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Theater setup


justinra

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I am debating on whether to set up my theater room as an Atmos setup or a standard setup.  My receiver only has 7 channels therefore I can do a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos or a standard 7.1 Dolby digital configuration.  Will there be a noticable difference in sound with the Atmos or will I appreciate the sound more as a 7.1 standard configuration.  The room size is around 12ft x 19ft.  I am running the following for my setup:

2xRP-260F (Front left and right)

1xRP-440C (Center)

2xRP-240S (Surround left and right)

1xR-115SW (Sub)

Denon AVR-X3300W Receiver

If you think atmos is the way to go do you think i would like the 2xCDT-5650-CII in ceiling speakers or the RP-140SA up-fire speakers?

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Based on your room size I would personally go with the atmos route so you get the effects of atmos and a well placed 5.1 system can be immersive on its own without the extra speakers.

 

If you really feel you need the extra side speakers you can always use the pre-outs on your AVR then use an RCA splitter for each output and run each side into a cheap Class D amp to get the extra channels. So you would have one amp L/R be for the left and right surround and the other amp be for the back surrounds. You would not be able to set the distance separately for the surrounds and rears from your AVR but you can at least use the volume knob on the amp to fine tune the SPL for the Surrounds and Rears independently. It sounds complicated but its not too hard to put together (We can help you with diagrams etc too)  down the road and in the meantime be able to enjoy the atmos effects.

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Thank you for the help.  I might go that route in the future as well or I may just upgrade the receiver I will have to see.  Would you recommend going with up fire (RP-140SA on top of front L&R tower or down fire (in ceiling) speakers to get the Atmos effect?

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How high is your ceiling?  My ceiling is 9' and the soundfield is sensitive to seating location.  I've never had a chance to hear the modules, but I assume they produce a more diffuse soundfield after bouncing off the ceiling.   

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The room has only 7' ceilings so that is why i am afraid of the up fire speakers.  I don't think they will have enough distance to travel or that i will have to mount them so close to the seating area to get the proper angle down on the listening position.  Does anyone know if it will distort the sound or not work entirely to mount the CDT-5650-C II speakers into a drop ceiling?

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If you have a drop ceiling, then the in-ceiling speakers make more sense.  The enabled speakers require a more solid ceiling to work at there best.  Having in-ceiling speakers that can be aimed can make or break the Atmos HT.  Luckily, I am able to aim the tweeter in my in-ceiling speakers.  Many of us have a drop ceiling in the basement which can be used to our advantage.  Mounting in a drop ceiling is easier, not as permanent since the titles can be easily replaced and a bit more flexible on placement.

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On 7/17/2017 at 2:31 PM, justinra said:

If you think atmos is the way to go do you think i would like the 2xCDT-5650-CII in ceiling speakers or the RP-140SA up-fire speakers?

 

The modules aren't as impressive as most people think especially when you only have two.  I like the RP-280FA, and you'd probably be ok with four modules, but if it's a question of two modules vs. two ceiling speakers, ceilings win every time in my opinion.  

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On 7/18/2017 at 10:37 AM, justinra said:

The room has only 7' ceilings so that is why i am afraid of the up fire speakers.  I don't think they will have enough distance to travel or that i will have to mount them so close to the seating area to get the proper angle down on the listening position.  Does anyone know if it will distort the sound or not work entirely to mount the CDT-5650-C II speakers into a drop ceiling?

 

I don't think you will have enough bass response for it to matter at all.  If you really were worried about it, reinforce the back of the tile with plywood.  

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I only have room on the receiver for two more outputs so I think I will go with the ceiling down fire speakers as I believe you are agreeing with that.  Now that you mention that about the atmos speakers I probably wouldn't have much bass being pushed through them to cause any vibrations through the ceiling tile.  Thank you for the help and peace of mind.

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Atmos speakers have a limited  passband of 100 Hz to 10 kHz.  They are not suppose to produce a lot bass.  They will give ambience and some overhead cues.  They main function is for a more immersive experience.  In-ceiling speaker work better is the tweeter can be angled toward the primary seating.

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I'm looking to do a similar setup here soon and even though I don't have a drop ceiling, I'm still going to be doing in-ceilings instead of modules as I will be able to control the audio better. I was actually looking at the same pair of in-ceilings to somewhat match my speakers. Hopefully getting done by the end of the year so let me know how you like them!

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My ceilings are 7.5' drop acoustic ceilings.   Joists stuffed with fluffy FG throughout.  The Evids 4.2s tuck in pretty nicely and can be aimed to the listening position.  So far I am happy.  Simple 2x2 grilles to cover the back two and will build a big cloud absorber 4x8 to cover the front two.  5.1.4 in this set up.  Forte 1s for the base layer.   5979fb9e18060_FrontHeight.thumb.jpg.dace3c9b60512821f2f7717de7944db0.jpg 

Rear heights.jpg

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