Consumer Technology New Home Theatre Setup Complete

[nacthenud]

On Tuesday December 5^th, at 12:37am after 18 hours of labour over 3 days, my new home theatre was born.  It is healthy and quite lively and weighed in at 239.8lbs.  At the heart of this new sound system is an Onkyo TX-NR787 Receiver powering the Atmos and DTS-X capable 5.1.4 setup.  Centre Channel is a Polk S35, with twin Polk S60 tower speakers for the Left and Right Channels.  Surrounds are handled by Polk S20 Bookshelf speakers and Subwoofer is a beefy Polk HTS 12.  Since they all fall within the same “Signature” line, they are nicely timber matched.  For the height channels, I repurposed the satellite speakers from the old Sony HT-DDW795 system that was my previous home theatre for the last decade and wall and ceiling mounted them angled towards the central seating positions.  The home theatre system is a nice compliment to the 65” LG B7 OLED 4K HDR TV, so that the benefits of 4K UHD Blu-rays can be fully realized in both video AND audio. The other children are excited to enjoy the new 3D positional soundscape, and we hope they will have many happy memories together over the coming years!

 

I thought I would share some photos of the man cave, because everyone loves to share photos of their newborns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind the couch has a good chunk of the movie and game collection, though far from all.  95% of my games are digital downloads these days though.

 

 

 

The movies are generally ordered alphabetically within genre - unless they are part of a series, in which case they are grouped chronologically with the series together, such as the MCU movies or Disney animated movies or X-Men movies.

 

 

 

 

If anyone has some suggestions for great Atmos or DTS-X movies to put the system through its paces, let me know in this thread!  Thanks

 

[silentbob]

My top choice for Atmos would be Blade Runner 2049 and Deepwater Horizon. When that platform in the gulf goes to hell, it makes sure it makes you feel uneasy. Plus Blade Runner is just loud and immersive. Only done a few scenes but the new 4K release of The Matrix Series is amazing in Atmos, and so is Ready Player One. The race for the key and final big battle sound amazing with cars, debris and weapons going off everywhere

[Dodger]

Congratulations on the new addition to the family. I dream of the day I ditch my sound bar and get a real home theater. 

[nacthenud]

10 minutes ago, silentbob said:

My top choice for Atmos would be Blade Runner 2049 and Deepwater Horizon. When that platform in the gulf goes to hell, it makes sure it makes you feel uneasy. Plus Blade Runner is just loud and immersive. Only done a few scenes but the new 4K release of The Matrix Series is amazing in Atmos, and so is Ready Player One. The race for the key and final big battle sound amazing with cars, debris and weapons going off everywhere

 

Thanks very much.  I own every one of those, so I'll have to give them a rewatch soon!

[Spork3245]

How are you liking those polks I recommended? 

[nacthenud]

4 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

How are you liking those polks I recommended? 

 

So far, they're pretty awesome, though I've only got to spend a tiny bit of time with them so far.

[nacthenud]

Watched Deepwater Horizon last night.  Wow, it was totally a demo disc for Atmos.  Very impressive.  Then I went back and forth on scenes from the Matrix UHD vs the old Blu Ray release.  The Atmos mix is definitively, hands down superior in every way.  So good.  Really came out of last night feeling like the hours of research and hours of setup and large pile of money was worth it, so yay for that.

[Emblazon]

Curious--I thought the speakers had to have additional up-firing speakers on them to be Atmos compatible?

[nacthenud]

1 hour ago, Emblazon said:

Curious--I thought the speakers had to have additional up-firing speakers on them to be Atmos compatible?

 

No, "Atmos enabled" speakers refers to speakers that are designed for bouncing sound off the ceiling, in lieu of having actual overhead speakers, but they are only one way of getting Dolby Atmos height channels - just one of the possible ways.  Ideally, you would have speakers installed directly overhead.  In listening to the creators of the tech talk about it, they came up with the bouncing off the ceiling idea because they realized that the majority of consumers would not be in a position to install ceiling speakers.  I'm using the alternative of speakers mounted high and pointed down towards the listening area, which is another way of doing it.  Not ideal, but the best option in my room, where I cannot install in the ceiling and the ceiling is uneven, making bouncing sound problematic.  The Dolby Atmos protocols can actually accept up to 10 height channel speakers.  The idea is that the AVR uses the placement of the speakers wherever they may be and attempts to use them to create 3D object-based sound with whatever speakers you have, placed wherever they''re placed.  Some setups will allow this to be more effective than others, but it's flexible and works with what you have.  Examples below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last one is using "Atmos Enabled" speakers, but all above options are examples of setups for Atmos.

[Emblazon]

Good to know. I never knew. I already have the receiver... I'll be looking to upgrade my speakers once we move into our new place.

 

Thanks! 

[SuperSpreader]

[TwinIon]

A new suggestion that might fly under the radar, but Roma on Netflix has an amazing sound mix and looks gorgeous in HDR. It's not an action packed demo, but it's still one of the most technically impressive films I've seen at home this year.

[nacthenud]

7 hours ago, TwinIon said:

A new suggestion that might fly under the radar, but Roma on Netflix has an amazing sound mix and looks gorgeous in HDR. It's not an action packed demo, but it's still one of the most technically impressive films I've seen at home this year.

 

Good tip!  I haven't upgraded Netflix to 4K/HDR/Dolby Vision/Atmos version yet, because my kids and wife already use up too much of my internet bandwidth with the standard HD Netflix and only 2 simultaneous users!

 

[nacthenud]

After a bit of time with the new setup, I have to say, it was well worth the investment.  Watching movies has been enhanced even further and I look forward to every new and old disc I pop in.

 

Dolby Atmos tracks are fantastic.  I have to question what the heck is driving some decision making with certain discs (WB releases, I've for sure noticed a trend on) where they do not have the Atmos audio track as the default and instead put a lower quality audio track as the default causing you to have to go to the disc menu for audio and select the higher quality version.  Why they heck are they knee-capping themselves for anyone who doesn't obsessively check the audio signal information on their receiver after starting movies??

 

Old movies have new life.  Even old DVD copies of movies like the Polar Express suddenly sound new and fresh from what I had before.  I'm very happy with the upgrade.

[Emblazon]

Why do you have Polar Express on DVD? @nacthenud

[nacthenud]

15 minutes ago, Emblazon said:

Why do you have Polar Express on DVD? @nacthenud

 

Um... that's a weird question...

 

Because my one son really loved that movie, so I bought it for him when DVD was the pinnacle of home video technology and I never upgraded it to Blu-ray and it hasn't come out on UHD yet.

[Emblazon]

1 hour ago, nacthenud said:

 

Um... that's a weird question...

 

Because my one son really loved that movie, so I bought it for him when DVD was the pinnacle of home video technology and I never upgraded it to Blu-ray and it hasn't come out on UHD yet.

 

Meaning I can't imagine watching that movie in anything less than HD. 

 

Before 3D BD started coming out I bought it on BD in 3D, which came with those crappy paper glasses. 

[Bloodporne]

I'm jealous. That looks killer, good for you!

 

I just bought my first soundbar setup actually because I had always lived in apartments prior and never had the option to 'go big'. It's blowing my mind. 

[Emblazon]

I'm very much thinking about going against my own advice and getting this for my next setup:

 

Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2Ch DTS:X 1000W 45-Inch Sound Bar System with Dual 10" Subwoofers (Wireless) & Four 2-Way Rear Surround Speakers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBYXRNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_k8YACbXHSC8DE

 

 

9.2.4 set-up. I had to start rethinking how I was going to set everything up because, if we get the place we want, the living room will have a 20' flat ceiling, with the couch/TV in the middle of a room that has hardwood floors. So unless we had them build speaker ports into the walls, there's no way to run hidden speaker wire to the rear speakers. 

 

The above system almost sounds too good to be true, but the reviews seem stellar. 

[nacthenud]

On 2/18/2019 at 2:28 PM, Emblazon said:

I'm very much thinking about going against my own advice and getting this for my next setup:

 

Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2Ch DTS:X 1000W 45-Inch Sound Bar System with Dual 10" Subwoofers (Wireless) & Four 2-Way Rear Surround Speakers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBYXRNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_k8YACbXHSC8DE

 

 

9.2.4 set-up. I had to start rethinking how I was going to set everything up because, if we get the place we want, the living room will have a 20' flat ceiling, with the couch/TV in the middle of a room that has hardwood floors. So unless we had them build speaker ports into the walls, there's no way to run hidden speaker wire to the rear speakers. 

 

The above system almost sounds too good to be true, but the reviews seem stellar. 

 

Did you make any decisions on this?

[Emblazon]

4 hours ago, nacthenud said:

 

Did you make any decisions on this?

I have, but no purchases yet. I'm going to spend a bit more and get the Samsung 7.1.4 system because we'll be getting the Q70 82" TV. I think I much prefer device compatibility than a slight difference in sound. 

[Emblazon]

@nacthenud

 

Well, everything changed again. Lol. A couple weeks ago, I picked up the BenQ HT3550 4K projector. It's been amazing. HDR10, HLG, and for Dolby Vision tracks, it kicks into HDR mode. 

 

And yesterday I bit the bullet on the sound, and my new system should be arriving tomorrow--the Nakamichi Shockwafe 7.2.4 Elite. The 2019 model just came out, and I jumped on it. 45" soundbar, two 8" downward firing subs, and two elevation surround speakers. I decided against the 9.2.4 set up, because it's a normal sized living room and I didn't want speakers everywhere. Really looking forward to setting it all up tomorrow. 

[silentbob]

From one projector owners to another, congrats on the projector purchase. After you have one, it’s hard to watch anything on anything but your new beauty. I believe yours still does 3D and highly suggest giving that a go. I recommend Hi-Shock 3D glasses, because of price and light weight feel. Also what size screen are you going with for your projector? Also to help increase the picture quality even more (I know, shocker) Get yourself some Triple Black Velvet to line the side and ceiling by your screen. Absorbs that reflective screen light like a sponge and increase your perceived contrast. This is my JVC 950R 4K e-shift with and without the TBV

 

 

 

[brandino]

Is the projector that much better than the oled screen, or is it more of a screen size thing? I'm  wanting to do something similar after we buy our house.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, brandino said:

Is the projector that much better than the oled screen, or is it more of a screen size thing? I'm  wanting to do something similar after we buy our house.

It’s a size thing. None of the projectors match overall image quality of the OLED panels.

[Emblazon]

1 hour ago, brandino said:

Is the projector that much better than the oled screen, or is it more of a screen size thing? I'm  wanting to do something similar after we buy our house.

 

1 hour ago, sblfilms said:

It’s a size thing. None of the projectors match overall image quality of the OLED panels.

 

More or less. But my screen is 122", and I'll take that, over the image of an OLED (which still has it's uniformity issues, even at higher level models) on a smaller screen any day of the week. 

 

The TV I was looking at was an 82" Samsung at $4500, vs my projector at $1500. It was a no brainier. 

 

@silentbob's projector, on the other hand, costs a bit more than mine. 

[SoberChef]

I just love all that space dedicated to physical media! Good on you sir!

[Emblazon]

Holy fuck me the John Wick 2 Atmos track. Absolutely incredible. 

[Spork3245]

I keep debating if I should disconnect my two rear speakers and get two upfiring Atmos speakers for a 5.1.2 set-up until I switch to an hdmi 2.1 receiver (which will have 9.2 channels so I can do 7.1.2) or just wait.

[silentbob]

12 hours ago, Emblazon said:

Holy fuck me the John Wick 2 Atmos track. Absolutely incredible. 

You should try the new Atmos tracks on The Matrix Trilogy. They sound great in TrueHD but the new Atmos track kicks all sorts of ass. Especially the attack on Zion and end fight with Agent Smith

[Emblazon]

49 minutes ago, silentbob said:

You should try the new Atmos tracks on The Matrix Trilogy. They sound great in TrueHD but the new Atmos track kicks all sorts of ass. Especially the attack on Zion and end fight with Agent Smith

It's funny you should mention that, as I've been re-watching those recently and am on Revolutions (I have the iTunes 4K with Atmos versions). 

[nacthenud]

4 hours ago, silentbob said:

You should try the new Atmos tracks on The Matrix Trilogy. They sound great in TrueHD but the new Atmos track kicks all sorts of ass. Especially the attack on Zion and end fight with Agent Smith

 

I have pulled out the opening 5 minutes of Matrix Reloaded to demo the Atmos track a few times.

 

Deepwater Horizon is an amazing Atmos demo too.  When the crap hits the fan, it's really impressive.

[nacthenud]

The most annoying thing with the Matrix movies on 4K UHD is a problem that seems prevalent with Warner Bros. releases.  The disc defaults to a DTS 5.1 mix and you have to go into the audio options to select the Atmos mix.  I hate that they do this.  An Atmos mix will automatically downscale itself to a 5.1 mix if you only have a 5.1 system connected, anyway.

[johnny]

If i ever get a house of my own I want a projector and home theatre sound system 

[nacthenud]

I upgraded my blu-ray player this weekend from a Panasonic UB900 to a Panasonic UB820.  While the UB900 is a fantastic machine, it came out before Dolby Vision was a thing.  The UB820 performs just as well with HDR10 content, but is also compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG.  My TV does not do HDR10+, but that content is pretty limited at this point anyway, while Dolby Vision is on a ton of disks I already own.