Nicks suggestions are all pretty much on mark from my experience. Actually, take his adjustments, and take a second couch and put it behind that couch in the picture and you have my setup. My ceiling speakers were not put in line with the fronts due to pot lights, and hvac, and other things in the way. They are closer to the couch and it works well.
MY setup is 5.1.4 (technically i have 3 subs) but I am using qs8's. For now. The reality is my amp can't do 7.1.4 and until the new hdmi spec is out, I'm not replacing it. The QS8's work well with a two row setup in 5.1.4 because you can put them between the two rows, and they fire at both. Matter of fact, I'd consider this better then using direct firing in a 5.1.4 setup with two rows because in a direct firing 5.1.4 where are you putting the rears so both rows can hear them? Ideally with two rows you want 7.1.4 all direct firing and that is my goal by end of the year....have some other more important life stuff to take care of first.
My experience with a 5.1.4 setup is do not put the front tops too far away from your seating position. For some reason most movies don't mix to the fronts as much as the rears. I find I had to bump the volume on my fronts way up just to hear them right. Axioms new aimable tweeter design certainly helped too.
Anyone new to Atmos will be quickly shocked at how little most movies even use the tops. Deepwater Horizon just came out, and is a great Atmos movie that uses the tops correctly. San Andreas is a movie that sounds great, but there is almost no top sounds at all. Big discussion on AVS about SA. Many said I was wrong, then I said sit and listen with just the tops on and there is a few sounds in the beginning, then like 30mins passed and nothing, then another little blurp....and more silence. Studios are still figuring out Atmos.
The most important rule of Atmos though is put all your speakers at ear level. It flat out doesn't work if your ceiling and surrounds are close together. Oh and I have no experience with the up-firing modules, did not even want to waste the time and money to try.
Last edited by newf; 02/10/17 11:54 PM.
