11.2 or 11.1 owners club

[BowserWilkens]

Hello again, :wave:

As you have probably already gathered, I run an 11.2 home cinema set-up. (see sig.) It's rather seldom that I hear from fellow 11.2 owners so I thought I'd try on here....

This thread should be for those who own or have owned such a set-up. I guess those who have professionally dealt in setting up such systems are welcome too. Please don't bleat in with "5.1 is all you need...." comments :shhh: . I would like this to be exclusively for those with tips on, observations on and real interest in 11.2..

So...... who is rocking an 11.2 set-up? Audyssey or Neo-X? Speaker alignment? Best combination of speakers? Best equipment? I hope you get the idea.........

Let me know.....

 

[duaplex]

My room is currently being configured to take a 16.4 setup. This is in anticipation of Dolby Atmos, but yes I could run 11.2 so sign me up to the club!!

 

[theflyingwasp]

With the exception of the expendables 2 what is the benifet of more than 7.1? I only ask as I am teasing going for 9.1 later in the year but with the majority of Blu ray at 5.1 or 7.1 I am going to have 2 redundant channels never mind 11.1 or more.

will 4k Blu rays be mastered in 7.1 and above?

 

[duaplex]

None if I am enitely honest or certainly no noticible difference in a standard listening room of around 5mx5m If you have a big room where there are rows of seats, height channels come into play and fill the room.

I'm gearing myself for Atmos where the Voice of God speaker comes into play and the next evolution of sound emerges. Dolby will use, as they say, object positioning, so when a helicopter flies above you, you will feel for the first time that it goes over your head.

Just when that becomes mainstream is aother question entirely, but I am prepared if it comes about. For now I will be listening in 7.2.

 

[theflyingwasp]

Yeah the whole Dolby Atmos thing is excellent but with many left right centre and ceiling channels it's only going to be for dedicated cinema rooms like yours.

so just say you sit down to watch film on DVD in your new room in 16.4 how is the rest of the sound processed in your speakers from the 5.1 DVD? Or say the avengers in 7.1 on Blu ray?

i can't remember if it what hifi or home cinema but they had a hell of a job getting the expendables 2 to output 11.1 and they are the experts.

 

[duaplex]

Yeah the whole Dolby Atmos thing is excellent but with many left right centre and ceiling channels it's only going to be for dedicated cinema rooms like yours.

so just say you sit down to watch film on DVD in your new room in 16.4 how is the rest of the sound processed in your speakers from the 5.1 DVD? Or say the avengers in 7.1 on Blu ray?

i can't remember if it what hifi or home cinema but they had a hell of a job getting the expendables 2 to output 11.1 and they are the experts.

At the moment we do not have content beyond 5.1, 7.1 etc. But in time studios will mix for Dolby Atmos and you can see some films in this format already. If you are using a 11.1 system with the films of today then the heights will take the effects from the sound track that help fill the room.

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/content/movie/release/dolby-atmos-movies.html

As for the current 11.1 systems etc, the height channels are only provding effects, so unless you have an auditorium you will be perfectly fine with traditional 5.1 or 7.1 setups. There simply is no real need for height if you have some capable front speakers. In a properly configured room you can can experience some pretty good results with 5 speakers and not complain about holes in the sound.

Now interestingly enough, if you do not have a big enough room, you can sometimes muddle the sound come from the fronts. Where you have peakers directly above the front channels, these can interfere with the performace of the main channles below it. Reflections are a real issue in a system like this, so treatment is essential. The last point is why many believe the idea is ludicrous, but let's see what happens ...

 

[duaplex]

*Double post

 

[BenLaw]

What are the positions of the 16 speakers please? What is the size of the room?

 

[BowserWilkens]

Hello again,

This really isn't a thread in which to discuss Dolby Atmos... if you want to, please start another thread.

Additionally, I'm not interested in hearing from naysayers, there are enough threads on here like that anyhow.

Let's hear from some fellow 11.2 users... there must be some of you out there....... :cheer:

 

[duaplex]

Hello again,

This really isn't a thread in which to discuss Dolby Atmos... if you want to, please start another thread.

Additionally, I'm not interested in hearing from naysayers, there are enough threads on here like that anyhow.

Let's hear from some fellow 11.2 users... there must be some of you out there....... :cheer:

As you wish

 

[bigboss]

Hello again,

This really isn't a thread in which to discuss Dolby Atmos... if you want to, please start another thread.

Additionally, I'm not interested in hearing from naysayers, there are enough threads on here like that anyhow.

Let's hear from some fellow 11.2 users... there must be some of you out there....... :cheer:

I doubt it will be a long thread then. I vaguely recall just one forum member other than yourself with a 11.2 setup on here.

 

[theflyingwasp]

If hdmi 2.0 can carry up to 32 channels of audio maybe 4k Blu ray will be something quite special for those with space for 11 speakers and up.money aside tho I don't think it will be an option for many people.

 

[MajorFubar]

11.2? You must have a massive house and an amazingly agreeable wife. Or perhaps just the former and no wife at all lol.

 

[bigboss]

If hdmi 2.0 can carry up to 32 channels of audio maybe 4k Blu ray will be something quite special for those with space for 11 speakers and up.money aside tho I don't think it will be an option for many people.

Not only HDMI 2.0; you need films with 11.1 audio to utilise those channels. Otherwise, 5.1 or 7.1 gets processed to make 11.1 by the AV receiver even with existing cables.

 

[BowserWilkens]

Hi once more, my marital status and the size of my abode are not up for debate, & Big Boss, was it really necessary to say that this isn't going to be a long thread? :roll:

My goodness, can't we just wait to see whether there are some other 11.2 users out there?

This forum seems to be full of people who want to chime in & change the subject to whatever else (cables, active speakers ad nauseam) or those who seem to want to rubbish anything they wouldn't do themselves. I know there are some helpful users on here.... but they are so often drowned out by the aforementioned. :wall:

I'll give it one more try....

 

[theflyingwasp]

Ant & Dec have just won best entertainment programme at the baftas.

 

[theflyingwasp]

Only joking bowserwilkins point taken.

 

[bigboss]

Hi once more, my marital status and the size of my abode are not up for debate, & Big Boss, was it really necessary to say that this isn't going to be a long thread? :roll:

My goodness, can't we just wait to see whether there are some other 11.2 users out there?

This forum seems to be full of people who want to chime in & change the subject to whatever else (cables, active speakers ad nauseam) or those who seem to want to rubbish anything they wouldn't do themselves. I know there are some helpful users on here.... but they are so often drowned out by the aforementioned. :wall:

I'll give it one more try....

Actually, if you think about it, every response bumps the thread up, increasing your chances of finding someone with a similar setup as yours. So we're actually doing you a favour.

Once you find someone, by all means, start another thread!

That's besides the point that being a public forum, unfortunately you cannot stop anyone from responding. :roll:

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Hi once more, my marital status and the size of my abode are not up for debate, & Big Boss, was it really necessary to say that this isn't going to be a long thread? :roll:

My goodness, can't we just wait to see whether there are some other 11.2 users out there?

This forum seems to be full of people who want to chime in & change the subject to whatever else (cables, active speakers ad nauseam) or those who seem to want to rubbish anything they wouldn't do themselves. I know there are some helpful users on here.... but they are so often drowned out by the aforementioned. :wall:

I'll give it one more try....

Hello BowserWilkens,

I may be the other forum member to whom BigBoss previously referred. My signature, which needs a few hours to change because of the links, is out of date; essentially I have an 8.2 system in my bedroom, a 5.2 in my spare bedroom, an 8.1 in the kitchen and an 11.1 in the parlour. And no, MajorFubar, I do not have a massive house, I live in a two-bedroom block of tenement flats but correct, I also have no wife!

It's not an entirely fair comparison between the rooms because the kitchen and parlour have better, as well as more, equipment than the bedrooms. Nevertheless, the 5.2 is almost as good as the 8.2 in my bedroom, but the 8.1 in the kitchen is certainly better. (Though the bedroom systems in isolation are perfectly satisfactory!). The 11.1 in the parlour is better again. How much of that is due to the fact that the parlour is 18' by 14', and the kitchen is 17' by 14', and bedrooms are somewhat smaller, as opposed to the differences in equipment, I'm not sure! I could start swapping stuff between rooms to determine the main cause, but life's too short. Certainly, for moderate rather than vast costs, my parlour and even kitchen systems seem to me to be at least as good as at the commercial cinema.

 

[VoodooDoctor]

I have an 11.1 system as well. It has definitely made the soundstage fuller and with the right movies it can be awesome. I use the Audyssey 11.1 modes and have done a Pro calibration of the Marantz 8801. Worth it if you have the space to do it.

 

[ideal av]

I agree



i`ve an 11.2 system in one room and when setup correctly it can be extremely involving



5.1 is all you need....... it might have been 10 years ago

 

[theflyingwasp]

What size of room do you need to appreciate 11.1 or 2 .also do the neighbours have a hit out on you guys I mean watching transformers in 11.2 etc must be horrendous .my mate stays in flats and you can hear people above and below laughing never mind watching movies with 11 speakers!

 

[VoodooDoctor]

I have a fairly large room and the house is detached so no problems with the neighbours. It's not really about going loud though it's more about how well effects are placed spatially.

 

[BowserWilkens]

"If you build it, they'll come........."

Hi Son & Voodoo & Ideal, nice to see that there are some fellow 11.1/11.2 users about!

I agree with the idea that having so many speakers doesn't necessarily mean a walloping great sound. Indeed, I can listen at lower volumes than my previous set-up & still feel immersed. For me, the decision to go 11.2 was a combination of being offered a 4311 at a ridiculous price & not wanting to let go of my old 602s3 & CC6 & DS6. They'd served me so well in the past that I couldn't part with them. Putting them to work as front heights & wides has given them a reprieve of sorts. I had thought about buying some smaller satellite B&W's to replace them but they're still in good shape.

I couldn't imagine using 11.2 with anything smaller than perhaps a 65" tv, much better to go with a bigass screen and a projector. My lowly 42" tv does look a bit lacking amongst the forest of front speakers. With the screen up, things seem properly balanced between picture & sound. Adding the second subwoofer had a similar effect - the bass seems to be everywhere.

Have either of you compared Neo X with Audyssey? I use all speakers for music when I've guests round, using either multi-stereo ASX or Dolby X plus ASX. My denon doesn't have Neo X.

 

[sheggs]

My room is currently being configured to take a 16.4 setup. This is in anticipation of Dolby Atmos, but yes I could run 11.2 so sign me up to the club!!

16.4!!!!

I'm starting to think that you lot are just making things up now to make my life harder!!!