Questions on a new setup!

[kyloren]

First off, please excuse my ignorance, I’m trying to get my feet wet here. I’m looking to up my audio game with my tax return and I’m curious what you guys think the right move is.

My current living space is your typical apartment, but I’m lucky to be in a spot where I can properly enjoy the sound at a respectable volume. I’m assuming a nice soundbar setup with rear speakers might do the trick for my situation. I have a 4K setup that I mostly use for UHD movies, so it’s time to add the right audio for full immersion! My current audio setup is trash.

Is a home theater system like building your own computer? Meaning if a new Dolby Atmos soundbar costs $1600, would it be better to start building your own system with that money piece by piece… because in the end it will be fully superior and worth the money you put into it?

I’ve seen some of the amazing setup’s on this site and I’m assuming a Dolby Atmos soundbar can’t be compared, because we’re talking a soundbar vs. a full system. How can a soundbar properly produce Dolby Atmos? Is it a play on words to increase the price? Or is it producing a form of Atmos with added effects?

If I bought a nice 5.1 Channel Setup, would I be able to tell the difference if I stepped up to a "better" 7.1 Channel Setup? Can you really tell that the Dolby Atmos soundbars are better? Is there a massive difference when you jump from 5.1 to 7.1 to Atmos? Is it worth it?

I’m sorry if this is too long or if it doesn’t make sense. Any recommendations will be helpful. I'm not looking to get a budget product, I'm looking to get something nice.

[oddbox83]

A soundbar can produce upfiring Atmos properly if it has the discrete speakers on top. The top end models with the wireless rears can rival if not beat a separate setup. The problem is though, soundbars are still severely lacking in available AV inputs and can't be calibrated as well as a separate system to compensate for room acoustics.

I was in the market for a more discrete Atmos setup for my living room, almost got the Samsung N950 as I wanted Atmos but space is at a premium. The lack of AV inputs beyond a couple of HDMI was the killing blow. In the end I upgraded my receiver to the Denon X2500H and got the superb quality mid-level Focal Sib Evos for a 5.1.2 setup at a little cheaper than I'd have paid for the N950, they have tight higher frequencies and still give a surprising oomph for their size and I have all the AV inputs I need. This is significantly more pleasing to my ears that my previous 7.1 setup with Marantz 1605 and and Tannoy HTS101 with HTS201 stereo tower speakers. I do honestly believe 7.1 is too much for the small to average sized living room and creates a soundscape that can get muddied to the rears when space is tight, and of course you can use the money this frees up to buy a better 5.1 core set. Atmos is a much more flexible expansion to a traditional 5.1 setup and you can get what kind of speakers you need/can accommodate and place them where you can.

So yeah, I think this is the better option and is my compromise to get Atmos into a space I can't be mounting speakers everywhere while still having a hell of a good sound system. However, I don't think you'd be disappointed by something along the lines of the N950 either providing you could live with minimal inputs.

[kyloren]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

A soundbar can produce upfiring Atmos properly if it has the discrete speakers on top. The top end models with the wireless rears can rival if not beat a separate setup. The problem is though, soundbars are still severely lacking in available AV inputs and can't be calibrated as well as a separate system to compensate for room acoustics.

I was in the market for a more discrete Atmos setup for my living room, almost got the Samsung N950 as I wanted Atmos but space is at a premium. The lack of AV inputs beyond a couple of HDMI was the killing blow. In the end I upgraded my receiver to the Denon X2500H and got the superb quality mid-level Focal Sib Evos for a 5.1.2 setup at a little cheaper than I'd have paid for the N950, they have tight higher frequencies and still give a surprising oomph for their size and I have all the AV inputs I need. This is significantly more pleasing to my ears that my previous 7.1 setup with Marantz 1605 and and Tannoy HTS101 with HTS201 stereo tower speakers. I do honestly believe 7.1 is too much for the small to average sized living room and creates a soundscape that can get muddied to the rears when space is tight, and of course you can use the money this frees up to buy a better 5.1 core set. Atmos is a much more flexible expansion to a traditional 5.1 setup and you can get what kind of speakers you need/can accommodate and place them where you can.

So yeah, I think this is the better option and is my compromise to get Atmos into a space I can't be mounting speakers everywhere while still having a hell of a good sound system. However, I don't think you'd be disappointed by something along the lines of the N950 either providing you could live with minimal inputs.

Thank you for the input! Yes, the minimal inputs won't affect me too much because of my setup, so that's not a big deal.

I do have another question for you. The N950 is what I have been looking at, but after doing some research today I'm starting to lean towards the N850. From what I can discern, it's essentially the same thing - minus the additional two rear speakers. Are those rear firing speakers worth the extra $500?

Honestly, anything I get will be a HUGE step up from my current audio. I know, if I buy the either the N850 or N950 it's going to be in comparison to what I have. From the way my current space is, I'm starting to question if I would get the FULL benefit of having rear speakers. Of course there's a $500 difference playing effect here, but I can always add two rear speakers to the N850 in the future, right?

[oddbox83]

The N950 has stubbornly remained high in price - if you are set on that, then maybe hanging fire for a bit longer might give you a discount.

The rears will add to the soundscape quite a lot.

[kyloren]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

The N950 has stubbornly remained high in price - if you are set on that, then maybe hanging fire for a bit longer might give you a discount.

The rears will add to the soundscape quite a lot.

Noted! Are they rolling out a new model this year? I didn't catch anything on a 2019 Flagship from CES. If they were rolling one out, this one would rightfully drop.