Now, increasing numbers of TVs (including LG's 2017-2021 OLED models) support Atmos. Sony HT-G700 soundbar delivers Dolby Atmos on a budgetĪs for Blu-ray players, Dolby says you don't need a brand new player to support Atmos, as long as your player fully conforms to the latest specifications and can output a bitstream audio signal for your AV receiver to decode.The flagship the LG SP11RA totes a 7.1.4 speaker configuration, support for hi-res audio, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, while the petite QP5 Éclair will deliver 3.1.2 channels in a single unit that's just 30cm long. LG has also announced a slew of new soundbars featuring Dolby Atmos. Special mentions should also go to the small-but-mighty Sony HT-ZF9, powerful Samsung HW-N950 and punchy LG SK10Y. And if you want Atmos on a budget, look out for the Sony HT-G700.
So far, the Sony HT-ST5000 has seriously impressed, as have the aforementioned Sonos Arc and Sennheiser's stunning, but pricey, Ambeo Soundbar.
They tend to use upward-firing drivers to disperse sound overhead. As mentioned above, this strategy has been adopted by Elac, too, and AV Industry brands Elipson, Tangent and Eltax have all announced budget Atmos modules.ĭedicated Atmos speaker packages are still in relatively short supply though, which brings us to the option briefly covered above: Dolby Atmos soundbars. The modules aren't limited to being used with KEF speakers – they can be placed on top of any speakers you already own. KEF is one such brand, with its Q50a and R8a modules. Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker modules are available which, when placed on top of your speakers, allow your system to deliver Dolby Atmos sound from a compatible AV receiver. Requiring much less fuss is the ever-expanding range of Atmos soundbars, such as the Sonos Arc (£799/$799), which can offer a convincing Atmos presentation from a single, simple unit.Ītmos can also work with existing home cinema systems. You can also buy a wireless Atmos speaker system, thanks to Damson's S-Series (although this £650/$649 system is not quite in the same league as the packages mentioned above) and more recently Lithe Audio launched its WiSA-certified wireless Dolby Atmos ceiling speakers, though we're yet to hear them for ourselves. One of the best speaker packages is the Elac Debut 2.0 5.1 Home Theatre System, which has Dolby Atmos topper speakers available, while the affordable Jamo S 807 HCS is a fun, endearing and practical 7.1 Dolby Atmos speaker package. Pioneer was one of the first out of the blocks with a complete Atmos speaker package, the S-73A, back in 2014 – and it's since been joined by the likes of Klipsch, Focal, Jamo, Elac and others. Inside the UK’s first Dolby Cinema: 400 speakers, Dolby Atmos and a Compton organ.Each speaker in an Atmos system has its own discrete feed, enabling new front-, surround- and ceiling-mounted height channels. When a Dolby Atmos system is installed, the room receives a complete calibration, allowing sound mixers to precisely ‘place’ sounds and voices at exact points in the soundfield rather than just to specific channels. 4 configuration) or the purchase of a purpose-built Atmos speaker system. 2 configuration) or your left/right front and rear/surround speakers (two sets, for a. Instead, there are some simpler options: the addition of two or four ceiling speakers in your system installing add-on speaker modules on top of your existing main floorstanding or bookshelf front left/right speakers (one set, for a.
Up to 400 speakers can be used in the top Dolby Atmos cinemas, but in a domestic environment, it's unlikely you'll have the room (or the desire) to house such a system. Speakers have been placed along walls (at all heights) and even behind the screen itself, but the crucial point about Atmos is that you can place speakers in the ceiling, enveloping the audience in a dome of sound. It expands upon the existing 5.1 and 7.1 surround-sound set-ups with surround channels coming from overhead. Atmos is, in Dolby's own words, "the most significant development in cinema audio since surround-sound." And we'd have to agree, really (whilst also recognising that rival DTS:X – a similar object-based surround technology – is also making headway).Ītmos is a surround-sound technology that was originally developed in 2012.