# Front Height Placements



## cichlids (Jan 8, 2017)

Just curious and since I do not know thought I would ask. Hope this makes some sense, as much as I would like to get a new AVR w/atmos is not going to happen anytime soon. My current AVR is a Yamaha RX-A2010 this will handle a 9.2 with Front and Rear ( as Yamaha calls it Presence ) Height speakers. I was reading or daydreaming about Atmos and it says the best place to mount atmos speakers are in the ceiling or on top of the mains and surrounds. I was wondering based on what I read about mounting front height speakers is as high as you can on the front wall in the corners at 45 deg.'s. My line of thinking using an atmos ready speaker placed on the mains facing up would reflect off of the ceiling correct? I know this in no way will compensate for not having atmos but using the atmos speakers on top of the mains firing towards the ceiling work? This could be completely pointless and that is fine as well. As it stands my system is right on the verge of being done so either way I am good.


----------



## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

In a nutshell: (ceiling-mounted ATMOS = good) ; (any other mounted ATMOS = bad), as you've no doubt already found out. Not having the links handy and heading out the door, I can only say that other companies make ATMOS speakers intended to sit on top of mains. The effect is better than no ATMOS at all, but I've heard it pales by comparison. A true ATMOS configuration has specific speaker-to-listener distances and angles just like regular multichannel. But if you already have the set-top hardware, set 'em up and let 'em rip! You won't get bona-fide ATMOS from your AVR, but you should experience more ambience from the height channels. Whether or not that gives you a genuine improvement is partially up to your perception, and partially up to how well your AVR's room-correction software deals with the extraneous reflections introduced by them.


----------



## cichlids (Jan 8, 2017)

Okay we both agree my AVR Yamaha RX-A2010 is not Atmos ready. It will accept front and rear height speakers. Having read the speaker placements on Atmos even though I will not get get Atmos with current set up but using the Atmos concept using upward firing speakers on my mains could improve the sound similar to mounting front height speakers as per the owners manual and the info that can be found elsewhere. Not looking for perfection just some improvement if this makes sense?
Thanks


----------



## Drifte (Oct 17, 2012)

I compromised, initially, being in the same boat as you I had an AVR that did front height or wide. But fully planning to run an Atmos or DTS.X AVR in the near future. I read some reviews of front highs being ran for atmos with great results. And DTS.X not needing specific placement I went ahead and mount my speakers in the front high position near the ceiling (I couldnt do in ceiling due to noise transfer and plumbing). I have since reviewed the system after the AVR upgrade, and it sounds amazing (to me).


----------



## cichlids (Jan 8, 2017)

Drifte said:


> I compromised, initially, being in the same boat as you I had an AVR that did front height or wide. But fully planning to run an Atmos or DTS.X AVR in the near future. I read some reviews of front highs being ran for atmos with great results. And DTS.X not needing specific placement I went ahead and mount my speakers in the front high position near the ceiling (I couldnt do in ceiling due to noise transfer and plumbing). I have since reviewed the system after the AVR upgrade, and it sounds amazing (to me).


Alright someone else besides me thinking the same way!! I would not mind wiring the speakers in the ceiling or on the ceiling if I had no knee issues. This leaves the upward firing its much easier for me to place these on my mains ( if I like the effect?? ) and surrounds and crawl under the house and run the wire. Without going nuts in price what would be a decent choice for these?


----------



## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

Really wish I could've offered more in my previous post. I just noticed nobody had responded so I bumped it. Glad you found a kindred spirit! :bigsmile:


----------



## cichlids (Jan 8, 2017)

To be honest was really not expecting any since what I am asking only applies to Atmos. I just thought by using the same upward firing speaker on top of the mains would give the same effect as properly mounting front height speakers.Still undecided and question whether the results are worth the trouble?


----------



## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

My hunch is that any added benefit would be negligible. However your thoughts are not crazy since the concept is similar enough, but I think they're different enough not to work. Fwiw, I've read that people get a better effect using wides vs heights. Ymmv of course, but since it seems nobody is available to hang heights, I might try wides first. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## cichlids (Jan 8, 2017)

Like I said not real comfortable spending money if it does not have any positive effect. Like you wrote it seems the placement concept would be somewhat the same. I have also read on various other threads concerning front heights its almost 50/50 maybe even less in favor. All I was trying to see if I was missing something that would be beneficial to my system. All ready discovered I get better sound with a 7 ch. and my subs then 9ch.


----------

