How I got Dolby ATMOS on my STR-DN1040 Receiver

[MK_Slinky]

I bet that heading has grabbed your attention!

So if you look at my photo below you're probably wondering how on earth I've got Dolby ATMOS? You'd be forgiven for thinking that maybe Sony has finally come to their senses and released a free firmware upgrade?

Sadly not and it doesn't look like that will ever happen but like most STR owners it's a feature that I would dearly love to have. Sadly our Sony receivers are being left behind in this ever changing world and Dolby ATMOS is now a MUST have feature. Other manufacturers have embraced this technology so why not Sony?

No doubt some of you will have figured out my little teaser above but for those of you who haven't you can have Dolby ATMOS on your receiver too, well kind of!

Firstly you should note that this trick is nothing more than a smoke screen to have a little fun with your friends. You won't be able to get real Dolby ATMOS!

Here's how:

My Model STR DN1040 (newer models work also)

1. On your receiver go to your HOME menu then SETTINGS menu
 
2. Navigate to the INPUTS menu and select your chosen device to edit.
 
3. Here's the trick, in the instance above I've renamed my BD player to 'D:ATMOS'

And there we have it, next time you watch a BD your display will show D:ATMOS as shown in my photo above.

Sony implemented this feature on some of their receiver models to enable a user to rename any input to a more meaningful name, it's very useful as it goes. That said it can't hurt to have some fun with it too. 

Have fun! 

[Anonymous]

Well well well - what a bright spark you are

What are the blue lights at the top of the AV receiver?  Or is it a reflection from something else.

[MK_Slinky]

Spark maybe, bright is open to discussion!

Those blue lights? Why they're the blue rays eminating from my Blu-ray player silly!

OK, I lied..., I have some blue LED strip lights below each shelf on my equiment rack so yes, you were right in saying that they're just reflections. Looks really great at night time.

[MK_Slinky]

P.S.

51 viwings of this post in a little over twelve hours suggestes there's a real interest in Dolby ATMOS.

I hope Sony is listening?!

I just checked the latest line of receivers on the 'Products' page and almost all of these receivers are now capable of playing 'High Res Audio'. However, as many of us know by now, High Res Audio is a relatively new feature for decoding higher bit rate music, it's of no use when watching movies.

I think Sony have got this all wrong. These receivers are called 'Home Cinema Receivers' for a reason, i.e. they're primary use is for using in a Home Cinema setup. Therefore it would be reasonable to expect that any advances in sound technology would be implemented for the movies side of things first, High Res Audio should have been secondary thought process in this equation.

[Anonymous]

Ahhh. LED light strips explains things

Your original thread has almost 3000 views if you are counting

https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/home-cinema-projectors-players/dolby-atmos-yes-please/m-p/1788797/

[MK_Slinky]

I don't think this post will be quite so popular, no doubt many of the Dolby ATMOS enthusiasts will have chosen to shop elsewhere by now. Lets face it there's little hope here. 

[Wrenny1969]

Not sure if house rules allow but here goes. Looking at av receiver upgrade, came across this.

What worries me is the continued line that anything under £1k isnt worth the time of day. Not sure if this is like junkies chasing purer hits or is valid criticism of cheaper systems.

Thoughts?

Edited: commercial link

[MK_Slinky]

I don't get the point you were making. I did see the link before it was removed but that unit was only £599 so well below £1k.

As you're probably aware shortly after the release of Dolby Atmos it was also announced that it had a rival in the guise of DTS:X, while Dolby Atmos requires you to add extra height channels to your 5.1 or 7.1 setup, DTS:X will work with standard speaker setups - just like the one you might already have at home. It can support up to 32 speaker locations, which equates to 11.2 setups on 2015’s AV receivers. DTS says it’s flexible, and will work with "any speaker configuration within a hemispherical layout".

Given the claims made here by DTS:X we might well see only one winner here in the home cinema arena. As we've seen already a number of equipment manufacturers are releasing firmware to support both but which one will win the hearts of home cinema enthusiasts remains to be seen.

[Wrenny1969]

My post lost a little context without the link.

The kit I posted was for ONKYO TXNR646 & Q Acoustics Q7000 5.1, I think the Q Acoustics are the i model. The receiver comes with atmos and dts x. My point about the £1K benchmark is that there appears to be perceived wisdom that you must spend twice on the speakers as on the av receiver. It feels as if spending less than a grand on kit is almost pointless. My post was testing whther that is correct given the equipment details above come in at £649, although I accept initially there aren't any atmos capable speakers in the package.

[MK_Slinky]

I think firstly we have to know what is an Atmos enabled speaker and do we need one? The answer to that question is NO, not necessarily. If you're prepared to fit a few speakers in your living room celling, Dolby recommends four if possible, you don't need Atmos enabled speakers.

Dolby recommends the following choices:-

With Dolby Atmos® technology, you have two basic options for overhead sound:

• Ceiling speakers
• New Dolby Atmos enabled speakers
• Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar

Dolby Atmos enabled speakers are specially engineered to direct sound upward, where it reflects off the ceiling to produce an incredibly lifelike re-creation of overhead sound. Dolby Atmos enabled speakers come in two versions:

• Integrated units that also include traditional forward-firing speakers
• Add-on modules, containing only the upward-firing elements, that you put on top of your current speakers or on a nearby surface

A Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar includes upward-firing speakers.

While two Dolby Atmos enabled speakers, modules, or overhead speakers will deliver a compelling experience, we recommend using four if possible.

Obviously not everyone wants to fit speakers in the celling so Dolby provides the other alternative Atmos enabled options.

When it comes to buying speakers you will always find people who try to convince you that you have to spend the earth to achieve perfection but I disagree. Sure you might need to buy more speakers for a Home Cinema setup but with so many manufacturers now selling complete surround packages to meet these needs the initial outlay can sometimes be less than buying them individually. Certainly there's plenty to be said for having all matching speakers, not only do they look good but the tonal characteristics are much more pleasing on the ear which ultimately makes for a more enjoyable experience.

However, a full speaker package is not for everyone. Most of us already have at least one pair of cherished speakers and so adding more speakers later or buying an Atmos enabled upward firing unit to sit on top of our existing speakers might be a better option.

I'm going to use my speakers as an example here. Almost 22 years ago I bought a pair of B&W (Bowers & Wilkins) Rock Solid Sound Speakers (150 Watts) monitor style speakers. The full retail price was £199 p/pair but after doing a little bartering down Tottenham Court Road in London I bought a pair for £150.

Moving forward to the present date and shortly after I purchased my Sony STR-DN1040 Receiver my initial thoughts turned to whether B&W still made these speakers and if I could get 4 more to complete my 7.1 setup. Well 22 years on I wasn't holding out much hope, after all B&W stopped making them in the mid 1990's. As luck would have it however it seems these are now a highly sort after item on eBay and within days of searching I got into a bidding war with several other people. I was pleased as punch when that 'you've won this item' message appeared on screen. Amazingly I paid £117 which goes to show that even some of the older speakers can still keep their value. The question is do they sound as good? Yeah you bet they do, they were made especially for home cinema. I've heard speakers costing three times as much that don't sound this good.

Of course after buying those two I set about finding two more to complete my set. Again I turned to eBay and luckily found some more close by which were 'buyer collects'. I won these ones for just £35 

So in total my 6 matching speakers which had a full retail value of £600 cost me just £302

Thankfully I bought my center speaker which cost around £120 and a subwoofer which cost another £199 alongside my first pair of B&W speakers 22 years ago so factoring these into the equation my total spend on speakers was £621 

So in in summary, yes you can spend twice as much as your receiver on speakers but you don't have to! Shop around for the best deals and always ask for a demonstration first! Buying on eBay can also save a pretty penny as my story demonstrates.

Dolby Atmos Speaker Setup Guide

Bowers & Wilkins