Article: Installing My 7.1.4 Immersive Audio System

[The Computer Audiophile]

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[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, bobflood said:

How many 20 Amp feeds do you need up there to run this? It looks amazing and I am certain that it will sound that way as well. Be ready for some demo requests from all the major suppliers. Looking forward to the future articles. CONGRATS!

 

 

I have my own separate 60 amp sub panel :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

I am never not impressed with the quality of your work, and the end results Chris. I'll hire you to work on my new listening area...  ;-)

Thanks for the kinds words Doc. You'll have to come over once the fine tuning is complete. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, Jud said:

Love that endoscope.  What a good idea!

The app can even record video, which I wish I would’ve done just to document everything. Oh well :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, firedog said:

Just to pile on with the praise:

A) It must sound incredible - I'd love to hear it;

B) It's great to have the space and the ability to do this;

C) If I had the space, I would pay lots of money for someone to do a professional install. No way  I could do it. And even with the ability, it's a huge project that you took on, researched and executed.

Impressive.

Thanks so much @firedog.  Many good things to come :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, cjf said:

Mmmm, A Transparent DB25 to 8ch XLR Analog Snake. A tasty Unicorn right there

 

 

 

Two of them :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, austinpop said:

Chris, 

 

You realize that with a retractable screen and a projector and you also have a killer home theater!

Oh yes. I’m just not into video at all.

[The Computer Audiophile]

5 hours ago, bbosler said:

Question about placement of the height speakers....

 

from these pictures, and I know it may not tell the whole story, it looks like your seat is way off axis from the heights. It appears the  sides of the heights are facing your seat and they are firing pretty much straight down into the floor 

 

I would think if you can barely see the face of the speaker from the seat you are not going to get very smooth response from it..

 

Shouldn't the face of the speaker be pointing more  toward your chair??

 

 

 

Good eye Bruce :~)

 

Technically, the height channels can fire downward like rain showers or be aimed at the listening position. Aiming them at the listening position is preferred though. 
 

1. DSP will smooth the response. 
2. The speakers on my ceiling are currently firing downward, but this is only the beginning. I plan to angle them at the listening position, take measurements, do some listening, and determine which position works best sonically. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

One more item to note @bbosler, the images are a little skewed. They make it look like I see the side of the speaker from my listening position. Here are two shots I just took from my chair. These may give a better representation of the speaker angle. 

 

I'm definitely not listening from the side of the speaker, but they could be angled a bit more. The mounts are really nice for turning the speaker in whatever direction is needed. 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, bbosler said:

 

yes, that looks a lot better. I'm thinking DSP can only do so much and less is better. DSP is going to try and flatten the response so if you are too far off axis it could end up applying an unreasonable amount of boost to the tweeter. With Trinnov you can apply what they call excursion curves that limit the amount of cut/boost that it will apply

 

I will be interested to see where your speakers end up

 

I’m always in the camp of less is more. I have an article coming soon, where I’ll detail all the fine tuning. I measured the room first, then made physical/electronic changes, measured again, then had the DSP created. I’m still working with Mitch to create the best sounding convolution filter. Based on the one I’m listening to right now, we may have found it. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, Brian A said:

I obviously don't know much about this stuff.  How much 7.1.4 source material is available?  Are musicians recording in that format or is it for other forms of audio than "plain" music?

 

I read with great interest last year's articles by bluesman about realism vs accuracy and came to respect what recording technicians have to deal with and the soundstage they have to construct.

There are tons of Atmos releases available. Studios are backed up for many months with a long list of A List titles to remix for Atmos. New releases and old releases are in Atmos. Popular titles and more obscure titles are in Atmos. 
 

Atmos is different from the multichannel efforts of the past. The mainstream is pushing it this time. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

6 minutes ago, bobflood said:

Chris, Is the demand being driven by Apple for the Apple Music platform? I can't remember where I read that Apple primarily sees Atmos as being for headset use which in their case would be their high end earbuds. The article said that they plan to use the scanners in later iPhones to take a measurement of the user's head and ear canal so as to be able to precisely tailor the timing and phase to that user. The one problem I see with discrete components in space is the sweet spot problem which we all know well from our two channel systems. Have you tested if the spatial effect holds as you move away from your listening chair? Sorry to rattle on but there are so many unknowns in this. 

 

Thanks, Bob

 

Apple is certainly one driver of Atmos. Having a new format that was never released under the ownership / physical goods model could be another. 
 

Artists now having tools to create art without the strict boundaries of two channels is one driver for some musicians. A 3D space in which sound can be placed anywhere is really freeing. 
 

I think VR is a big driver as well. Apple’s head tracking is only the beginning. 
 

No matter the drivers of immersive audio, one benefit is an awesome listening experience for music lovers. 
 

I was listening to a classical concert last night in Atmos, and was totally blown away before the music even started. As soon as I pressed play, I was put right in the middle of a concert hall because of all the spatial cues and sounds coming from all the speakers. There was a sense of air and space, that I was in the middle of. This just isn’t possible with two channels. And, this was before any music was playing!

[The Computer Audiophile]

17 minutes ago, bbosler said:

 

Don't be a tease 🙄

 

could you please be a bit more specific than "a classical concert" ??

 

Besides sharing ideas about hardware, one of the main benefits of a forum like this is discovering new music. The main reason I subscribe to the major audio rags is the value I find in the descriptions of music being used in their equipment reviews.

 

 

I’m working on more articles about this and prefer not to release everything in comments to other articles. 🙂

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 hours ago, austinpop said:

Chris,

 

Please take a look at https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/immersive

 

It would be good to know how this sounds.

Funny you mention this. I'm putting the finishing touches on an article for publication tomorrow, in which I also mention this!

 

I can use the Digital Concert Hall app on my Mac Mini (M1) to play the immersive content to my system :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, PeterG said:

Wow--this is just so amazing in it's (your) ambition and scale.  I'm very excited for your review of the sonics after the system is optimized.

 

I understand how the Loke would be an awesome addition for a pair of TuneTots or Sabrinas.  But how can a relatively modest subwoofer pull its weight when paired with 2 Alexias and 10 Alidas?  Aren't we at the equivalent of 15-20 TuneTots here?  Are you concerned that the subwoofer impact will not be sufficient?

Wait till you see the measurements. I think your concerns will be alleviated :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

Also, LFE is the least used channel for Atmos music. This is because the LFE channel is sometimes gone on systems. Mixing engineers are told to not put anything in the LFE that they aren’t afraid to lose. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Here's some good information on LFE for Atmos music. 

 

Not to be too remedial, but LFE is low frequency effects not necessarily the bass that's below what the main channels can play. It's a distinct channel for effects. 

 

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, bbosler said:

since your main speakers can play as low as your sub

 

Or so it seems :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

LFE us usually +10 dB as well. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, bbosler said:

 

unless Wilson is lying they can actually go lower. What Wilson doesn't say is how loud they can get (maximum sound pressure level ) ... I suspect the sub will outdo them there.

 

 

which goes right back to the point about how loud they can play.. I suspect the sub has more headroom down there, but since Wilson doesn't publish SPL I'm guessing... so I'll drop it, I don't want to get this hung up on subwoofer discussions

 

I’d say it’s a matter of very conservative rating. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

50 minutes ago, PeterG said:

Actually, from your message, I think you agree with me on the Loke, and Chris is maintaining that we are both incorrect...

 

I take Chris's response to be that his measurements will show that the Loke has a meaningful impact on the sound beyond what the Alexias can deliver, and his 7.1.4 is significantly better than his 7.0.4 would be.

 

On the question you raise about "need"--we are orders of magnitude beyond "need" here, we are looking at transcendent.  I did not mean to suggest that 7.0.4 would be an appropriate choice.  I'm just surprised that the Loke is enough in this context.

 

I look forward to more!

 

Hi Peter, I love your enthusiasm! Yes, please wait for all the details. I hate to trickle out the information, but it takes time to write everything the way I want. 

 

Thanks for your patience. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I went to see the new Top Gun movie last night. I specifically selected an Atmos capable theater. Not sure if it was the movie or what, but I'm happy with my decision to only have audio in my room 😁

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, bobfa said:

Chris,

 

Did your seating position change in the room when you setup ATMOS?

 

bob

No. Atmos is based on the seating position.