Are the Immersive Audio Codecs worth the cost of the upgrade?

[Matthew J Poes]

I've held off on upgrading to ATMOS or DTS:X and keep wondering if its really a good move. I have heard the systems setup in 7.2.4 and even 9.2.6, I've been to the theaters, it's all very impressive. What I don't know is when push comes to shove, after the dust has settled, will the cost and effort for me to upgrade be worth it, or will I find it to be one more gimmick that made things a little more immersive.

There is no denying that 5.1 was a major upgrade over 2.0. That the move to lossless surround codecs sounded much better than previous lossy codecs. Will I ultimately feel the same way about ATMOS? I find myself in a position of considering a better pre-processor with better sound quality or ATMOS, but having to potentially compromise some on sound quality.

 

[Todd Anderson]

If you're upgrading to in-ceiling Atmos channels... yes, absolutely it's worth the upgrade! Well done Atmos tracks are phenomenal!

 

[JBrax]

Simple answer is yes. Will the jump be the same as 2.0 to 5.1? The lines begin to blur and quite possibly the answer could be no. This is a fickle hobby and many are willing to tweak for minimal gains as long as gains are made. This hobby can at times be like building a race car and spending thousands of dollars for a tenth of a second improvement on track times. For me personally the upgrade was well worth it and I’d definitely do it all over again.

 

[Matthew J Poes]

If you're upgrading to in-ceiling Atmos channels... yes, absolutely it's worth the upgrade! Well done Atmos tracks are phenomenal!

Todd you're killin' me! I am all wired up for in ceiling ATMOS and in fact, I've heard it both ways (I've even heard virtual DTS:X now) and generally been impressed, but found in ceiling to be a major step above.

My worry is and has been that I don't want to go with a lower quality receiver just to get the features in a price point I can afford at the expense of my 2 channel sound. I much prefer an all in one product that can do it all with the utmost sound quality. There are some products like this. The better NAD, ARCAM, Emotiva XMC-1, etc. which all have very clean analogue paths, top quality dacs, etc. The problem for me is just cost (well the XMC-1 also doesn't have ATMOS yet).

 

[Todd Anderson]

Atmos is killing you!

I reviewed one of the first 7.1.4 receivers... I'll never forget the first in-home demo flick: Gravity Dimond Luxe....

wow.

WOW!!!!

Totally blew me away. I was sold immediately.

 

[Matthew J Poes]

Atmos is killing you!

I reviewed one of the first 7.1.4 receivers... I'll never forget the first in-home demo flick: Gravity Dimond Luxe....

wow.

WOW!!!!

Totally blew me away. I was sold immediately.

Maybe I just need to get ATMOS in house for a while and base my decision on that.

How did you test the atmos speakers? Did you put in the ceiling speakers or use the ceiling reflecting type?

 

[Todd Anderson]

How did I test them?

Not sure what you mean...

 

[Matthew J Poes]

How did I test them?

Not sure what you mean...

I mean when you first reviewed this receiver I assume you did not have the over-head speakers in place, right? How did you do the effect speakers overhead? Just cut into the ceiling right off the bat?

 

[Todd Anderson]

Yup, for that review I cut and placed in-ceiling speakers (top middle and top front).

 

[Matthew J Poes]

Yup, for that review I cut and placed in-ceiling speakers (top middle and top front).

Ah so you went all in before having heard it?

 

[Todd Anderson]

It was part of the arrangement for the review...

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

...My worry is and has been that I don't want to go with a lower quality receiver just to get the features in a price point I can afford at the expense of my 2 channel sound. I much prefer an all in one product that can do it all with the utmost sound quality. There are some products like this. The better NAD, ARCAM, Emotiva XMC-1, etc. which all have very clean analogue paths, top quality dacs, etc. The problem for me is just cost (well the XMC-1 also doesn't have ATMOS yet).

I whole heartedly agree compromise is not an option. If I hadn’t gotten in on Emotiva’s trade-in program on the ground floor with their UMC-200 legacy processor, I would not have been able to afford the XMC-1. I am seriously considering a similar trade-in offer for the XMC-2 to add immersive capabilities (Emotiva is offering a trade-in for the XMC-2, rather than upgrading the XMC-1). That would mesh well with my new HT/listening room being built in our new home.

Before I delved into the world of HT, I was an avid 2-channel enthusiast. One of my system upgrades involved adding a “home theater bypass” function to my stereo preamp. Before the conversion, both pairs of outputs carried the same signal. Now the preamp switches from one pair to the other when powered down. That allows an AVR’s L/R channels to be routed to the power amp(s) without needed to swap cables. The whole point of this example is to show how a higher-quality preamp can be used in conjunction with an AVR whose audio path is less than pristine. All that’s left is to find a unit which offers he bypass function—perhaps a bit too restrictive for some.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I highly recommend giving a reaaaaalllly good look at that XMC-2. Immersive sound, in my opinion, is the best home theater advancement in the last decade. It's fabulous.