WHICH IS BEST? ATMOS POSITIONS BREAKDOWN | Upward-Firing | On-Wall | On-Ceiling | In-Ceiling

WHICH IS BEST? ATMOS POSITIONS BREAKDOWN | Upward-Firing | On-Wall | On-Ceiling | In-Ceiling

Strap in, folks! I sat down (and got back up again several times) and tested out 3 different Dolby Atmos speaker positions with the ideal 8 foot ceiling. Which came out on top? And which is best for you? I break down what I heard and what I recommend. Check it out!

Below are affiliate links of the speakers tested in this video. By clicking on them, you are kindly helping support this channel AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU! Hooray!

SVS Prime Elevation Speakers

Aperion Audio A5 Height Module

Emotiva AirMotiv A1

Klipsch R-41SA

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MY HOME THEATER SETUP
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65” LG C1 OLED TV

Marantz SR7015

Outlaw Audio Model 7000x Amplifier

Peachtree Nova300 Stereo Integrated Amp

Emotiva BasX A3 Amplifier

FRONT LCR
Aperion Audio Verus III V8T Towers

Aperion Audio Verus III Grand V6C Center Channel

FRONT WIDES & VOICE OF GOD
Aperion Audio Novus Slim N6SC LCR

SURROUNDS
Aperion Audio Verus III Grand V5B Bookshelf

SURROUND BACKS
Aperion Audio Novus N6T Tower Speakers

ATMOS HEIGHT SPEAKERS
Aperion Audio A5 Height Module

LG UBK90 4K Blu-ray Player

AppleTV 4K (4th Gen)

Nintendo Switch

14 AWG Copper Speaker Wire

Monoprice Low Profile 22 Lb Capacity Speaker Mounts

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MY VIDEO GEAR
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Audio Interface – Focusrite Saffire Pro 40

Sennheiser MKE600

Sony A7 II Full Frame Mirrorless Camera

Canon EOS Rebel T5i

DJI OM 4 SE

Shure KSM32 Cardioid Condenser Microphone

JOILCAN 81" Tripod

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LINKS
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Everything you need can be found at the link below! Woohoo!

#surroundsound #HomeTheater #DolbyAtmos

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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Intro
0:51 Overview
1:29 Upward-Firing
4:31 On-Wall
7:30 On-Ceiling/In-Ceiling
8:39 Recap
9:46 Final Thoughts
10:18 Outro

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DISCLAIMERS
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[luisarsuaga]

Excellent Ealan! I've been looking for while now for someone to talk about this topic and I think you're the only one. Thanks for the great content! Keep it up! 👍

[Jovibb]

Mounted on upper wall front + side positions are the simple way, to enjoy Dolby Atmos 's experience 🔊 🎼🎶

[caczech]

I actually built speaker boxes for "in-wall/ceiling" speakers, and successfully stud-mounted them to my ceiling in a unique manner. Ceiling speakers have always been a priority even when thinking Atmos early on. And I did this for the first FOUR, and down the line I'm going to get it to SIX. Little bits at a time for now.

[lag]

Thanks for this video. I have Klipsch up-firing speakers on my towers for years (5.2.2). Thought is was ok, but nothing great. Can't do in ceiling speakers, but after watching you video, I moved the up-firing to Front presence height location (8' ceiling). Absolutely huge difference in my room. on ATMOS tracks I actually can sense the sound is coming overhead.

[Cakebattered]

The problem with 90% of upward firing speakers is their design. Dolby limits their bandwidth vs the crossover, to promote beaming, and avoid direct sound to the listener. Its not an effective design. A better solution is for the speakers to be angled, but recessed in the box with acoustic lining. This does a much better job of reducing direct sound, and isolating the reflected sound. Also how one angles them is crucial to insuring the reflected sound even reaches the seating position. The best method is to use a helper with a ladder, who places a mirror on the ceiling where the listener can see the speaker from their normal seating position. Once accomplished, the listener then goes over to the upward firing speaker and angles the speaker so it aims directly at the mirror. A small flashlight or laser pointer is helpful. The height of the ceiling is less important than the angling, as the room correction software will set the appropriate output for all speakers, including upward firing ones. The only off-the-shelf, upward firing Atmos speakers, I would recommend are the Atlantic Technology 44-DAs and the PSB Imagine XA Atmos enabled

[farander]

My experience with upwards firing speakers is excellent! I have 7.1.2 setup, with front speakers (and upwards speakers) from Definitive Technologies 9060 series, and KEF T301 as surround speakers, connected to Denon X6700H AVR, thoroughly calibrated with Audyssey. While most movies hardly have much going on “up there”, in video games, like Cyberpunk 2077 the effect is insane! Aircraft and monorail trains flying overhead, someone shooting at me from up above etc. My favorite test is to find music source blasting from one of the shops on the streets of Night City, approach them - and you can pinpoint the exact source of the sound above you.

[cnyberg]

After a bunch of experimentation (at least in my Man Cave), I found that making a wood baffle to the tilted Atmos speaker on top of the main stereo mains works very well. A three-sided piece of 1/4" plywood stuck on the speaker on listening side of angled speaker with double-sided tape. Essentially, the key is blocking the direct sound path to the listening ear from the Atmos speaker is key. Audessey, equalizing really made it zone in on a great sound experience. Point is...every room is different and fun to to try out what is best for you.

[adrianbarac]

You're up there with the best YT commentators on these subjects... Keep it up, Ealan!

[davidcole]

I agree just upgraded to Dolby Atmos and go the Upward Firing Speakers you put on top of the Tower Speakers. It just made the Tower Speaker sound better..

[Matt-koib]

You need to increase your level output for your Atmos enabled speakers. If they are only +1 db it isn’t loud enough

[Shoggy]

Really cool calm monologue. Been considering whether to invest in some upward firing speakers, this has given me some food for thought. Thanks. And you’re right, once you begin the home theatre journey, you can’t stop…

[theBullringLive]

I would think upfiring would cause a bunch of issues interfering with the other speakers. I'd also think you would have some latency with the added distance.

[chrisward]

I'm not disputing your findings with the room and speakers you used, but I have Focal Sib Evo with built-in purpose designed Atmos upfiring speakers and they really work in my living room. Where they lose out is in accurate positioning of the sounds front to rear, but overhead effects genuinely sound like they are overhead. In-ceiling speakers aren't an option for my room, but I have previously tried speakers in various other positions. Up high on the front, but set as front height in my AVR, and they added little to height and no sense of overhead at all. I tried the test you did with all other speakers disconnected and with every movie I tried they pretty much never made a sound. Also ran with them up on the side walls and they were more active in that position, but also never really sounded overhead and it was too easy to localise the sound as coming from a specific speaker. The upfiring are easily the best experience, really filling out the soundstage and adding more height to the front than the physical front speakers did. It doesn't hurt that this is the cleanest setup also with no wires running up the walls.

[devonlewis]

I went with the 3.1.2. Atmos speakers at the side walls next to couch and it definitely works. I like that more than front heights

[BrazilianPride]

Great Video, I would just add when I first got the Klipsch 5.1.2 set up with the built in atmos speakers I did A/B testing not with the atmos modules alone but with and without them in the whole set up. While the pinpoint location possible with overhead set ups wasn't there, in my room with my set up, the upward firing speakers did add the 'environmental' immersion with reverb and sound effects that had me forgetting I was supposed to be doing a comparison and sucked me right into the scene every time.

[jwd]

For upward-firing speakers, what he didn't mention is if he actually tried every possibly setting - adjusting the proper height, cross-over, volume, etc. Some people swear by them (when configured correctly).

[junedolim]

i've been trying to decide if i wanted to move my atmos speakers from upward firing to wall mounting behind my tv... you just sold me because i've been feeling the same way about having them upward firing. thanks for the video!

[jacoblynch]

Thank you for the description of what you should expect to actually hear given the different positions. Most people don’t explain it as well thank you.

[phatchunk]

Like some of the other commenters said, did you play around with the volume setting for the upward firing speakers? In most of the autocalibration I did, the receiver boosts the volume for the atmos speakers by 3-6 dBs. Also noticed that your ceiling is not quite flat, so could be a lot of scattered reflection which reduces the sound going into your ears. But this could be just the quality of your video that made the ceiling look halfway between a flat ceiling and a popcorn ceiling.

[Tim._..]

If you can't hear the upfiring atmos speakers being reflected off a flat ceiling at that height then it is because you're suppose to configure your HT receiver so that it knows that you are using up-firing so it can set the audio levels and time delays properly. It helps if you have a decent quality receiver that has room correction software built-in and can connect a mic so that it can be done automatically. But in saying that it still isn't going to be as good as direct sound.