Ep. 47 Dolby Atmos Setup Major Mistakes | Fix your Home Theater and drop Jaws!! Home Theater Gurus

[@hometheatergurus]

✅For room plan layout service contact me @ [e-mail]

[@hometheatergurus]

@@cd2920 I know but it's too late as this video is made. There's very important info here. and it's free so if you want that info you're gonna have to buckle up and suffer through.

[@danielp6878]

Thank you for this video I just emailed you.

[@samgipson8735]

I watch the video and moved my speakers around ran room correction. It made a huge difference in discrete sounds and atmospheric sounds and music. I have a unfinished basement ceiling and I’m so glad I haven’t finished it yet because I probably would’ve never change them if I had to run wire and replace drop ceiling panels. I can’t believe the difference. I couldn’t find my laser so I used a tape measure extended from SPEAKER and pointed it at the listening position to get my aim right. Right now I’m using small box speakers. When I get the ceiling done I’m going to purchase ceiling speakers that are able to be aimed at the listing position. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. This is really a game changer! Night and day difference. I never really heard the atmospherics until I change my speaker position and angles🤯

[@hometheatergurus]

Awesome... I think this comment deserves to be pinned at the top!! :)

[@reggiemurphy7028]

Yep. I agree. Fantastic video

[@mikejohnson8391]

@@hometheatergurus understand told items with THX logo like sound systems speakers sound better can produce more true Atmos or DTS:X experience so they claim means processors for audio playback was tested by DOLBY AND THX see if it meet there standards which is rare. If like video games be sure get lazy boy chairs which can butt kickers so feel and hear action. App for them goes from 100 wats and up power wise.

[@qua7771]

As a Floridian, I'm envious of people who have the basements. I always have to convert a room, and end up trying to solve all kinds of limitation issues with spaces that were never intended to be media rooms. Nonetheless, its always a treat to hear about someone else's project, and progress. I hope yours is going well.

[@tikkorome5752]

I'm the Dolby Atmos mastering engineer at Deadly Mix Studios. I just wanted to watch a couple videos like this to see what information consumers are getting online so that I can take it into consideration when I'm working, but I figured I should stop and mention that this is actually really good information overall for consumers. I would add, though, that your "do what sounds best" advice should definitely come with an asterisk. In the example where you said it, yes, not much else really matters if something is blocking the direct signal. Otherwise, it's VERY important that the system is setup based on math in accordance with the recommendations provided by Dolby. It is absolutely IMPERATIVE that consumers do so. In order to ensure objects appear in their intended locations, speakers need to be where your Atmos decoder (reciever/soundbar/computer/game system) expects them to be. All the speakers work together to create the sonic illusion that a given object is moving/positioned in the space around you. If a speaker is not where it's expected to be, the effect doesn't work. This is especially problematic for moving objects because the mastering engineer designed that movement to occur in specific locations over a specific period of time. If they're too close, the sound occurs in the wrong location and the time of travel remains the same, but the distance traveled is shorter, which will make the speed slower and out of focus, or won't seem to move much at all; depending on the size ofnthe error. If the distance is too far, the speed will be in the wrong location and seem faster because it travels a greater distance in the same length of time.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks! I do agree with everything you said. I think you'd really like ep 48 and 49 where we really dig into the studio guide which in reality if far more performanced based than the sales based home guide.

[@saschaanonymous2097]

Hi, im from Germany, my room have the Couch on the Back wall my Setup ist 5.2.4 with Front hights and top rear speaker. Ist this Setup working?

[@khalliwallivlogs]

This is where the extraordinary Sony 360 spatial mapping come to place I believe, the avr equipped with this makes it soo much easier for the average consumer, but still just make sure the over head speakers are angled at the listening position do the 360 calibration and voila, its really something other avrs have to look into

[@7071t6]

tell me this, if you have a 7.1 system like say yamaha AV4A or A6A and you have 2 fronts L+R, plus 2 middle Surround speakers L=R can you add 2 L+R rear surround speakers? So its a 7.1 with just 1 subwoofer? All well and good if you have ceiling speakers, what if you do not have them and you have just rear speakers at the back of the room in each corner? Will the yamaha 7.1 work with a 7.1 sound track movie and the rear back speakers provide effects based on the movie your watching? I have heard that it will not work for atmos, other sound effects like DTS or dolby (R) and other registered sound effects based on the type or brand of av receiver you have, as per its specs ? Also with earc now days ,if your tv has atmos it will maybe not transfer the sound though the av receiver and i has seen that if you have a yamaha to put the sound on STRAIGHT and then it will? Also i know you can do a sound test to see if the speakers are working based on your set up, but again it all depends on the av sound processing system for different effects etc? Anyone with feedback would greatly be appreciated? 👍👍🦘👌✌

[@HTadd1ct]

​@@saschaanonymous2097get your couch off the wall and only then you can discuss 4 atmos. If you don't believe me these videos are why

[@louietheo4449]

This is the most informative no BS video I’ve seen on this topic. So much learnt from this video that I had no idea about - and now I understand why I am so underwhelmed with my atmos setup. My speaker choice and placement is all wrong, but now I know how to fix it. Thank you

[@hometheatergurus]

You're very welcome! Report back once you get them in place. We're also on Facebook.

[@Dave-we1yl]

This is the single most upgrade I’ve done to my home theater for the greatest result. And it didn’t cost me a dime. If you haven’t done this you are missing out on a great experience. Thank you

[@hometheatergurus]

Great feedback Dave! It's hard to put into words how huge a difference placement and setup is with Atmos.

[@doublesynchrohelix8613]

Obviously with floor standing speakers, subs, even wall mounted speakers (to a degree), we can move them around the room, run correction again, run REW, and move things over and over. With holes in the ceiling, that's not exactly an option, unless you have a drop ceiling I guess you have some trial and error and replacement without breaking the bank or getting divorced... This single video changed my whole understanding (cost me a bit more money when I thougt my gear collection was over, lol) but super glad I watched this right before install up top. Was literally about to router my ceiling holes when I wanted to triple check KZbin for any last bits of advice. Just ordered my middle Atmos row, comes tomorrow, all 6 holes will be cut by then! Thanks, sincerely, this video is gold to me and you have a new subscriber and donor.

[@JeanSebastienGrise]

Thanks to your advices I moved my top channels from a 90 angle to 60 degree angle instead of having them in line with the mains as suggested by Dolby home setup. What a difference, while listening to Audiosphere demo I was trying to reach for the sound with my hands. Thanks man!

[@hometheatergurus]

Awesome. It's crazy how much of a difference it makes.

[@colindixon806]

WOW! I have a very small room, just 13' x 10' and 7'6" high ceiling. Using 7.1.2. Just moving my speakers up 1' and changing the angle in to the listener, instead of the opposite the front speakers, made a HUMOUNGOUS difference to the Atmos sound. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I'm now looking to upgrade to a 7.1.4 and know exactly where I will place my ceiling speakers!!!

[@mustangfred2006]

I have been researching this speaker placement for several weeks now. I am only running a 5.1.2 setup and have multiple marks on my ceiling as to where to place my Focal Dome's for my top front. Got the lazer out to place them exactly in line with my front mains and rear surrounds. I watched this video at a good time cuz I was finally gonna screw them in tonight. Thank you so much for this video. Makes a lot of sense. Thank you!

[@stephenyoud6125]

I calculate the angles and distances quickly on my phone calculator using the Tan and Inverse Tan functions. Rotate the phone to landscape format to flip it from basic to scientific mode and access all the Sin, Cos and Tan functions. Rem the Tan of the Angle = the ratio of the distance OPPOSITE the angle (the ceiling distance forwd or back from above the seating position) divided by the distance ADJACENT to the angle ie ( the distance from the seating position to the ceiling, or wall). So for a 30 deg angle for/backwards at a ceiling height above ear level of 1.67 metres, you take the Tan of 30 and multiply by 1.67m to get 96 cm. (for and backwards from the seating position. I calculated all my ATMOS speaker angles from our new house building plans. if you have a known speaker position already (distance from an overhead or centreline "O") and a height or wall distance ("A")and want to find the angle. Divide O /A and use the Inverse Tan (on iPhone press the 2nd button on the Scientific calculator and then Tan (which then appears as Tan-1, to get the Angle that that speaker position makes. I reckon on ear level being about 1m above the floor. And an aide memoir for calculating angles of right angled triangles, where Sin = O/H, Cos = A/H and Tan =O/A is: Six Old Hags Came And HadTea One Afternoon, O = the side opposite the Angle, A = the side adjacent and H = Hypotenuse

[@cableguydan]

Great video, Steven. A real breath of fresh air - a video purely based on accurate information. I installed my height speakers (top front / top rear) back in around 2018 and fell for one of those Dolby images (I should have read the supporting documents better) and installed in ceiling speakers firing straight down. I calculated the correct angles from the MLP, but fired them straight down. 🤦‍♂️ I hope your video spreads far and wide. Many people say how useless Atmos is, yet they purchased the cheapest in ceiling speakers they could get (because height channels don’t matter, right?!?!?) and didn’t follow the correct angles. Doh. ☺️

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Dan and yeah hopefully this saves a few people. :)

[@kevinmansell8746]

@@hometheatergurus so which is best Stereo or Surround

[@kevinmansell8746]

@@hometheatergurus my Stereo comes with a 4 speaker Sub Woofer Sharp System with Surround 2 speakers stereo is not huge but it is a very powerful sound system

[@NES088]

You've perfectly addressed 2 issues I've been dealing with, the confusion with Dolby's pdf regarding the width of the height speakers, it looked like it was contradicting itself and I wasn't sure which to follow, it made more sense to me to go angle based rather than based on the width of your mains, but you reaffirmed this with logic. Also with the tone winner channel limitations, I've been non stop thinking of choosing either wides or middle heights, but your explanation points out that I'm really choosing to fill either a 90 degree gap or 60 degree gap, looking at it this way makes it an obvious choice, thank you so much for breaking down the science.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks and yep sounds like your the guy that watched the whole video...😀. I'm glad you found it helpful. It's always best to understand your hobby vs blindly doing things and never know if it's right or wrong.

[@scottnorris9079]

Also (and somebody correct me if I’m wrong) but from what I understand, width speakers don’t work with the Dolby upmixer, so bang for your buck mids are better because you’ll be using them for non native Atmos mixes

[@hometheatergurus]

@@scottnorris9079 Dolby's upmixer DSU has supported wides since an update that began getting pushed out around November of 2020. So I'd does upmix to wides and is freaking fantastic. As for wides vs top mids, if you have the atmos spaced out 90 or more then yeah top mids make sense. If you're placed per the video with 4 atmos grouped closer than wides are without a doubt the way to go.

[@scottnorris9079]

Home Theater Gurus that’s good to know. I’m a mlp focused kinda guy, no back row of anything, so I can get the heights in spec. Perhaps wides it is! Thanks for the info

[@gadgetphilosophy8290]

Hey. Thanks for making these videos. When making your illustrations it would be good if you clearly define how you drawing the diagrams. Eg. Birds Eye view. From to back view. Just I was trying to work out whether the spot you magnetically attached was facing. Even when you drew the couch and person sitting was a help toward the end of the video. . Now before you assume I’m an idiot who doesn’t get it. I’m a builder and carpenter for 30 years. I understand angles. Pythagorean theory to sin cos and tan.. it would make your videos so much easier to understand. Just thought going forward it might be handy in future. New subscriber here from Australia. Thanks for your efforts.

[@doublesynchrohelix8613]

Thanks man... you cost me another $1100 right when I thought I was done to buy top middles lol... i had 2 extra amp channels and 2 more channels in my MC1 processor I wasn't going to use but EXACTLY as you said... "you don't need top middles in a small room" is all I heard in fact Jonathon on Youthman's 3 guy podcast style vid just last week said "you won't gain anything from adding a middle atmos row" when someone in the chat asked the exact question addressed here. As soon as you pull out the white board and explain the angles, my whole world came together with a sigh of relief as FINALLY making sense! Between conficting KZbin vids, (especially) Dolby's literature, and chatting with friends who have Atmos, I was in a constant gray area of understanding... the thing with this Ep. 47 is, we don't have to take your word for it, the angles and gaps if voids of channels are left, or speakers are placed on walls, etc, it just makes sense physically! We just needed someone to explain it better as you have and I thank you.

[@JasonHendry22]

would recomend droping background audio from a viewer perspective its distracting for you very good info. lower it maybe 70 percent.

[@hometheatergurus]

Yeah I've had a few say this. It sounded good on my ear buds I edit with but I guess it's still a little loud. I'll dial it back some. Thanks for the feedback. :)

[@matsudakodo]

Maybe a little, but I wouldn't say lower it by 70%...it was noticeable, but not loud.

[@HereWeGo0o0]

Leave the background music 🎵 It sounds good. Balanced and discrete. Dude complaining just doesn’t have his system dialed in.

[@jimgrimm2874]

@@HereWeGo0o0 XD

[@ericshutter5305]

Pros don't use background music when they are explaining things. You want to come across as a Pro or an amateur? has nothing to do with sounding good/bad.

[@DavidGonzalez-rs3kt]

Blessings and Thank You for taking the time to go into detail about the importance of properly placing Atmos speakers, amazing, peace

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks David, Glad you found it useful!

[@mikeferreira9376]

This is the best explanation of ATMOS I have seen. And it made me fix my placement.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks! How's the new placement sound?

[@MrBonger88]

There’s still so much misinformation out there. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen people telling others that the ceiling speakers need to be inline with the main speakers. I would have done just that if I hadn’t seen this video. Thanks for this. Very informative

[@hometheatergurus]

yep that is one of the goofiest placement ideas I've seen. Absolutely zero known angle and most often unless you have a really tall ceiling they are always placed way to wide and smearing with the bed layer. There's a reason that only exist in dotted lines and not in any written wording. It's almost like someone got confused when they made the diagrams.

[@ajsdfk]

Thank you. I'm building a home theater right now. Running wire tonight. And what Gene was telling me six months ago about Atmos placement makes sense now.

[@airman6822]

One of the main reasons I replaced my system was to add atmos. I have a finished basement and put my atmos speakers where it was convenient at the time and was underwhelmed with the results. I have been watching your other videos and have been moving speakers around using string to aim them. Now it's time to move my atmos speakers and they are located way different from the original position based on this lesson. Cant wait to run room correction and see the difference. I have been really enjoying your channel, thanks to Youthman who sent me here. Thanks for all the advice!

[@hometheatergurus]

You're welcome and report back once you get them and moved. I'm compiling the feedback... 😁

[@jsngb12]

Thank you!!! I placed my top mids according to your measurements and very pleased with the sound im getting. Its a very different experience for sure. I can now distinguish and feel the sounds coming off those speakers.

[@gbaker6478]

I listen to what everyone has to say, that being said I always come back to you for accurate information on how and where, great job as always. Thanks again.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Graham!

[@ejim941099]

This is probably one of the best explanations of installing, reasons, etc of atmos/speakers for home theater.

[@craiglamb9029]

I too made the mistake of following the Atmos setup diagram. I ended up being dissatisfied and saw the DTSX demo rooms. Realizing they have the height speakers aimed at the listening positions. I learned not to use downfiring speakers. Ended up removing them and getting some higher end bipole speakers and mounting them on my ceiling around 45° @MLP. The baffle is already angled. Made all the difference in immersion.

[@hometheatergurus]

yep, That diagram needs to be updated quick.

[@josephfranzen5626]

Hi Steve, I saw your video this morning and I’ve got two pairs of Martin Logan Motion 4’s on mounts for my top fronts and top rears. In ceiling speakers aren’t an option in my room, I’ve done them to Dolby white paper spec and the effect was meh. A few months ago I changed them to very closely reflect your spec and the difference was night and day. What I truly enjoy about your videos is that you show empirical evidence on the how and why not just “do this and trust me.” It’s refreshing and I appreciate the work you put in!

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Joseph, I figure this hobby is too expensive to not really understand the goals. The info is out there it's just so often ignored or not understood, even by pros.

[@reesebroekhoven3962]

As a few others have said you need to loose the background music. Im not quite sure why you thought putting background music (and at that level) in an advice video. Its extremely overpowering and and the sounds actually draws your attention more to it then to you and what you're saying. But other then the extremely distracting music great video

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks. Unfortunately I can't edit it out or down once the video is published.

[@ramonbmovies]

Good video. I'll check placement of my atmos channels, as I swear I don't hear them most of the time, but when I put my ear right up to them they're working. I've always figured it was a placement issue. All I know is that when I go to the theater, I see 4 surrounds on the left, 4 on the right, and 4 in the back. That's in addition to the mains, center and the subs in the front. The ceiling is so high that I can't imagine they put speakers on the ceiling. In my estimation, theaters only have speakers on all 4 walls, high up, facing downward. I bet the speaker specs are basically full range, high power - because sometimes I see the woofers if the lighting is just right and they're at least 10", maybe 12" woofers. So that's 12 speakers just for the surrounds, each w/ a 12" woofer. Again, not including the mains, center and subs behind the screen.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks! See the newest video as I actually go more in depth with placement and we look at a cinema layout just to compare.

[@RSSganesh]

Really important video I had came acrossed while redesigning my home theatre. Hope will get those jaw dropping effect from my Atmos! Thanks in advance!

[@pkhammu2005]

Great video,have seen so many high profile installers blindly following Dolby diagram. Am surprised even Trinnov engineer agreed to this layout in a podcast with Sparechange. Only Anthony Grimani said what u r saying

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks! Yeah I see very few "high end" designers that actually seem to understand the goal. Grimani is awesome and leans on the science and not a one page diagram. Gotta love that!

[@Pk1da]

This was the most informative video I've found on speaker placement. I'm still quite a few years from building my own dream home theater but it's alright, I'm patient. I'll definitely implement this knowledge. Thank you

[@sujovian]

this was super helpful. My biggest takeaway is that if I'm forced to elevate my bed layer, I can cheat the overhead layers toward the center to compensate

[@Finn-McCool]

This has shined a light on the inadequacy of my set-up. My ceiling is only 7' so my front heights especially, need to be moved from the front wall out into the room along the ceiling. As it stands, the angle of attack from my ears to the center of the speaker is ridiculous. My front heights are approximately only 4' above my ears but 8' in front of my ears. The horizontal spread is probably fine. But I need to remember that as I move them in to the room along the ceiling I need to move them toward my ears along that plane rather than simply moving them off of the wall at 90° in order to get the preferred angle of attack from speaker to ear. Thanks for this info. It really clicked when you mentioned angles are ultimately the crucial parameter. Not distance or height necessarily. An inclinometer and a laser pointer with some duct tape make for a great little tool for all of these placement shenanigans. Thanks for the videos. Learned a lot. -👍🏼

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Fin!

[@Finn-McCool]

@@hometheatergurus I have a question regarding the changes I need to make in my speaker placement. Is it necessary to tell my processor that my configuration is now (FC-RC) rather than the (FH-RH) that I have chosen in the processor menu? Moving from Front and Rear Height to Front and Rear Ceiling seems like I should choose that particular configuration in the menu. Right? I am not using in-ceiling speakers I only own the on wall "style" of Atmos speakers. Namely some inexpensive old Polk M5 speakers. Big brother to the M3ll I suppose and probably Polk's early version of their Atrium line. Only chosen because I have 6 old Polk RT55 as my base layer with a CS400 center channel. They have similar speakers from the same era so I assumed the timbre would hold up. Sorry to be so wordy with my question. I suppose I should set my processor both ways and see which one sounds best ultimately. -✌🏼

[@hometheatergurus]

@@Finn-McCool see ep 3. The tolerances for heights and tops actually overlap mostly as front to back degrees. But yes I would label them exactly based on where they are angle and placement wise.

[@Finn-McCool]

@@hometheatergurus Fantastic, thanks. -👍🏼

[@0-60STYLE]

Glad I stumbled upon this and thank you for taking the time to share your expertise dude for real

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks and you're welcome. Make sure and see the newer videos as i have one with a one page diagram i made to quickly lay them out.

[@netster]

This video is incredible! Now I get a clearer picture how to place the speaker. Thank You for making this. I will have to watch this many times over to grasp the calculations.

[@hometheatergurus]

See ep 49.

[@netster]

@@hometheatergurus I watched it three times last night and I'm still planning to continue watching it. I need to start from EP1. I stumbled upon your video while researching how to set up Dolby Atmos 7.1.3 and considering purchasing the Onkyo TX-RZ50. Thank you so much for creating the video!

[@EctoPlasmic]

but what about budget conscience systems like 5.1.2? where should the atmos speakers go? There's more than just really expensive AVRs to cover.

[@JollyGiant1213]

I know right! Lol that’s what I have and I have set my 5.1.2 Atmos speakers as Top Middle on my Onkyo. My Atmos are physically placed a couple of feet in front of me on my 8 ft. ceiling. My front mains are like 10 ft. From me…

[@hometheatergurus]

I can't cover them all in one video.. :) and this was about mistakes that we see often. For 5.1.2 I would place the top middle about 70-75 degrees.

[@evilawkeye2215]

What a great video, wish I had watched this years ago! Definitely going to review my speaker positioning again. It just makes sense the way you explain it!

[@hometheatergurus]

Awesome. If possible go straight for the 35 out I recommended and no farther. If you're doing 4 up top go about 35 -40 forward. Then report back. I'm compiling all the feedback on an AVS thread.

[@meStevo]

Mind blown. Putting up wall-mounted Klipsch atmos speakers tomorrow and this changes everything.

[@hometheatergurus]

Man I'm glad you saw this first. Stop everything..ha. See the newer Atmos video where I made a one page diagram with easy formulas to find the locations.

[@meStevo]

@@hometheatergurus One thing i dont see about height speakers that are wall mounted (I have 4x R-41SA im going to install), is anything about angling them towards the primary seated position. Sure, they are angled down, but depending on how far away shouldn't you also need to mount them angled inwards to help create the bubble? I'm a bit limited in wall space, so they're going to go almost to the side of my primary seat and then at the ~ceiling from the front. Shouldn't the front speakers be angled in a little? Or overthinking? I've never seen mounts to accommodate that with heights like the R-41SA. I know some of my positioning isn't ideal, but figure this will be a net positive and am trying to control what I can. Thanks!

[@kigbeckovic9685]

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. I appreciate it very much. One request to you - next time please without background music. You don't need that stuff at all. I want to listen to you and focus on the content and what you have to say. I appreciate your knowledge very much. Greetings from Serbia

[@hometheatergurus]

Thank you and as you're not the only one to think it was too loud, I'll definitely lower it.

[@julesvreug]

Great video. I was questioning my setup which I followed the Dolby atmos guide but remember looking at Trinnov, Yamaha etc and measured eveything out i think back then on google sketch and using a laser measurer etc, my angles are spot on This was back in 2016 when building the house. My room is a odd size have a rear 4 seater and two single reclyners. My front height are mounted in the front corners pointed down, Rear heights are around 1300m from rear wall and about 300mm in from wall mounted in the ceiling with tweeters pointed to the center (rear seat), but watching your video the angles apear spot on. I cant recall looking at angles but must of as front to rear height is exactly 90degrees listner to front is exactly 35. My rear mains are in the rear corners these are floor standing towers with the tweeters at ear height. Fronts are in corner, have front left and right subs and a rear center (more for rumble). Everything sounds pin point acurate except the center ch as this is bellow the projector screen and my rear heights seem to not match the upgraded floors as its only a 6.5" yamaha and may need to go to a 8", the front height are a Jamo C9 so ok. Im looking at having two rows of seats in the future rear raised. Hopping the setup is still going to be good. not sure if its worth going from a 5.2.4 to a 7.2.6 or what ever will be any bennifit?

[@FURognar]

I am going to go with a Top-Middle because I want to do Front Height and Rear Height to use Auro3D upmixer with my non-Atmos content (of which there is a LOT). I recently helped a friend of mine set his system up with front and rear heights (he already had the speakers and didnt want to mount on the ceiling) and we compared Native Atmos with Ready Player One to upmix with Auromatic and the upmix was phenomenal. It almost kept up with the native Atmos. His room is small enough that the height position gets him closer to the proper angles but I feel he does have a hole right in the middle, but its the limitstions of what he was willing to do. I got him to upgrade from a Atmos enabled ceiling bounce. His current speaker positions actually sound pretty good. We tested it with a bunch of different Atmos and DTSX discs and his height layer sounds quite good. Using 7.4.4. So that convinced me to do 7.4.6 for my own dedicated build using heights to be able to access Auro3D/Auromatic and to use Top-Middles to fill in the hole.

[@hometheatergurus]

Front and Rear Heights are actually Atmos locations and share most of their degree windows with top front and top rear. Many people don't realize that. Check out ep 3 where we dive into the dolby pdf showing the placement options of atmos. But yes it is a version of a 7.1.6 and sounds very good. Just make sure to get that separation from the bedlayer. The height options don't sound as good at the lower end of their tolerances.

[@jamesphillips9128]

Thanks another great video... I've taken the time to do the angles system design is looking a lot better ... Cheers

[@droidzhunterz6861]

Nice Zen music. Works well for guided meditations. But informative stuff like this, not so much. Regardless your content is excellent.

[@hometheatergurus]

Atmos and nature.... I thought it fit.. Thanks for watching!

[@sonnyblu6299]

Since my (new) AVR is not allowing me to adjust the independent volume levels of my full range, down firing, in the corners, Height speakers (for reasons unknown) I switched the settings from Height to Dolby ATMOS... AND this gives me the balance I was looking for. They are not firing at the ceiling... they are down firing from the corners to my listening location. It's working well... LOL Just had never checked doing this before. I also do not have my Mains placed directly below the heights like you mention... this just happened by chance... But Yes... I completely understand and enjoy the better dispersion of this placement. Don't know why Dolby say's place everything in line... I like the adage... If you want sound coming from a certain area... put a speaker there! Don't bounce it off the ceiling. Thank you for this video.

[@tonystoll32]

@Home Theater Gurus - Great video as always! I appreciate the knowledge. By any chance will you do a video like this for DTS-X & Auro3D speaker placements/setups? Thanks.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Tony! I may do those in the future.

[@jadan2000]

I'm so glad you designed my room! Atmos and surrounding sound was kinda bad before you helped me out.

[@hometheatergurus]

I'm glad we got to design it together as well. This was a peak from the inside. :)

[@diamondjiwanpuri]

@@hometheatergurus Hi again, how can I get the room design (speakers placements) from you? I would love to get the proper dimensions and angles. Thanks

[@504Rone]

Wow…they got me with the pdf too. I’ve been trying to figure out why my Atmos is garbage.

[@hometheatergurus]

Check out the video that just came out. It digs in a little deeper. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXi9pKWLadSBd68

[@jimgrimm2874]

This is so damned good! I'm nowhere near ready to install a wicked theater system but I find this theory unreasonably interesting 🤟

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Jim!!!

[@andrew1977au]

Great video. Thank you. Looks like I've got some work to do. My setup is completely wrong.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks. Report back with feedback!

[@andrew1977au]

@@hometheatergurus I've done a few measurements, my room sucks, I'm in a rental and there is no chance of putting speakers on the ceiling. 😢. But you have brought up a few things that I believe will definitely help, things I completely overlooked. If your up for a challenge I can email you my room measurements and relative info on my setup

[@7A7ER]

Learned more in 20 mins than years of random “theater setup videos“

[@hometheatergurus]

Glad it helped. Check out ep 49 for a quick method to place atmos.

[@mutatedgenome]

New intro. Getting fancy now. 😀 Thanks for the content!

[@hometheatergurus]

Ha.. Well I have a client that does editing for a living and he did some magic on the video. If I did that intro it would be in crayons...😀

[@chrisbrown2174]

Thanks for the great video. I just installed my in ceiling Atmos speakers 2 weeks ago in preparation for my 7.2.4 Denon 4700H and Tonewinner AD7300 setup. Had such a good explanation of placement been available earlier I may have made some changes. I am 90% of the way there. I will review my angles and see how close I came to ideal. I thought 7.2.6 would have been overkill but now that you explain it I can see the value of the middle pair of Atmos speakers. Maybe a future upgrade will include a 13ch processor and another Tonewinner amp 😉

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Chris. There was a time I thought the same thing. :)

[@TheReverendSlim]

Bear in mind that there is a big issue with x.x.6 in the home, which is that a great number of home Atmos mixes are encoded as 9 pre-panned static objects (7 ear level and 2 heights) rather than fully dynamic objects. For instance, Ready Player One uses two static objects for heights with objects only moving slightly during the movie due to object grouping. The issue here is that with a x.x.6 layout, these two static heights will typically ONLY play back from the top mid speakers. Top Front and Top Rear will remain completely silent for the entire movie. Where x.x.4 may be better in this case is that these two static height objects will image at the top mid position, meaning top front and top rear will play this content back at equal levels, which can effectively sound better across multiple rows. Contrast that with a fully dynamic mix like Midway, which uses 7 ear level, 2 static heights, plus dynamically moving objects. In this case, the static heights still play back only from the top mid in a x.x.6 layout... but any dynamic objects can pass through any available speaker in the room, so the top front and rear still get used.

[@matsudakodo]

@@TheReverendSlim very interesting, thanks for that.

[@TJWood]

Thank you so much for this great information. I am fortunate enough to be at the start of a fresh build in which I've got a dedicated 12.8 ft (Screen wall), 29.5 ft long and 7.9 ft roof height (looks weird as i converted from the metrics that we use to the closest feet) to play with. I'm currently debating everything such as suitable screens, amp, speakers and speaker locations and this information helps immensely. I've not setup a new room since my original 5.1 era and I think that a decent supporting amp and speaker setup to support Atmos is the go in 2022. I am still learning such as supporting 2 or 4 atmos speakers etc but I'll get there.

[@danielpage756]

Fantastic understandable way of explaining this topic, bravo good sir.

[@thebrowncinema]

Great video! Wish these types of videos were out when I built my room! Next house I will take more time to plan everything out!

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks! Yeah we don't know what we don't know. It's always a great idea to have a pro do a room layout design. Hint hint...:)

[@johngibbons579]

Any recommendations for a small space where MLP’s are backed right up against a wall? I’m running a 5.1.4 and my Rear surrounds are kind of planted in line with the couch and the rear atmos are attached to the wall close to the ceiling and do not have much separation (looking for ceiling speaker options as well) Also - I find the bass very “boomy” against the wall as opposed to if I E.g lean forward and away from the wall. Thank you

[@iSleepDoc]

Another great video 👏👏👏👏👏 Coincidentally on the same pattern, I used my physics /sound and optics knowledge to set up my system a year ago….thanks for your great info..🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@matsudakodo]

How?

[@glengatt3941]

I use M1 for sealing you can aim those and I can't make holes, sometimes you have to compromise if you don't have the space,my room is 13 f long 13 f wide and 10f high plus furniture and is my bedroom I managed to get a 7.2.4 lots of moving tweaking

[@davemccague222]

Awesome video. You’re so correct placement is everything. It would be great if you could give us a tour of your beautiful home theatre. Keep up the great work

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Dave. You know I may shoot a walkthrough this weekend...

[@davemccague222]

@@hometheatergurus that would be awesome! Can’t wait!

[@HTadd1ct]

hey. someone on avs forums claims the atmos speaker layout should be done in a circle and not a square. i tested this idea using sketch-up and the results are rather interesting. the circle spacing does end up being closer together than if i did a square.

[@hometheatergurus]

People say a lot things.. 🤷😁. I Never said it should be a square BTW. You're top rear are almost always going to be a tad closer due to the height of the rear surrounds.

[@heasoundsystems]

Thank you for a very straight-forward explanation that brings the important points together. Love your videos!

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks!

[@SpartanG087]

Is there some tool that automatically determines speaker placement if you enter in room dimensions, MLP and the desired angles? This is helpful, but I am terrible at math

[@hometheatergurus]

There's some online but none I'd use. Theyll place seats right in a null, don't place surrounds, rears nor atmos properly IMO and place mains flat in a wall. If you need help my email is in the description.

[@SpartanG087]

@@hometheatergurus I do need help. I'm terrible at math. I just sent an email

[@wallyeng]

Thank you for this video! I learned so much from this and have been looking for exactly this kind of help!

[@hometheatergurus]

You're welcome. Make sure and check out ep 49 as it's more to the point with atmos placement and has a quick formula to help you place them.

[@gab7344]

Awesome video. You are the only person that really explains the speaker placement well and how it may affect the sound output ect. The average person who is starting out doing their own install, would just go bythe Dolby layout drawings thinking that is the proper layout. A costly mistake. Great work keep it up please. My Question which I'm still not sure of is the MLP placement. If my room is 5m long do I sit at 2.5m or should it be 3quaters of the room away from the screen ?

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Gab! Check out ep 11 as it walks you through using a very easy to use calculator where you can visualize the modes and see seating options.

[@gab7344]

@@hometheatergurus Thanks for reply. I will check out ep 11

[@gingerninja7187]

Great information,I’ve never seen such a detailed video before, surely the guys at Dolby giving us the speaker placement guide should do more to help , like yourself, I can imagine people at home will be taking measurements right now, some of the people on KZbin say you can have to many speakers , the problem is it all depends on the size and shape,from your video i gather the ideal distance is 45 degrees from speaker to speaker , give or take a bit 🤷‍♂️

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Ninja!

[@richardperry21]

Sorry I don't quite understand what view we are looking at in the first part 45-Degrees. A 45-degree radius up from the man's ear position to the ceiling. Then the next view is 35 degrees from each atmos separation to each speaker correct?

[@northeastcorals]

Get in, I've missed the whiteboard! 😅 Thanks for the great content as usual 👍

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Gaz and I've missed the white board too. :).

[@Ballistica242]

This was fantastic, where would be the ideal placement where only 2 height channels are possible (AVR only support 5.1.2), overhead in the middle (90 degrees to bed layer) or weighted towards the front and angled?

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks. Top front about 35 forward and 35 out

[@GAK1atatt]

Good intro music right through the clipping of the Big Boom!

[@hulken82]

Hi, Awesome channel! I'm going from a standard 5.1 config to a 5.1.2 Atmos with my new receiver Sony TA-AN1000. Saw that you recommended 35degree spread on the atmos speakers. As I'm also have to keep the installation "wife friendly" I was thinking on mounting the speakers a little bit wider apart so I don't have to have the speakers in the middle of the sealing. By placing them 45 degrees apart i will reach the walls on each side. I guess that should be fine as I'm inside of the tolerance 30-60 degrees? Best regards from Sweden Daniel

[@beyondnoyeb]

Awesome video, one of the best I’ve seen outlining all this. While I know lcr placement wouldn’t be as fun a video, do you have a similar video for them? I am building a full triad room as well with the gold lcr, so super in line with your current build.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks! Yeah ep1 covers that but be warned it was my first video and isn't going to win any awards.. :)

[@talkenrain842]

Useful and logical. Looks like the mount angle necessary for most atmos setups is pretty substantial... Wondering what (if any) are good in-ceiling speakers for atmos that can be angled as drastic as necessary and still get the wife approval?

[@hometheatergurus]

Yep we actually talk about a few good ones in the video.

[@sherazdotnet]

as always very informative. Thx. FYI: I have 4 Devastators V5 using 21" Lavoce each and absolutely love them. Room is 19x12x8 sealed dedicated room and my room gets very nicely pressurized :-).

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks! I filmed the Dev assembly last weekend. I'm just waiting on the drivers to finish the video. Looking forward to getting those beasts fired up!

[@planninegoodtimes]

This video was confusing at first. I’m glad I watched to the end because it clicked. I currently have a Sony receiver that handles 5.1. I’d like to install ceiling speakers to accommodate atmos. Does that mean I need to shop for a receiver that will be designed for atmos with 11 channels?

[@shaneducholke364]

Great video! Now my question is how do I fill my Atmos holes of double drywall connected to isolators and hat track? 🤣🤣. I have everythimg right except the width apart on the ceiling as I went 45° instead of 35° which just happens to line them up with the mains, 35° fills the gaps better. My room is extremely sealed, every electrical box and poly seam is siliconed so I want to make sure it still keeps the sound in.

[@hometheatergurus]

Damn.. that sucks. You could use the new hole cut outs to patch the old holes...

[@shaneducholke364]

@@hometheatergurus that was a thought, I may have to get a pro drywall guy to do the work. It will first depend on the Atmos speakers I go with and if I want to plan on 6 Atmos for future and install them all even though my current AVR can't handle 13 channels, but when I upgrade to a processor, it will be with 15 channels. I am considering maybe building the Volt 8's and building the baffle to provide between a 35-45° angle. I have to do the calculations with the joists to see what would work as I would want that baffle angle as well as rotate the driver towards MLP. The Volts can also be built without an enclosure, so that help. News to finish my accoustic treatments first anyways. Why does my theater want list get longer and everytime I knock something off the list, 2 more seem to appear🤣🤣

[@taflukta]

21:52 - is this the Voice of god 5th speaker you're referring to? If so, where should you put a 5th ceiling speaker?

[@bigdreams5554]

7th time watching it. It's finally sinking in. :) Thanks for your help.

[@crazydwarfer]

Unfortunately, already installed ceiling speakers following the previous videos, and thought they have to be in line with the fronts 😭. What about the 5.1.2 positioning? With the couch back to the wall? Great video and knowledge as always.

[@crazydwarfer]

Do you have an updated video on Atmos positioning for 5.1.2 configuration? I mean, what is the best position for Atmos and bed layer when you have your coach against the back wall, and 9 feet from the viewing position to the screen/fronts? Thank you so much for the answer. P.S. Cannot move the coach really :)

[@DaniloZimatore]

@hometheatergurus

[@BassBringsUsTogether]

Nice man! This video makes me want to buy another subwoofer 🔊 😂, have a good one buddy! Great content as always

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Bro! And yeah you need a few more Subs..😅

[@WOLFx1950]

So if my overheads have a tweeter that I could angle , then I should point at the listening position instead of make it fire downward right?

[@hometheatergurus]

Absolutely. Aim Them!!!!

[@reflex4516]

Great video. My whole setup seems like it’s going to be a mess once I get it setup. I’m not sure what to do now yo make the best of it. Hopefully the Sony 360 spatial mapping will help me with some of the angles and things that I can control. I’ll probably watch this video over and over again. Lol 😝

[@coreymarotta]

Please clarify the center above placement meaning is that a single speaker placement directly above the listening position or center above left/right per Dolby’s layout? Of all the videos, I have found this tutorial and info most valuable related to proper positioning in addition to Dolby’s methodology and how to best amend within one’s particular space.

[@coreymarotta]

25:18ish

[@Oleksandr-Audioholic]

Super clear and useful explanation. Thanks a lot

[@hometheatergurus]

Glad it was helpful!

[@warrenxanthos8241]

Great video! Great information! I would love to see it in a SketchUp file! Or even more ambitious, in a Fusion 360 file. Then you could change room dimensions and the speakers would move accordingly!

[@PTL4179]

Better yet if audioadvise free design tool can integrate the atmos speaker placement into their current app

[@BoyGenius-1]

Great video. I’ve always looked at those Dolby drawings with speaking separation in mind…first. Looking forward to the AVM70 review. I’ve been trying to decide between it and the Monoprice HTP-1, so that Tonewinner review would help also.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks BG! I need to get the AVM70 video out. I should have the Tonewinner 300 in for review in the near future.

[@adrigonzyify]

@@hometheatergurus Thank you very much 👍😉And Sexy Arms & Cute Bald 😉👍🔥🔥🔥👏👏👏

[@radolszewski3891]

Outstanding help! I truly appreciate all you do!

[@stephenthwaite3115]

I only have a ceiling height of 6’8.I have followed your advice on Atmos speaker positioning and it’s spot on. Side speaker positioning is a challenge with such a low ceiling.You suggest 4’ high for a 8’ ceiling so does that suggest 3’4 high for a 6’8 ceiling?

[@HTadd1ct]

Ear level is the benchmark and the starting point.

[@chrismonterubio9475]

What’s funny is the diagram you showed in the beginning so people can “half-ass” it as you put it, if they take the time and click the link, they can get the same pdf file you’re reading from. And it’s pretty easy to set it up correctly.

[@hometheatergurus]

Yes, that's true but it's also why the video takes you into the pdf and then goes farther to pick out what sounds good and what lacks. In some cases the pdf may have someone thinking a setup is optimal when it is severely degrading performance. So sure it's easy to set up but it's also easy to end up with a not so great sounding room using that same pdf.

[@darrenkeogh3321]

Hey Steven! another great informative video…well done! I’ve finally pulled the trigger on a AVM-60, just wow 😯 Loving it 😘 Keep the great videos coming mate. 👍🏼🍻

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks Darren!

[@isaacvelez5128]

Is there a similar diagram as shown in 11:05 for a .2 overhead speaker setup? I did some googling and found this PDF but couldn’t readily find any info for 2 over head speakers

[@HTadd1ct]

The spacing of left to right is the same as if it's 4 or 2 atmos. The only difference is the 2 atmos speakers are more vertically above you instead of being futher forward. See page 20 of the Dolby studio guidelines

[@timothyclauw7035]

Great video and very informative. If I’ve set up my heights(svs prime Elevations mounted to my ceiling) per your videos and Dolby Atmos , should I assign in my Denon 4500 as top front and rears which is in the correct placement but only will output Dolby Atmos old dts-x or should I assign as front and rear HEIGHTS , to gain Auro 3D ? I’m not really noticing an overall immersive experience. Thank you for all of your videos and knowledge you share to help out the dedicated enthusiasts.

[@chadwick1e466]

Glad I ran across this video. I’m running a 5.1.2 and it looks like a Top middle is the best placement for my setup as there is much debate on this subject, especially when your cutting into your ceiling, good planning is a must. I feel the majority of us out there have 5.1.2 because of cost, but starting out with a top middle makes it easier to upgrade later with a better processor and separates later…7.2.6 hopefully but who knows, 5.1.2 may be good enough with the right placement Anyways :)

[@Marzen216]

if you're going to the effort to pull wire for a pair of overheads, why not pull for 4 spkrs? You're not going to want to do that all over again in the future.

[@chadwick1e466]

@@Marzen216 I guess I’m more fortunate than others when it comes to running wires, but I have full access to my attic so it’s really not that big a deal to add 2 more pairs of front and rear later on when I’m ready. I think the best way to think about all this is that for most of us, home theater is nothing more than an expensive hobby that ultimately is a rabbit hole of endless possibilities where there really is no end game. I’m just trying to do the best with what I have and unfortunately I’m maxed out at 7.2 or 5.2.2 and I’m ok with that for now.

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks! If you're doing top mid I'd go about 20 degrees forward and no more than 35 apart each way. Now if you want to later upgrade to more that isn't the best place for the top mid.

[@skywalknotpossible]

Hey mate, how happy you are with the 5.1.2? What angles did you decide to go with? Cheers

[@chadwick1e466]

@@skywalknotpossible so 5.1.2 - I decided after much deliberation that the top middle overall was the best option when dealing with Atmos. I’m running a Marantz Slimline nr1710 processor integrated amp along side an Emotiva BasX A2 separate to drive the Emotiva airmotive T1+ towers. The Marantz drives everything else -the Emotiva C1+ center, B1+ rear surrounds, and top middle Emotiva Atmos air Vaulta in ceiling pair. A SVS PB 1000 pro Sub Slams in the rest. Its a simple bare bones symphony of sound, but I think that little slimline is maxed out-lol The top middle sounded more “magical” when I tried each of the 3 configurations. Hope that helps. Cheers back! 🍻

[@Sean_y4k2l5]

what a great video, thank you. this answers exactly the questions that were on my mind

[@grommie]

This is good info, about the angles is new for me.

[@HTadd1ct]

It's always been there. Read the Dolby guidelines. In particular the studio one.

[@williamedwards3002]

Amazing video!!!! I’m hanging my 7.2.4 speakers today in my theater! If my rear atmos speakers are fixed at 45degrees to MLP due to room constraints, is it okay to bring my top fronts back to 55degrees to lessen the sweep angle btw the front and rear atmos? I know this puts my top fronts closer to me than the top rears, but I’m trying to make up for not having a top middle by bringing my current tops closer together Thank you so much! Love the channel!

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks and yes pull them closer to the top rears.

[@texxhexxmm]

When you say 1m to the Side Angle and 1m Forward ,so 45° ..do you measure from the tweeter? I have Nubert Nuline ws14 ,which are built Like a Center speaker.So my Center with 1m apart would be the middle of that speaker

[@vjvj3576]

great video but I got a little confused since everything is in 2D. Is it 45 degrees both forward and lateral of the main listening position?

[@hometheatergurus]

Thanks. Generally 45 forward and I like 35 out.

[@anoopk1771]

@@hometheatergurus 35 wont be more closer to the mlp?

[@MrPninja]

Awesome vid but it’s not possible me to have any ceiling speakers so all I have is to put them high on the wall back and front

[@hometheatergurus]

Hey you have to make the best of what you have to work with. It can still sound great!

[@agordon7369]

Great explanation on the spatial separation. I have a big issue with my room and don’t know the best way to fix it. Unfortunately my room has a vaulted ceilings and because of the screwy layout the ceiling rises from left to right on roughly a 4/12 pitch and ends at around 12 feet. So my right side is around 4 feet taller then my left so not only would I be dealing with the angle to the seat from front to back/back to front but now also trying to get from left to right/right to left.

[@sjsphotog]

I have thes gsme issue with angled vaulted ceilings

[@agordon7369]

@@sjsphotog I may look into some satellite speakers like the ones from svs since they are in an angled box they may point straight down once mounted on the ceiling

[@mwong000]

OMG. I stumbled onto this after spending weeks on KZbin and google on subjective and non-technical advice that I knew was useless, but I nevertheless pushed on. This video changed my knowledge base completely. Now I know my Onkyo TR-N3030(130 watts/channel receiver, paired with active Definitive 8060 fronts, Fluance center, KEF K140 sides, and dirt cheap Onkyo rears and rear heights were completely misplaced. Admittedly, my room size and layout limited me to significantly better placement, but at least I now know the end goal. Thank you for such an informative video! I do have a question. My Onkyo is a 11.1.2 amp. with 2 Front height and 2 Rear height speakers. That must have been designed with a 45/45 degree mounting in mind. Since you mentioned the importance of the Center Height speakers, do you recommend me moving the reared to the center for a 45/0 degree location?

[@hometheatergurus]

Glad you found the channel! If you have 4 atmos I'd do 55/125 fwd/back and 35 degrees out for the spread. See the latest video as I cover it more in depth. If you do that you don't need top mid. If you have 45/45 the top mid is needed IMO.

[@jameshaydel8262]

Sure would like to hang my six Atmos speakers from the ceiling on mounts (not in ceiling, not on wall) so I can really aim them. Can't seem to find speakers with threaded inserts (not key hole, hanging a key hole mount from the ceiling is unsafe sounding to me). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've see inserts you can diy but putting them in MDF speakers doesn't seem very safe either.

[@DaniloZimatore]

Definitive Technology ProMonitor 800. Un saluto dall'Italia

[@jameshaydel8262]

@@DaniloZimatore thanks for the info. Exactly what I'm looking for. Just looked at the reviews on crutchfield and everyone seems pleased. Also considering SVS satellites. Never saw the DT's on crutchfield so I appreciate your help (time consuming looking at the backs of different speakers online). Asked crutchfield for help and the only one they clued me in on were the SVS. Once again thank you.