Dolby Atmos: Determined At All Costs (1 Viewer)

[John Dirk]

Both the 7140 and the 5000 seem like real bargains. Prices for this stuff have gone up pretty rapidly. I got most of my Emotiva gear long enough ago that those price hikes hadn't hit yet. I think my XPA-5 was $640. Since most of my speakers are 4 ohm, that's five channels of 300 WPC, all channels driven. Then 500 wpc with an XPA-2 in the front, and that was even less, I think. Admittedly, 300 wpc for surround speakers is gross overkill, but I have it, so there it is.

How ya been, @John Dirk ?

I'm doing great and hope you are as well. Agree on the prices. According to Outlaw it is due to an industry-wide component shortage that hit sometime in 2017, although they didn't identify a specific cause. I love the Outlaw concept and the performance of my 7140. I would like to replace my Harman Kardon two-channel [x 100] with something a little more capable but, unfortunately, Outlaw doesn't currently offer a two-channel amp.

 

[Dave Upton]

I'm doing great and hope you are as well. Agree on the prices. According to Outlaw it is due to an industry-wide component shortage that hit sometime in 2017, although they didn't identify a specific cause. I love the Outlaw concept and the performance of my 7140. I would like to replace my Harman Kardon two-channel [x 100] with something a little more capable but, unfortunately, Outlaw doesn't currently offer a two-channel amp.

I'll put in a plug for D-Sonic - nothing else I've had in the system (and that's a lot of brands) comes close

 

[Sam Posten]

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/21/net...re-working-with-dolby-to-improve-content.html

 

[Rachael B]

I've had a change of opinion about up-firing Atmos speakers. I'm getting much better results since I switched processors. I was using an Onkyo 1030 receiver for processing. I became disgruntled with it for a variety of reasons. It's video processing/pass-through was dragging down the quality of my Oppo Blu-ray player. The 12 volt trigger ports didn't work correctly, well, at all. It's amps were going to waste in my system. I picked up a Marantz AV7704 pre-pro when they were on sale at Outlaw this fall. Everything has changed!

I'm getting way better overhead sounds with the Marantz. I don't think it's quite as good as ceiling speakers but it's way closer than when the Onkyo was running the show. I broke an input connector on my Emotiva 3 x 200 watts amp when I first installed the Marantz. I used a 2-channel amp in it's stead for about a month whilst the Emotiva was getting doctored. It sounded very good and I could tell I was getting way more volume in the Atmos channels but with no center channel it was lacking some o-o-omph.

All the previous head units that I've set-up have used a single microphone position for Audyssey measurements. The Marantz used 8 positions to gather data. Maybe that's part of why it sounds so much better than the Onkyo 1030 did...? Last night my brother and I watched Independence Day in DTS-X and Bladerunner 2049 in Atmos. We both were surprised how well both sounded. Effects were flying over our heads. The 7704 makes the 1030 look pale as a processor. The 1030 seemed to have worked better with ceiling speakers when it was in my big system than it did with up-firing speakers in the living room. The little Roksan, 70 x 2 amp runs the Atlantic Technology Atmos speakers rather handily. The Marantz 7704 has sure brought a smile to my face! My little living room system didn't seem so little last night. It's a good thing I went small on the sub for the system. The sound was outstanding without vibrating the dishes in the nearby kitchen....

 

[Rachael B]

I won't try editing out the extra pictures again....I just ended up with more.....

 

[TonyD]

I won't try editing out the extra pictures again....I just ended up with more.....

You’re not the only one who gets extra pics when you try to edit or add more.

 

[TelevueNP101]

My dedicated theater room is only 1170 cubic feet and my system is currently 5.1.4, I think because of the small room I get away with just using an A/V receiver and not using separate amps which I personally think would be overkill for my Theater.

 

[Dave Moritz]

7.1.4 Dolby Atmos/DTS-X/Auro 3D

 

[Steven Simon]

I currently run a Denon Receiver as a pre-amp and have a Parasound 5 channel Amp powering my Martin Logan Speakers. Honestly they sound great.....

As far as going truly separates and getting a dedicated pre-amp, I can tell you years ago I had these configurations. I started with a Denon 4800 receiver. Then added a dedicated amps. Loved the sound. After that I went full blown separates with a Lexicon MC1 and Outlaw Audio 5 Channel 200w amp. Speakers were Paradigm Reference Studio 100’s ect...

Sound quality with the Lexicon and amp was outrageous. Blew away a receiver, and was substantially better to my ears then receiver and amp combo.

I would hear subtle sounds from the Lexicon that I never heard before. The one example that always stuck with me was the Star Wars opening crawl orchestra music. In a nut shell the musicality and spaciousness of the audio couldn’t be heard from any particular speaker. It was a giant sound stage filled with detailed sound that was coming at you like John William’s Orchestra was playing right in your living room....

Ron, did you ever upgrade to pre-amp?