Sloped ceiling speakers for Atmos (1 Viewer)

[ChucksterMania]

Thanks for the add. I’ll be receiving my new Marantz AV 8805 in a couple days. Right now I’m running a 5.1 but would like to add ceiling speakers for an Atmos setup. I have cathedral ceilings that start at 8’ and peak at 11’. Im looking for experience/advice on this setup. See attached photo.

 

[Sam Posten]

You can mount speakers to the ceiling for this install but I recommend against in ceiling speakers. Good luck Chuck! and welcome to HTF

 

[ChucksterMania]

Thanks for the reply. For clarification, are you against in-ceiling speakers because of the angles and recommending surface mounted speakers because they can be pointed at the listening position?

 

[John Dirk]

Vaulted ceilings and Atmos don't play well together but all Home Theaters must deal with some compromise. I've never tried this particular setup myself but have heard [negative] comments from plenty who have. If possible, I would try to arrange this in a sort of test bed that could be easily backed out of if necessary.

 

[Mark McSherry]

You might want to look at the SVS Prime Elevation Speakers. Their website looks at several Dolby Atmos options--- ceiling mounted or as height speakers at the sides. There are plenty of reviews out there.

 

[JohnRice]

I recommend against in ceiling speakers.

Why? There's not much of a slope to the ceiling. Only 3' total. So in-ceiling seems like a viable option as far as I can tell.

 

[ChucksterMania]

Atmos is new to me so please forgive my ignorance. My understanding is there are two options 1) mount the speakers overhead or 2) mount the speakes low and reflect the sound off the ceiling. If I’m mounting the speaker in the ceiling and can at least aim the tweeter at the listening spot, why won’t it work? I’m not looking for an argument, just understanding.

 

[JohnRice]

Vaulted ceilings come in a lot of forms. Your particular situation seems like it would be fine for in-ceiling speakers, which are much better than reflecting ones. But I’m open to explanations of why that would be a bad idea.

 

[Gary Seven]

I have vaulted ceiling as well and was also considering speaker placed there. Is it the slope that causes the problem because you can mount the speakers to compensate for the slope such that the speakers would fire straight down rather then following the slope of the ceiling. What exactly is the issue with vaulted ceilings?

 

[Sam Posten]

Maybe it'll work just fine. You've got a lot more flexibility with mounted than in ceiling tho. Only some of the in ceilings allow tweeter directionality and none allow woofer aiming that I know of.

But others are right. A non optimal in ceiling is better than a bounce could ever hope to be.

 

[Gary Seven]

I see my confusion. Yes I would mount them ON the ceiling, not place them IN the ceiling. I agree, IN-ceiling on sloped would probably cause improper imaging issues.

 

[JohnRice]

It seems obvious nobody actually looked at the room diagram in the first post...

 

[ChucksterMania]

It seems obvious nobody actually looked at the room diagram in the first post.

I’m sorry, but I’m still confused. If speakers are mounted on the ceiling, which way should the speakers be pointed? Straight down, towards the listener?

 

[ChucksterMania]

I was doing some research on aiming the ceiling speakers and found this.

http://www.acousticfrontiers.com/dolby-atmos-dispersion-requirements-for-ceiling-speakers/

In one of the replies, he comments on how a sloped ceiling helps with the front ceiling speakers. It the ceiling were flat, the speakers would have to be pointed towards the MLP.

 

[John Dirk]

It seems obvious nobody actually looked at the room diagram in the first post...

I did and came to the same conclusion as you based on my initial viewing. I try to "stay in my lane" and not represent myself as THE expert when better experts such as yourself are potentially available. This diagram depicts the Atmos fronts being mounted significantly closer to the ceilings peak than the rears. I would call that a non-starter but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Sam Posten]

Atmos should never be aimed at a specific position. The only reason we are having this conversation is because of the room setup. Even if your speakers are mounted on a slope your goal should be to aim them straight down not at a specific seat

 

[JohnRice]

Sam's right. The topic of "aiming" speakers tends to go overboard. Ideally with speakers, the wider the dispersion, the better, especially with surround systems. The idea with Atmos speakers is where the sound comes from.

 

[JohnRice]

I’ll be receiving my new Marantz AV 8805 in a couple days.

Something occurred to me. The AV8805 is a pretty exotic piece of equipment, and it's a surround preamp, not a receiver. I hope you realize it's not self-contained. You need external power amps to make it work.

 

[ChucksterMania]

Something occurred to me. The AV8805 is a pretty exotic piece of equipment, and it's a surround preamp, not a receiver. I hope you realize it's not self-contained. You need external power amps to make it work.

I’ve been running a 5.1 system for over 5 years using a Onkyo preamp, a Classe CA-2200 & a Classe CA-3200. So I’m shopping for amps if I do add the Atmo speakers. I have an older Aragon 8008BB, but may use it to bi-amp my fronts. I’m replacing the Onkyo because of a failed HDMI output and noisy channels.

 

[ChucksterMania]

Atmos should never be aimed at a specific position. The only reason we are having this conversation is because of the room setup. Even if your speakers are mounted on a slope your goal should be to aim them straight down not at a specific seat

In the link below they talk about
Dispersion requirements: straight vs. aimed

http://www.acousticfrontiers.com/dolby-atmos-dispersion-requirements-for-ceiling-speakers/

Did I misunderstand something about aiming speakers?