How to create a Dolby Atmos 12.4.6 using multiple receivers

[romeodepaola]

Hi there, this is the my first post in this forum!
I am planning to make a 12.4.6 Dolby Atmos home cinema room using multiple receivers, and I would start using 7.2 receiver adding the other speakers and the other receivers (adding a 11.2 to the my 7.2 I should make a 12.4.6 ) in future.

I have find in a large electronic store here in Italy called "Mediaworld" the 7.2 receiver YAMAHA RX-V583 for €369, and the 5.1 speaker YAMAHA NS-PB150 for €159, that I would use them now in the normal singular receiver configuration, and in future (when I will add the speakers the the other receivers) use this 7.2 for the rear channels only.

You think that it's a good idea or not ?
I can add other receivers with this 7.2 models ?



Thanks in advance for the answers!

 

[Rocky Bennett]

Using your nomenclature, that system would have 4 sub-woofers and 12 surround sound speakers 6 Atmos enabled speakers. Although a system like that is technically impossible, you might be able to jury-rig one but it would sound terrible and require an extremely large room. Dolby does not work that way.

 

[romeodepaola]

Ok, and you have a suggest of how make a system with wore than 11.2 speaker ?


Thank you.

 

[Rocky Bennett]

Yes, surround sound. It will work better than using Atmos.

 

[Rocky Bennett]

7 speakers spread out in front and four speakers spread out in back and 2 sub-woofers. Boom!!!! You have an 11.2 system. Might not sound too good, but it will work. The time phase distortion on a beast like that would make it very uncomfortable to listen too, but you do it if you want.

To much distortion to really enjoy.

 

[Rocky Bennett]

Are all of your speakers matching, or at least have matching drivers?

 

[americanaudiophile]

You can't combine receivers in the way you suggest.
You need to have a single processor capable of decoding the total number of channels you need. You could use a receiver with a 5 or 7 channel direct input as an amp to drive channels created by another processor but you can't combine processors. You would just get duplicate channels.
The maximum number of main channels is 7 (3 front, 2 side, 2 rear). Each channel could have more than one speaker but usually makes things worse unless you are in a really big room and have a lot of chairs. Even then using dipole type side speakers can spread the surround effect to cover a wider area with less hassle.
Bass in home theater is 1 LFE channel so a .2 receiver usually just has two mono subwoofer outputs. Saves having to use a splitter. It is possible to use a subwoofer (or large speaker) for each channel. When you set the channel to 'large" you are telling the receiver to send any bass that's not in the LFE channel to that speaker rather than combining it with the LFE bass and sending it to the one or two LFE subwoofers. It would be a 7.1. or 7.2 with all channels full range.
You can have many Atmos channels (up to 16 in a home processor) but you need a processor or receiver capable of creating that many channels. Usually it's to spread the Atmos effect accurately over a larger area than most people have. 4 is usually fine. That would be a 7.2.16 for instance.
Getting better quality gear is better than just getting more gear.

 

[Rocky Bennett]

To the OP, What americanaudiophile said is exactly what I said. For example I own a 7.1 Matthew Polk Monitor surround system for my living room, a 2.1 Paul Barton speaker system for my computer and a nice pair of Martin Logans for my studio. All told I do have 11.2 speakers, about $15,000 worth of speakers, but I would never just throw them altogether to try to create one 11.2 sound system. The time-phase distortion would create an atmosphere that would be totally unpleasant.

Just because somebody could "do" something does not mean that it is a good idea.