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Win an Onkyo TX-NR1030 9.2 channel Dolby Atmos AV Receiver (Redux) (1 Viewer)

DanH1972

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Rachael B said:
The appeal of the Atmos enable speakers, to me, is I could move them if need be. I've had the same Paradgm speaker for over a decade. So, I gave changing speakers a thought. I'm gonna carry the receiver downstairs in a few and have a look at the manual.


If DTS X takes off, well, I can always change processing again, easily....and I'll have Atmos in my bedroom system....if I had enabled speakers in there. I'll never put speakers in the ceiling of my bedroom. Why is DTS always bringing up the rear...? ....one format after another....


It's absolutely worth the effort (especially in a dedicated room) to have true overheads. You'll not regret it. The enabled speakers also are very, very finicky about placement and only a small "window" of the listening position can get much benefit from them.


The "enabled" reproduction of immersive sound is more like listening to a DSP matrixed phantom stereo widening mode than true, discrete, pinpoint sounds coming from a particular distinct location within the room that most of the listeners can enjoy. A great example is the drop ship flyover from Mockingjay Part One. With the enabled speakers engaged, the illusion of the ship flying up and out of frame collapses compared to having real overheads. It's a similar effect to the Star Trek: ID clip from the Atmos discs at CEDIA used to demo gear that I heard too many times to count, except the shuttle was flying down out of the clouds.


DTS likes to see what Dolby is up to and then tries to exploit a potential weakness in their format or in their business model. Their licensing is a bit more easy on the pocketbook than Dolby, for instance, and theater owners and studios don't necessarily have to buy Dolby's proprietary equipment at a huge markup as other companies are free to create DTS:X capable gear and software.


I'm thinking of going with the Marantz 7702 mk II processor coming soon as it will have 7.1.4 for DTS:X as well as the newer HDMI chips. Maybe I can find a deal since I didn't win the Onkyo... grumble, grumble. :D
 

Rachael B

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I'm gonna set the 1030 up in the next few days. I've done quite a bit of reading in the simple manual that comes with it and the advanced manual that you access on-line. It's gonna be easy for me to hook up. It's my third Onkyo head unit. I had an 805 receiver and presently have an Onkyo Pro tuner/processor. I wish that the 1030 had more flexibility with the amplified channels. I'm gonna pre-out the seven, traditional channels to my amps and I can't use any of those channels. The only channel assignment offered is if you're not using Height Channel 1, you can bi-amp the Front L & R. You can't even use those channels for, say, Zone 2. I wish I could use 2 of my unused channels to power Height Channel 2. I have an extra amp sitting around but it's ashamed there's not wider range of flexibility with assigning channels. In the end, I'll only be using the pair of Height Channels 1 of all the 9 amplified channels. The box should run C-O-O-L!


I've settled on four Paradigm 65 speakers in my ceiling. I'm gonna have to save for a couple of months for the expense, which could run as high as $2000 including the install. I may be able to speed the process up if I sell a couple of used pieces of equipment I've kept around.
 

DanH1972

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Rachael B said:
I'm gonna set the 1030 up in the next few days. I've done quite a bit of reading in the simple manual that comes with it and the advanced manual that you access on-line. It's gonna be easy for me to hook up. It's my third Onkyo head unit. I had an 805 receiver and presently have an Onkyo Pro tuner/processor. I wish that the 1030 had more flexibility with the amplified channels. I'm gonna pre-out the seven, traditional channels to my amps and I can't use any of those channels. The only channel assignment offered is if you're not using Height Channel 1, you can bi-amp the Front L & R. You can't even use those channels for, say, Zone 2. I wish I could use 2 of my unused channels to power Height Channel 2. I have an extra amp sitting around but it's ashamed there's not wider range of flexibility with assigning channels. In the end, I'll only be using the pair of Height Channels 1 of all the 9 amplified channels. The box should run C-O-O-L!


I've settled on four Paradigm 65 speakers in my ceiling. I'm gonna have to save for a couple of months for the expense, which could run as high as $2000 including the install. I may be able to speed the process up if I sell a couple of used pieces of equipment I've kept around.

Rachael, if the 65's don't have a wide dispersal pattern and the tweeter and/or woofer is not adjustable, I would consider a different brand. Dolby recommends that overhead speakers with a more narrow beam of sound be aimed towards the main listening position for more accurate envelopment according to their Atmos whitepaper.


The Atlantic Tech IC-6 OBA in-ceilings, as one possible example, have received good overall reviews for cost vs. performance and they have a more dispersed sound field for overhead usage. AVS and Amazon sell them at a pretty reasonable price. FYI


http://www.amazon.com/Atlantic-Technology-IC-6OBA-S-In-Ceiling-Speaker/dp/B00TZOB27W
 

Rachael B

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Thanks for the tip Dan! Now, I'm quite serious about the Atlantic Tech speakers. They have a dealer in Alcoa that I might be able to get an installation quote from too. If I was going to buy new speakers today, I like the AT 4400 and 6200 systems. I have some time to think about it. I'm gonna have to quit buying BD's for a few months and save on other things too....and sell some stuff before I can make a move. I still have my AT 250 series speakers from '93. I have a 5.1 mini theatre in my bedroom employing them. I'll be sorry when they wear out someday! :)
 

Rachael B

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I love the Affordable Care Act! :dance: My former health insurance company that I left last January sent me a refund of $1196.16 because they had over-charged me in 2014 under the terms of the Affordable Care Act. I was dumbfounded when I opened the letter when it came this Wednesday. The way things are going, I think I should buy a Powerball ticket this week. I ordered 4 of the Atlantic Tech ceiling speakers. I have an installer picked out and I might have the job done within 3-4 weeks.


I've revised how I'm gonna amplify the system. I'm gonna use the receiver to push my Rear Back speakers and Atmos 1. This way, the amp I was using for the Rear Back is freed up to run the unamplified Atmos 2 channel and I don't have to add another amp and the receiver should run rather cool.
 

Rachael B

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I finally got my four ceiling speakers installed today. I'm atmos-spheric! :drum:


I played the U-571 BD first, It was even better than that crummy ole 7.2 I used to limp by on... ;) I started up Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation but I'm breaking for dinner. It's been quite impressive so far. I have 4 Atlantic Tech speakers in the ceiling....that brings my system up to 11.2.4 and whoa nellie! The soundfield is as immersive as it get, so it seems, so far. I'm gonna play the Atmos Gravity BD next.


I wanna thank the forum for the wonderful gift of the 1030! It was expensive to win, buy 4 speakers and the install, but now the fruit is on the tree,
 

Rachael B

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The ceiling pictures didn't come out so good but the first ceiling picture shows the front Atmos speakers. The other shows one of the rear pair over the viewing position. I'm running 4 outboard amps to power everything except the Front Atmos pair that the receiver is powering, My 1030 is gonna run cool as a cucumber!
 

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Rachael B

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Last night I watched an Atmos double feature. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation was first. It really popped more in 7.2.4 than it did when I watched it with 7.2 the first time. As impressive as Mission Impossible was, Gravity was a better Atmos demo for me. It has some loud and crazy stuff like Mission Impossible has but it quite a few quieter scenes where it's easy to notice how well placed an effect is.


I think I have at least a half-dozen more Atmos titles waiting to go....
 

Adam Gregorich

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Rachael B said:
Last night I watched an Atmos double feature. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation was first. It really popped more in 7.2.4 than it did when I watched it with 7.2 the first time. As impressive as Mission Impossible was, Gravity was a better Atmos demo for me. It has some loud and crazy stuff like Mission Impossible has but it quite a few quieter scenes where it's easy to notice how well placed an effect is.


I think I have at least a half-dozen more Atmos titles waiting to go....
Nice! I have the Atlantic Technology 8200e system, so I wanted to go with the Atlantic ceiling speakers, but they aren't sealed. Considering I spent a lot of money during construction to keep sound out of the ceiling above I went with Triad Bronze sealed inceiling. I have been playing catch-up on Atmos reviews (there is a listing here: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/atmos.html). Mission Impossible was OK. Gravity was excellent. I also really thought Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 was amazing followed by John Wick and The Expendables 3. Feel free to check out any of the other ones on that page, plus I'm working on getting others posted.
 

Rachael B

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I've already got Unbroken, American Sniper, Hunger Games Mocking Jay, and The Gunman. I picked up some discs in anticipation of getting my 4 ceiling speakers installed. I'm anxious to experiment with some older titles too. Tonight I think I'm gonna give Mocking Jay a go.
If I get new speakers, something I've been mulling over, it's most likely gonna be Atlantic Technology. I still have my little 250 series AT speakers that I got back in 1994. I have surround sound in my bedroom employing them. I still love their mini-THX sound. Well, if I get new speakers, it'll be next year or late this year. Winning the receiver has challenged my budget....after buying speakers and installation. I'm retired now and I have to watch my money more closely than I used to.
 

Adam Gregorich

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Rachael B said:
I've already got Unbroken, American Sniper, Hunger Games Mocking Jay, and The Gunman. I picked up some discs in anticipation of getting my 4 ceiling speakers installed. I'm anxious to experiment with some older titles too. Tonight I think I'm gonna give Mocking Jay a go. If I get new speakers, something I've been mulling over, it's most likely gonna be Atlantic Technology. I still have my little 250 series AT speakers that I got back in 1994. I have surround sound in my bedroom employing them. I still love their mini-THX sound. Well, if I get new speakers, it'll be next year or late this year. Winning the receiver has challenged my budget....after buying speakers and installation. I'm retired now and I have to watch my money more closely than I used to.

Unbroken was a great movie overall. I was really disappointed in the Atmos mix for Gunman. Sooo many missed opportunities! Mocking Jay was AMAZING. Not just the things you expect like aircraft, etc. The best scene was the bombing when they are in the bunker--hearing the impacts above you really adds to the experience.
 

Rachael B

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I thought that The Gunman sounded rather good for a lower budget movie. Obviously, a team of technicians didn't spend a world of time designing the sound. I watched Zero Dark Thirty. It sounded good and the folks put more work into it's audio design. I did not notice that Unbroken had Atmos when I got and played it some months ago. I'll have to pull it back out. I'm running out of Atmos encoded discs. I'm gonna play Red Tails and see what the processing does for air warfare.
 

TheBat

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I thought that The Gunman sounded rather good for a lower budget movie. Obviously, a team of technicians didn't spend a world of time designing the sound. I watched Zero Dark Thirty. It sounded good and the folks put more work into it's audio design. I did not notice that Unbroken had Atmos when I got and played it some months ago. I'll have to pull it back out. I'm running out of Atmos encoded discs. I'm gonna play Red Tails and see what the processing does for air warfare.

Try the coppola dracula movie. it was recently released with dolby atmos.

Jacob
 

Rachael B

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I think that I watched my last Atmos title last night. I got Unbroken out for a second go, this time with Atmos. The sequences in the B-24 bombers are the best Atmos I've heard so far. I'd say it's the best sound effects I've ever heard in my home cinema. I need more Atmos!
 

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