Ceiling Height.

  • 12 August 2020
  • 14 replies
  • 4020 views

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[ Ceiling Height: 20’: Dolby Atmos ]

Aug. 12, 2020

 

Dear Community Friends,

 

In a conversation with Sonos Sales today, I understand that the Sonos Arc’s recommended maximum ceiling height is 14’.

 

I am wondering if there a community member who has tried the Sonos Arc in a 20’ ceiling height environment - if yes, please share your experiences - if there was any degradation in the quality of Dolby Atmos, was it enough to warrant not investing in the product?

 

Please advise.

 

Thanks.


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14 replies

Userlevel 6
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Hi @ceiling20, Thanks for reaching out and welcome to the community. Regarding your concern. Let’s wait for suggestion and feedbacks from our Sonos community users who may have this kind of set up. So that they can share their experience and feedback about the ceiling height. 

Let us know how you get on with the advice above.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.

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Dear Simon B.,

 

Thanks for your response - let us see what Community Members have to say.

 

Regards.

 

ceiling20

 

 

Userlevel 6
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Hi @ceiling20, thanks for the update. Let’s wait for feedback from our Sonos community users.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.

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Dear @Simon B,

 

I see that you work for Sonos.

Since I have not gotten any feedback from the Community Members, I was wondering if you or/and Sonos Tech./Research can attempt to address my flat 20’ High Ceiling - see photo:

***

 

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Thanks!

Userlevel 6
Badge +16

Hi @ceiling20, thanks for the update. In my opinion, the ceiling may be too high. I would suggest around 7-9’ would be the highest suggested ceiling height. But, I can also suggest if you can coordinate with the Geek Squads on what they can suggest for this kind of set up. 

Let us know how you get on with the advice above.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.
 

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Dear Dolby / Atmos Advocates,

 

While I find your silence deafening, I do admit that I am pushing the envelope with a flat ceiling of 20’. 

@Simon B - with your resources, I was wondering if you can reach out to Dolby to address my situation. Also, I hope Dolby experts are part of this community.

 

If 14’ flat ceiling Dolby / Atmos is 100% - what reduction in sound quality is anticipated with a 20’ flat ceiling?

 

In the big picture, I will procure the Arc, and test it - yes, I know that I can return it if my test is unsuccessful.

 

Someone out there, please add to this conversation - I know there are many ceilings out there in the 15’ - 20’ range - this is highly characteristic of the open home design that many enjoy.

 

Thanks, and best regards.

 

ceiling20

 

Curious as to how you want people to measure the reduction in sound quality. Is there a metric / particular measurement you’re looking for? Are you expecting people to have both standard ceilings as well as 20 foot ceilings so that they can provide you this data you’re looking for?

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Dear @Airgetlam / Bruce,

 

I am merely looking to have someone share his / her experiences for Arc in a 20’ flat ceiling environment - no complicated analysis.

 

Sonus / @Simon B and Dolby cannot ignore the reality of higher-end homes with ceiling heights of 20’ - such awareness will certainly play an important role in the success of Arc - a brilliant product.

 

Regards. 

 

 

@ceiling20 It has been several months without an update on your end. Did you end up purchasing the Arc? If so, I’m curious about your subjective feedback. I have 19’ ceilings.

Userlevel 7

People with standard 8 ft ceilings only get a subtle height effect from the Sonos Arc’s upfiring speakers, so don’t expect to get much of a height effect in a room with a 19 or 20 ft ceiling.

Badge +3

Dear Community Members,

As promised, I am pleased to share my experience and the sound performance outcome from my experiment to use the Sonos Arc Surround Set in my 20’ high flat ceiling environment.

Background

As you may be aware, I called Sonos, Samsung and Logitech, and also consulted this Community Forum for advice on this matter given the high ceiling environment. Unfortunately, there was no input on this matter.

I pressed forward with my experiment, and very carefully selected a young Santa Ana, CA based entrepreneur Josue Mejia of Control My AV, LLC / (714) 487-1020 to assist me in filtering ideas for potential high-impact sound solutions, and to facilitate a proof of concept or pilot with a Dolby Atmos Sound System. Yes, I must admit that I was nervous shelling out cash required for this experiment.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Selected Equipment Configuration

Sonos: Surround Set Arc, Sub / Gen 3 and One SL / Pair.

Samsung: Model # QLED - QN75Q90TAFXZA w/e-Arc HDMI3 Port.

Logitech: Harmony Elite 

Performance Outcome

I am delighted to share with all of you that the Dolby Atmos experience has been achieved - the Sonos iPhone App delightfully announces the presence of Dolby Atmos experience - WOW! . WOW! . WOW!

While I drove the overall process, wiring and install details provided by Control My AV, LLC played a major role in achieving what many said could be a challenge with my 20’ ceiling height.

 

Conclusion

I intend to communicate directly with the CEOs of Sonos, Samsung, Logitech and Dolby to share this experiment and its very-effective outcome. 

As you well know, The selected equipment configuration is pricey - I also know that many pricey homes have high ceilings that are higher than the 14’ recommended heights for a Dolby Atmos experience. My experience here could be a great asset to these companies as they target their current, and more affluent homes.

Any questions, please reach out to me or Josue Mejia of Control My AV, LLC / (714) 487-1020.

Best Regards - and to an awesome immersive sound experience!

… In Partnership and Service,

Raj Dhir / ceiling20

 

 

Raj- Thanks for all the leg work in determining 20 foot ceiling effectiveness.  I’m considering the upgrade to ARC and also have 20 foot (possible 19 foot) living room ceiling.  Interested to know if it worked out of the box after using True Play to make automatic adjustments, or if you had to make specific/custom adjustments or mount in a specific way.

Thanks,
Joe

Performance Outcome

I am delighted to share with all of you that the Dolby Atmos experience has been achieved - the Sonos iPhone App delightfully announces the presence of Dolby Atmos experience - WOW! . WOW! . WOW!

While I drove the overall process, wiring and install details provided by Control My AV, LLC played a major role in achieving what many said could be a challenge with my 20’ ceiling height.

 

The Sonos app would report that Dolby Atmos content is being played regardless of whether or not you’re hearing atmos content properly at your seating area.   Were you able to verify that the audio coming from the upfiring speakers reached the seating area?  I would suspect that with 20 ft ceilings, the audio would ‘land’ well behind you and be rather faint after having traveled around 30 ft. before reaching ear level.

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Dear Joe / @jfitz945 & Danny / @melvimbe

 

Joe: Arc install worked out of the box using Trueplay.

 

Danny: to the best of my knowledge, I am hearing great sound content properly at the appropriate seating and adjacent areas. While the sound is amazing as the high-ceiling open area fills up with with great sound, I am trying to learn what exactly to expect from Atmos.

 

Lastly, I am periodically experiencing a very brief sound cutting in and out. There is much on this matter on Internet and posts within this Community. I am researching this, and will provide feedback on this matter as I learn, and hopefully discover a resolution.

 

Regards.

 

… In Partnership and Service,

 

Raj