# Building Atmos Home Theater - Need Help !!!



## Aquarian (Oct 16, 2013)

Finally started to work on my dream Home Theater project 

Need alot of information about everything that goes to make an extraordinary home theater setup.
This is dedicated HT room. I am planning to get the acoustics done by GIK as they recently launched in my country.

Klipsch Reference Premiere RP280F Floorstanding - qty 2
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP450C Center - qty 1
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP250S Surrounds - qty 2 or 4 (depending on what is required for rear speakers)
Klipsch Reference Premiere RP160M Bookshelf/in-wall for Rear - qty 2 or none (depending on what is required for rear speakers)
Klipsch CDT-5800-C II In-Ceiling Speaker - qty 4 

SVS PB13 Ultra Subwoofer

Marantz AV8802A Preamplifier
Need help to finalize Poweramp/Amp for 7.2.4 setup

Yet to finalize on Projector, as I am currently using Optoma HD141X, I am planning to stick with the same brand. I am looking for a 4K projector.

Screen will be a fixed 16:9 as of now. Will change this based on the discussion I will have with u guys here. Need your views and some teaching from you guys about various screen sizes and brands and colors of screen which color is better and Curved or flat. I am currently using a 16:9 Instalock screen white and Flat, not a branded one, just some local made.

Have plans for a media server or a Disc vault. Need some suggestions on this one as well.

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Over a period of 1 week I been searching/reading on the internet and noted down all the queries that I had, and finally now posted everything here, I hope to get educated about everything that I gone through and understood.
below are those questions/doubts that I have 
Please have patience and dont be mad at me for asking all these 

Few technical queries that I need to know before finalizing on this are:

Can I have surrounds on to Right and Left walls and BookShelf on the rear wall ? 
or Will it be more effective if Ihave 2 surround speakers on the both side walls and another 2 surround speakers for the rear wall?

The ceiling speakers for Atmos, Can we install bookshelf ? or 
Klipsch got some ceiling speakers for Atmos CDT-5800-C II In-Ceiling Speaker , should I go for them ?

I have tentatively fixed on Marantz AV8802A for the preamp, as I am looking for a 7.2.4 Dolby Atmos setup. Marantz AV8802A got 13.2 channels.

But I havent found any 7.2.4 power amp or Amp with dolby Atmos.

First question here is .... Preamp is Dolby Atmos compatible so Power amp or amp without Dolby Atmos will do the job or should I get a Atmos compatible Power amp/Amp
Second question....... I havent found a 7.2.4 channel amp or power amp, can u suggest any ? or should I go for two/dual 7.1 power amps ?? 

Any other equipment which will improve the quality of the output ? or the Preamp and power amp will do the job.

What kind of cables do we need to all 11 speakers and the cables for subwoofers

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One more question will be about connectivity. I havent worked with hifi stuff till now, so its just my understanding and not the practical experience.
So as per my understanding

Option 1
BlurayPlayer -> Preamp (using HDMI cable)
Preamp -> Poweramp (using RCI or XLR, correct me here if am wrong)
Poweramp -> Speakers and SubWoofer (RCI or Banana plugs or XLR, correct me here if am wrong)

OR

Option 2
BlurayPlayer -> Poweramp (using HDMI cable)
Poweramp -> Preamp (using RCA or XLR, correct me here if am wrong)
Preamp -> Speakers and SubWoofer (RCA or Banana plugs or XLR, correct me here if am wrong)

I got confused when someone mentioned Option 2 to connect Floorstanding speakers from poweramp to preamp.
his setup as he explained was 
Bluray -> AVR (using HDMI)
AVR -> inceiling speakers for Atmos and rear surrounds which are in wall speakers and subwoofer using banana plugs/XLR or RCA respectively.
AVR -> Poweramp (Connected Floorstanding, Center, surrounds left & Right, using RCI connectors)
Poweramp -> Floorstanding, Center, surrounds left & Right using Banana plugs.
Is he correct about this ?
He connected 5 Speakers from Marantz SR7009 to MM7055

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AVR or Amplifier or Preamp should have the power to give output of 250W if my speakers are of 250W output ?
Can anyone suggest me the Amplifier or Preamp with that much output each channel
Also please educate me if both preamp and amp/receiver should have 250W each channel ?

Does XLR cable have more clarity and quality than RCA ??
Will there be any difference when I connect my PB13 Ultra Subwoofer to Marantz AV8802A using a BALANCED XLR and when I conenct using an RCA.

Considering I have a Preamp and Poweramp
If I connect all 11 speaker channels from Preamp's unbalanced Output using RCA to Poweramp, the Poweramp will define the output wattage for each channel and then send the assigned output to the respective speakers.
If I connect all 11 speaker channels from Preamp's Balanced Output using XLR, then Preamp will decide the output wattage and send the same information to Poweramp and here Poweramp does nothing but just send the defined output to the speakers respectively. So we can use a normal AVR also in the place of Poweramp.
And for the 2 subwoofers since I will get PB13 Ultra only and no other subwoofer, considering that, I can use Unbalanced Preout using RCA to connect to Subwoofer directly and PB13 ultra will take care of it.
Please Correct me on the above understanding if I am wrong.

A BIG THANKS FOR READING EVERYTHING  
I APPRECIATE ALL HELP THAT YOU GUYS CAN PROVIDE WITH.

Cheers,
Aditya


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## Aquarian (Oct 16, 2013)

Based on the budget, I am thinking about a receiver rather than a preamp and poweramp. Its all again based on the budget, by the time i start building this theater, if everything works within budget then I will go for preamp and poweramp or else I will go for a good receiver.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

Option 2
BlurayPlayer -> Poweramp (using HDMI cable)
Poweramp -> Preamp (using RCA or XLR, correct me here if am wrong)
Preamp -> Speakers and SubWoofer (RCA or Banana plugs or XLR, correct me here if am wrong)

You can run your BR to a power amp, but not with HDMI. Your preamp goes before the power amp not after.


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Aquarian said:


> Does XLR cable have more clarity and quality than RCA ??
> Will there be any difference when I connect my PB13 Ultra Subwoofer to Marantz AV8802A using a BALANCED XLR and when I conenct using an RCA.


An RCA (unbalanced) cable might start picking up noise on long runs over about 20-25ft. An XLR (balanced) cable has the potential to sound better over long runs through superior noise rejection. Some listeners claim they hear differences, but whether those differences are actually "better" is another story.

Monoprice cables are an affordable solution that should serve your needs.


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## Aquarian (Oct 16, 2013)

ellisr63 said:


> Option 2
> BlurayPlayer -> Poweramp (using HDMI cable)
> Poweramp -> Preamp (using RCA or XLR, correct me here if am wrong)
> Preamp -> Speakers and SubWoofer (RCA or Banana plugs or XLR, correct me here if am wrong)
> ...


Yeah I got that ellis ... I was confused when I saw this other guy's setup 
thnx


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## Aquarian (Oct 16, 2013)

Lumen said:


> An RCA (unbalanced) cable might start picking up noise on long runs over about 20-25ft. An XLR (balanced) cable has the potential to sound better over long runs through superior noise rejection. Some listeners claim they hear differences, but whether those differences are actually "better" is another story.
> 
> Monoprice cables are an affordable solution that should serve your needs.


Thanx Lumen .... can u please look into this and help me understand 
_Considering I have a Preamp and Poweramp
If I connect all 11 speaker channels from Preamp's unbalanced Output using RCA to Poweramp, the Poweramp will define the output wattage for each channel and then send the assigned output to the respective speakers.
If I connect all 11 speaker channels from Preamp's Balanced Output using XLR, then Preamp will decide the output wattage and send the same information to Poweramp and here Poweramp does nothing but just send the defined output to the speakers respectively. So we can use a normal AVR also in the place of Poweramp.
And for the 2 subwoofers since I will get PB13 Ultra only and no other subwoofer, considering that, I can use Unbalanced Preout using RCA to connect to Subwoofer directly and PB13 ultra will take care of it.
Please Correct me on the above understanding if I am wrong.
_


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Aquarian said:


> If I connect all 11 speaker channels from Preamp's unbalanced Output using RCA to Poweramp, the Poweramp will define the output wattage for each channel and then send the assigned output to the respective speakers.


There's a difference between an amp's power rating and its output power in use. Power rating is fixed by the amp's design. Output power varies with input signal volume as controlled by the preamp (or other source). So in a sense, yes, the preamp defines output wattage of the power amp. On paper, power amps are supposed to be rated for continuous power according to industry standards. In reality, that isn't the case with some companies that artificially inflate specs by using higher peak power values. A meaningful spec looks like: 120W/ch _all channels driven_ into 8Ω, from 20Hz-20kHz with 0.01%THD. 



Aquarian said:


> If I connect all 11 speaker channels from Preamp's Balanced Output using XLR, then Preamp will decide the output wattage and send the same information to Poweramp and here Poweramp does nothing but just send the defined output to the speakers respectively.


Preamp and power amp functions stay the same regardless of signal delivery scheme. A signal reaching a power amp through an RCA (unbalanced) connection results in essentially the same output power as a signal reaching it through an XLR (balanced) connection. The only difference would be for long, balanced runs which could have a lower noise floor. The difference in output power would, in my opinion, be negligible as far as listening sessions are concerned.



Aquarian said:


> So we can use a normal AVR also in the place of Poweramp.


Only if the AVR has speaker (high-level) outputs. As far as I know, these are usually 5-way binding posts, not RCA or XLR connectors. Your Marantz AV8802A is not an AVR in the purest sense, because it has no power amp sections. It's what is known as a pre/pro (preamp/processor). 



Aquarian said:


> And for the 2 subwoofers since I will get PB13 Ultra only and no other subwoofer, considering that, I can use Unbalanced Preout using RCA to connect to Subwoofer directly and PB13 ultra will take care of it.


Correct. Just make sure you use the _subwoofer_ pre-out (which carries the LFE soundtrack) as shown on pages 45 and 46 in the Marantz AV8802A Manual.


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## Aquarian (Oct 16, 2013)

Lumen said:


> There's a difference between an amp's power rating and its output power in use. Power rating is fixed by the amp's design. Output power varies with input signal volume as controlled by the preamp (or other source). So in a sense, yes, the preamp defines output wattage of the power amp. On paper, power amps are supposed to be rated for continuous power according to industry standards. In reality, that isn't the case with some companies that artificially inflate specs by using higher peak power values. A meaningful spec looks like: 120W/ch _all channels driven_ into 8Ω, from 20Hz-20kHz with 0.01%THD.
> 
> 
> Preamp and power amp functions stay the same regardless of signal delivery scheme. A signal reaching a power amp through an RCA (unbalanced) connection results in essentially the same output power as a signal reaching it through an XLR (balanced) connection. The only difference would be for long, balanced runs which could have a lower noise floor. The difference in output power would, in my opinion, be negligible as far as listening sessions are concerned.
> ...


Thanx Lumen for taking time and explaining 
I've got the idea now 
Regarding Preamp & Poweramp, its crossing my budget if I go for both, so, I am planning for an AVR, I have posted a new thread in amplifiers section of the forum regarding 2 models that I came across, which r in my budget and satisfy the requirements as well.
Onkyo TX-NR1030 & Marantz SR7009.
By the time I decide and make the purchase, if I can raise the budget and accommodate both Pre and poweramps I will then think about it, but for now I am going for an AVR

Thanks once again


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