hence, the more channels one has, the more the money seat will lose its value. Conclusion; 7.1 will be great for a single seater. Mind you, if a guest shows up, slight alterations may be required (that's if you're looking to impress, of course)

[@Willy_Elres]

Great video, glad to hear your room is delivering strong results. Whenever I listen to a Dolby demo disc, I can't help feeling just a tiny bit disappointed - because almost no movies ever have such spectacular sound mixes..!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

You and me both!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@cinemalord9055]

I have this disc and couldn't agree more it makes you wonder did they fall asleep on every movie 🤔 I like that baseball demo on the disc

[@cinemalord9055]

Shane Lee agrees with us why advise atmos and you're getting 5.1 or 7.1? Makes no sense if u order a cheeseburger u want cheese on the burger. How does Deadpool Wolverine sound?

[@Chrisratata]

This is part of the reason why I'm perfectly happy with my soundbar and subwoofer. Surround sound of any kind can be a distraction if not done well, so it's just one more thing that can go wrong.

[@augustinecabrera121]

I have a similar sized room. I had a 12" sub.... It sounded good, but when I added a 2nd 12" sub... It went from good to excellent. Unfortunately sub foam surrounds went bad... Now I'm upgrading to 2 18" subs !! Definitely add a 2nd sub

[@georgelee8156]

My Atmos speaker layout is very similar to yours, but 7.2.4. The rear ceiling speakers are located directly above instead of behind the listening area. Very uniform audio coverage and excellent immersive audio experience. I also have the same Dolby Atmos demo disc which is an impressive audio delight!

[@Carl-iw9sy]

Great video. I can't wait to finish my theater renovation so that I can start playing those demos again. Patience is a virtue... ugh!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@PIPERBOYWILLIAMS]

The thing i love about this theater is like how my small one is. it is intimate. And you can see the nice onkyo right there. Good Job. Let us know what movies you been watching in there.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks! It really is a great space. Will keep you updated on the movies 👍

[@hofmarskal]

I made my first ever dirac live limited measurement this last saturday. 5.1.2. Denon avc x4800. I have been using Audessy for the last 2 decades. And wow the emersion is so much better. Worth every penny, for me🙂

[@patrickwilliams1801]

I have a similar size room. The dog was looking around.

[@selassie123GA]

Nice! I would lower the seating position and put some additional absorbtion on the naked walls left and right.

[@SupraManG]

Tell you something else. Whenever you play these demos on your new HTS for the first time, close your eyes and just listen to the sounds. That will give you more perspective and clarity on how your system sounds. Food for thought

[@ChinPaiSay]

Thanks again for another great video. I have the same 'problem' with the Helicopter demo. It doesn't sound like the helicopter is flying from the top rears way behind me. It's more like just above my head, slightly behind me. Maybe my room is about the same size as yours. I wonder if you can check the Helicopter track in your bigger room. Does it sound way behind you? Thank you for your trouble.

[@straiteE]

if you want to hear your rear height speaker stand out. sample star wars phantom Menace Pad race scene

[@terenceparrish6292]

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊 I have a small theater as well in a 12x12 room. 7.1.4 with tower speakers, and I JUST LOVE IT 😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@Karim-ik5ij]

Lookin great!

[@FURognar]

I have a 20 x 12 dedicated theater but I am only using 2 entry-level 10" subs and they shake my couch. They roll off after 30hz, but can hit a pretty decent SPL so sounds and feels good. But of course, I'm going to be upgrading it to FOUR 15" subwoofers next year. LOL

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

You’re gonna love those 4 15’s! That room will be rockin’

[@markbee4238]

I'd be curious to hear a comparison to your main theater room

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Excellent idea! I’ll add that to my video list. Thanks!

[@herefordian70]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the subtle differences if any on the same scenes in both rooms, with two less speakers (?) in this room.

[@welderfixer]

Come Hell or high water I have to get a couple of those Dolby demo discs!

[@goodtogo9121]

I bought mine from ebay.

[@azdonw]

Looks like you have absorption only for room treatment. To make a small room sound larger, add dispersion, too.

[@usmankhalid990]

Awesome reaction video loves it! Would love to see a video on your first impression of using your subwoofer in the nearfield (just a couple inches behind your listening position may be ideal). I know you have transducers in your theater downstairs so it would also be awesome to hear your thoughts on a comparison between transducers and a nearfield sub!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

That's a great idea! I’ll add that to my list. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@shinedown54]

I really enjoyed this series. Next up, Atmos theater in your bathroom!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Haha you got it!

[@ferrari77773]

Another outstanding video! Great job.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Boxkerp]

Thank you for this series. It's been fun.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

You’re welcome! Glad you’ve been enjoying it!

[@naamah-dh]

Hello, thanks for sharing, advices, and expertise. Where did you find your Atmos demo video ? Thanks

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I got it off eBay. It’s not very reliable. Some people claim their discs don’t work, but mine works. Search eBay for Dolby Atmos 2016.

[@onepurpose315]

Would like your thoughts on differences between Dolby surround and dts neutral x for not atmos films 😊

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

That's a great question! I'll add that to my video list!

[@chesleebryan5099]

Been following the series/build. Great job. You should consider painting your TV wall SW Tricorn Black at a minimum. I’m using a spare bedroom also, but once I painted the room Tricorn Black it made a major difference. Awesome job either way.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks! I had not considered that option but that sounds like a good idea!

[@marcuskazuya]

next project, maybe try the spatial audio toolkit from technodad and see if that improves the ht? you can also try his DAR videos so you can see where the sounds are coming from then correlate that with your ears another test - auro 3d setup, the rz50 supports it

[@eldogo1]

Good video. Want to try MagicBeans Audio just to see if it gets better?

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I got Magic Beans a couple days ago. Video will be out after I’ve had some time to test it

[@scotto9712]

I love my tiny theater. Mine is slightly smaller (~10 x 11). Here are my findings: Power has never been an issue. I almost never get above - 20 so I didn't get an external amp. My overhead speakers were TOO localized and didn't pan well. I ended up going overhead front and atmos enabled (bouncy house) in back- it sounds much more natural- which from what you are describing- you may want to try. I think the overheads are just too close. Dirac kept setting all my speakers as large and I kept trying to fix it by setting them back to 80 cut off because that's what I was supposed to do- it turns out it sounds better if I just trust dirac and let it run the speakers full range (again- not a problem because I have power to spare). I had 2 subs, now I just have one- the peaks and nulls in my room got handled much better by dirac and running the regular speakers full range. I also have a 10 inch and it measures flat to 18 in that room. Good series.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Thanks for sharing your experience, it's good to know how Dirac can work differently for everyone! Now I need to go back and see how Dirac set my speakers.

[@gabrielpanola]

I have the same sub along with the bic america f12!!!!! I also have the same onkyo receiver which I use as my only source of power!!! My front towers are the R500 from polk as well as a signature series center channel and polk rear surrounds and atmos speakers!!!! It's in a 5.1.4 configuration!!!! My room dimensions are basically the same as yours!!!! What room correction technology are you using and do the side surrounds really make a big difference???????????

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I’m using Dirac Live. You should add the Sides to make it 7.1.4. It’s awesome! That’s really funny we ended up with almost the same build.

[@constantinoskatodrytis542]

Thanks for the video glad it turned out to be good since you put in a lot of work. My only concern would be that the center channel is too low maybe compromising speech intelligibility . The LR tweeters are also well below ear level it seems?

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

The speech is crystal clear. I also was concerned the Center may be too low but it sounds fantastic. The tweeters are at the top of the Mains so they’re actually right in line with my ears when I recline the chair.

[@davidlozano1927]

Can you make a video of the speaker placement? I mean the distance of the mlp relative to the front wall, atmos speaker height, angles, and so on. I had a plqn to move my speaker step up 5.1.4 to an almost square shaped room 10x11x11. I was hesitanding to make the change because on forums everyone says that a square room is terrible for sound. But after watching your video, I'm motivated again

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I’ve also heard that square rooms are no good. I figured I’d give it a shot anyways. It sounds great! I did set the seats about 4 ft away from the back wall so I think it helps to not have them all the way against the wall. I’ll put together a video about all the measurements and distances. Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for watching!

[@StephenAtt797]

Great build series... I haven't seen RechnoDad check in here ... yet. But maybe worth looking at doing some work with the spatial calibration tool kit! Doing some SPL level matching at two speaker timing work manually (especially while you are in the same relaxed position i the chair) might enhance some of the immersiveness - especially from the rear surrounds and heights!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I have the Spatial calibration toolkit. I’m planning to make a video where I use it to calibrate the system. Thanks for watching!

[@lo_fye]

Great video, and great room. You might have fun trying some of TechnoDad's demo tracks & videos. He does stuff like put all sound in just a single speaker :)

[@melraine919]

Well done 👏🏼 👊🏼✌🏼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@johnlira3316]

Would be interesting if u play the same demos but move ur seat right up against that back wall to see what u can perceive

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Ahh, that is a great idea! I will make that video. Thank you!

[@Totalplonker]

When one hears sound from above, the sound one hears is usually off in the distance first! This makes me ask as well as a bigger scale of sound. If there was a reason why your height channels are so close together.

[@lildadh5308]

Love it nice , all you youngsters getting into high end audio and theater, learn from this guy

[@patrickwilliams1801]

I have a similar size room.

[@donmorton7282]

Awesome room buddy, quick question, what are the receiver sub settings (level and crossover) and what are the actual sub settings (crossover and gain)? Sounded phenomenal

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Receiver is at 0 level and 80Hz crossover. The sub is set to 50% for gain and the crossover is maxed out at I believe 120Hz

[@donmorton7282]

Excellent, thanks, will try these settings

[@donmorton7282]

Thanks for the info buddy, not to be a pest, wanted to also ask what receiver settings do you have for the fronts center and rear speakers (level and crossover)? I’m using small fronts center and Cerwin Vega bookshelves for the rear. Thanks again, just trying to get the best possible settings lol

[@stephengreen8058]

Not sure looking for seperation is a positive. If the system is setup well the speakers should form a bubble with the sound moving around the room but not locking onto a channel, as if you notice a sound snapping to a speaker it takes you out of the immersion. But I get what your trying to indicate.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Yeah; I kind of misspoke. I meant that I was looking to hear distinct sound placement throughout the room; and not just from the front of the room. Fortunately it sounds great!

[@KforConstant]

Thanks for sharing

[@texxhexxmm]

Where is your ceiling Absorber??

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

It’s midway between the tv and the seats.

[@texxhexxmm]

Because in this Video it is missing😮😅​@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome

[@mezzup1]

I know you have to make videos for the power amps but are they really needed in this room? Yes it's needed if you ha e to drive additional channels but that room is so small I don't think its needed for all speakers. You are so close to the LCR that I wonder how this sounds in person.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I’m planning to make a comparison video with the amps vs without the amps.

[@richpeltrick1492]

What's the chair you're sitting in? Looks comfy.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I love it! Valencia Tuscany Executive

[@domeniccatalano-zs6xd]

I know you said that the atmos demo is not in production but can you tell me the name or mabie a picture of it? do you think I would find it on ebay? (I have a anthem driven 7.3.4 system). I love that you're dog was watching and listening as intently as you were.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

It’s the Dolby Atmos 2016 demo disc. I got mine off eBay. I’ve heard other people say theirs didn’t work but mine does. So it’s a gamble. Here’s the link. She loves watching movies with me. www.ebay.com/itm/235777464105?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=jfkiwfaltse&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=P3znaGkEQLe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[@tkcdac]

Techno Dad just put out some specs showing how the ATMOS can be fully front like the main speakers. In this small space I think it would definitely help to be moved to the front wall but on the ceiling.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I may give that a try and do some A/B testing for a video.

[@kewlbug]

A single seat atmos experience is the ultimate! With the DiRac calibration, I'm sure you are experiencing the full effect. I do have issue with how you describe the "separation" and "distinct channels" or "distinct speakers". The whole concept of Atmos is to move away from channel based audio. In the highest level systems and proper calibration, the speakers should "disappear". The goal here is one cohesive sound environment. NOT being able to tell which speakers are even playing. You should be able to close your eyes and be transported to somewhere not being a small room. If you are able to localize any of the drivers, this is usually due to resonances, or reflections, or some other cues. or just an issue with the calibration. This kind of answers why expensive speakers usually weigh a ton and have features like rounded corners (to reduce diffraction). Also why room treatment made such a big improvement. If you are really searching for the ultimate experience, you can really go down a rabbit hole looking at waterfall charts and impulse and phase graphs in REW. And yes, maybe upgrading the speakers. Personally I calibrate everything manually. With a couple miniDsps before the amps. Anyways, keep up the good content. Even with the simple video style, I see this channel growing!

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

You make some excellent points. I kind of misspoke when speaking of localizing the sounds to a specific speaker. What I really meant was localizing the sound to a location. For instance; when the bird flew around the room it was a smooth traveling sound all the way around. The sound didn’t snap to one speaker, then snap to the next speaker. It was a smooth transition. So it seems to be working well. Thanks for watching and glad you’re enjoying the videos!

[@byron19800]

From what I can see, the front L&R speakers are not ideally placed towards your MLP and the recliner is too high. Or maybe it's just the angle of the video recording, I don't know. But the tweeters seem to fire below your ears and that's not so good. They should be at your ear level or above. If you can't rise the speakers, maybe you should try to angle them somehow, so they can fire directly at your MLP.

[@herefordian70]

I don't understand why Dolby don't make their own demo clips more readily available, say by being downloadable from their website. Feels like they don't consider demos relevant anymore for Atmos because it's already in a lot of soundbars etc? You have to search around online now. Would love this disc but I suspect a lot of the eBay ones are dodgy.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I would certainly pay Dolby for authentic Atmos demo discs. It’s a shame they don’t produce them

[@jedlomax100]

Does the PS5 support Dolby Atmos?

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

The PS5 sends the “raw” unprocessed audio to the AVR which does the Atmos processing

[@jedlomax100]

@@GeorgeTheaterAtHome Ah ok interesting! Thanks for the info

[@mezzup1]

I just realised you had a Ps5 controller in your hand, may I ask were you using a ps5 for playback?. The ps5 does the decoding in the console, then brings it out, I will ask you tou use a proper 4k player you might hear a difference.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I have the PS5 set up to not process any of the sound. It hands it off to the RZ50 to process the audio.

[@Lowkey_nxthxn]

Do you like this setup better than your main theater?

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

excellent question. I like them for different reasons. The main theater offers a more immersive “formal” experience that replicates the commercial cinema experience. But the tiny theater works well when I want to watch something in a more casual cozy environment. They offer very different viewing experiences so it kinda depends on my mood to determine which one I choose at the time.

[@pulDag]

Center channel too low. it should be as close to the height of LR tweeters.

[@donaldwatson4991]

In that size room your probably not even using more then 10 or 15 watts per speaker at reference levels. The receiver should have been more then enough power to drive them without any distortion. To save money I'd would just added a 2ch amplifier to get the 7.1.4 ... maybe you should do a video on the system not using all the external amps to see if you can tell a difference.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

Excellent suggestion! I will do a comparison video.

[@donaldwatson4991]

Don't forget to record the channel levels after level matching is done on each set up with and without external amps.

[@alwayspushing2031]

You know you need to add or replace that sub, I have the same size room and if you are a low volume listener then ✅ anything more and you'll need 🔊🔊 or in my case 🔊🔊🔊🔊

[@byucatch22]

A really clean build. I don't know what everything would cost but this strikes me as something that would be in reach for a lot of people.

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

It’s quite economical. I got all 11 monoprice speakers for much less than most people spend on a single Main speaker.

[@davidmckee2898]

I've got a small room shut up.How do you set your somebody's up in your small room. I have a very hard time Getting mine Write. What? Crossovers volume do you put you

[@robertbuckley3480]

Sitting to close, that why you wear glasses ?

[@lo_fye]

Not only your ears, but your chair is also blocking the sound from behind you, and probably bouncing some of the height channel sound off of it at a near-90-degree angle into your ears. Maybe try listening to the chopper again sitting on a dining chair so your ears are fully exposed?

[@GeorgeTheaterAtHome]

I hadn’t thought about that! I’ll have to try it out.

[@302chrisroy]

Dolby Atmos in a closet ...!!!