Article: Scalable Dolby Atmos Music System

[grinner]

There is a review of the Topping DM7 over on Stereophile:

 

https://www.stereophile.com/content/topping-dm7-8-channel-da-processor

[bobfa]

@grinner Thanks for the note.  One of the issues is that 8 channels is not enough. I need 12.  So I will need to create an aggregate device out of two of them.  IT sounds like Channel ID will be a bit funky.    We will see where things go.

 

 

 

[192kbps]

On 12/22/2022 at 4:17 AM, bbosler said:

quite a journey Bob, thanks for sharing. I appreciate the seemingly endless decisions that have to be made. Looking back I would have done mine a bit differently but we always end up in that space. I applaud your decision to go with a pro audio interface. Can you select consumer audio output levels instead of pro audio levels to tame the output? Most offer that option. 

 

I currently have my system based on a Trinnov processor, power amps, and passive Paradigm  speakers except for a powered Genelec for the center and powered Genelec subs. If starting over I would seriously consider powered Genelecs all around. I could get rid of 5 stereo amps and one 5 channel amp along with miles of speaker cable. The long XLRs could just plug into the speakers instead of the amps. Of course I would  have to get an AC outlet within a reasonable distance of each speaker.

 

I agree this isn't the place to debate cables so I'll just make this suggestion. If nothing else, it is a very inexpensive experiment at $1.59 a foot. It is what Benchmark recommends. I use this for my main channels and lesser cable for all the others.

 

https://www.markertek.com/product/4s11ft/canare-4s11-star-quad-14awg-4-conductor-speaker-cable-grey-per-foot

 

I also use this for all of my main interconnects

https://www.markertek.com/product/l-4e6s-rd/canare-l-4e6s-star-quad-microphone-cable-by-the-foot-red

 

in any case,,,, bravo to an excellent article and all your efforts

 

 

https://www.audio “science” review/forum/index.php?threads/when-12-gauge-wire-is-not-12-gauge.3/

"Why test 12 gauge (AWG) wire? 12 AWG speaker wire is a “safe bet” from performance point of view because anything thinner may interact with the low impedance of your speakers and cause the frequency response to vary beyond threshold of hearing (-0.5 dB). That change can “color” the sound.

Once you get to 12 AWG and in reasonable (shorter) lengths, you should be good. This conclusion however only holds if the wire you buy is actually 12 gauge wire and has the nominal resistance that is used in the computation of dB drop. For this reason, it is useful to see if the wires that one can readily buy online or from local sources in US complies with the nominal values for 12 AWG. The measurement in question is “DC resistance” where we measure the resistance of the wire when it is being fed direct current (DC). This is the most basic parameter for cables."

[bobfa]

@192kbps  Welcome to Audiophile Style!

 

Working with AudioQuest products who is helping with my project we selected from the cable they supply.  Along with electrical considerations such as current handling and resistance the mechanical considerations of wiring in the walls and ceiling are important.  There are specific requirements for in-wall cabling construction for fire codes, and electrical codes.

 

So we are not “testing” per-say we selected a product that is designed to work in the environment and with the longer cable lengths that happen.

[bbosler]

10 hours ago, 192kbps said:

The measurement in question is “DC resistance” where we measure the resistance of the wire when it is being fed direct current (DC). This is the most basic parameter for cables."

So despite Bob's point earlier that is really not the right forum to discuss cable differences, I would like to point out that there are many parameters other than DC resistance, which should be obvious since we are transmitting an AC signal, not DC. Inductance, capacitance,  dielectric absorption, and shielding all come into play along with Bob's concerns about electrical and fire codes for in wall cables.

 

It is not just about DC resistance. That said, hopefully this doesn't devolve into a cable debate. At least I am done with it.

[bobfa]

We finished the video of my Main ATMOS system.

 

What can you do with an M1 Mac mini, a MOTU 24Ao pro-audio DAC, an Emotiva XPA-11 Gen 3 amp, eleven Dynaudio speakers, one subwoofer, and two reels of Audioquest cable?

 

Build an audio-only Dolby ATMOS system that delivers immersive, three-dimensional sound—creating a realistic audio experience by adding height and depth to traditional audio systems.

 

Stream Dolby ATMOS music to a 7.1.4 surround speaker system from Apple Music using a Mac mini and configure Audio MIDI Setup for your speaker configuration.

 

Use JRiver Media Center to play lossless Dolby True HD music albums and Dolby Reference Player to decode lossless Dolby True HD audio from Blu-ray Discs MKV object-based audio files. Dolby ATMOS files also come as ADM files.

 

Use the Hang Loose Convolver app with the VST3 plugin to make frequency and time-based room corrections from sine sweep measurement and analysis to calibrate the system to enhance the playback sound quality.

 

 

 

 

[maxijazz]

@bobfa

What Blue-Ray drive do you recommend for ripping BR discs?

The same as @The Computer Audiophile: Archgon ?

[bbosler]

I have been using the Archgon for a few years. No issues, works well.

[bobfa]

7 hours ago, maxijazz said:

@bobfa

What Blue-Ray drive do you recommend for ripping BR discs?

The same as @The Computer Audiophile: Archgon ?

Yes. Works well.