Pioneer Elite SC-89 Operating Instructions Manual page 180

But installing ceiling speakers may not be possible or desirable for you. Installing speakers in or
on your ceiling and running the necessary wiring can be expensive and time consuming. If you
rent your home, the property owner may not allow it. And if your ceiling is made of a material
such as concrete, plaster, or brick, installing speakers in the ceiling is impossible. Finally, you
may not like the look of overhead speakers.
Q: How can I get overhead sound if I don't mount speakers in my ceiling?
Use speakers equipped with Dolby Atmos enabled technology.
Through our knowledge of psychoacoustics and sound physics, we've developed speakers that
can create overhead sound even though they're only a few feet off the floor. These speakers fire
sound upward, where it reflects off the ceiling to produce an incredibly lifelike recreation of
overhead sound—you really have to hear them to believe them.
You will be able buy integrated Dolby Atmos enabled speakers that include both traditional
forward-firing speakers and upward-firing speakers in one speaker cabinet. (Those speakers
have two sets of posts, one for the traditional speaker and one for the upward-firing Dolby
Atmos enabled speaker.)
But if you already have conventional speakers you like, you can simply buy Dolby Atmos enabled
add-on speaker modules. These include only the upward-firing speakers. You can put the add-on
modules on top of your current speakers or on another nearby surface.
Q: Will Dolby Atmos enabled speakers work in my room?
Dolby Atmos enabled speakers can produce an incredibly accurate Dolby Atmos experience in
many kinds of rooms. You'll get the best sound if your ceiling is flat (not vaulted or angled) and
made of an acoustically reflective material, such as drywall, plaster, concrete, or wood.
While we designed the technology for rooms with ceiling heights of 8 to 9 feet (2.4 to 2.7
meters), our testing indicates that you can still hear incredible Dolby Atmos sound in rooms with
ceilings as high as 14 feet (4.3 meters), though the effect may become more diffuse in rooms
with higher ceilings.
Recessed lighting fixtures, chandeliers, crown molding, and heating or air conditioning vents in
your ceiling do not noticeably interfere with the Dolby Atmos experience.
Q. What is the smallest setup that Dolby recommends? What is the largest?
Because audio that originates from overhead is a key contributor to the Dolby Atmos experience,
Dolby recommends using at least two speakers to generate overhead audio elements. This gives
the minimal ability to move audio from left to right above the listener. The addition of four or
more speakers to generate overhead audio elements provides the ability to move audio left to
right and front to back above the listener. This provides greater precision to the Dolby Atmos
experience.
For high-end home theaters, a 7.1.4 system (a traditional 7.1-channel-based layout with four
overhead or Dolby Atmos enabled speakers) will provide a great listening experience. That being
said, Dolby Atmos can support home theater systems with up to 34 speakers, in a 24.1.10
configuration: 24 speakers on the floor and 10 overhead speakers.
However, Dolby Atmos content is not tied to any specific playback configuration. Whether you
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