Does it worth a upgrade to Dolby Atmos?


It seems Dolby Atmos is getting more steam recently. I have a 7.1 set up with Krell S-1000 processor and C-J multichannel amp. The sound quality is great. S-1000 doesn’t support anything beyond Dolby Digital. I am wondering if it worth to upgrade to Atmos processor (eg. Marantz AV770x, Anthem AVM60 used ). I don’t want to sacrifice theater sound quality ( I have dedicated 2-ch system for music listening. so I don’t care 2-ch performance). I have 4 ceiling spks and i can add 2 floor level surrounding spks w/o issue. That will give me 5.1.4. I have used Onkyo, Rotel, Krell Showcase and HTS before S-1000. HTS or S-1000 are big step up from Onkyo and Rotel. Will Marantz have same performance as S-1000 on home theater listening? I don’t want to spend over $2500 for the upgrade. Thank you.
cygnus_859
I originally came from an Krell HTS 7.1.  I currently use a slightly modified Krell S-1200.  I have also had a Krell S-1000 in my system.  There is definitely a difference between DVD audio and Bluray Audio.  The DVD audio (using old school compressed DD/DTS) is grainy and has loss of resolution when compared to bluray audio.  The S-1000 is very nice, but it is a downgrade from the HTS / S-1200.

The Marantz AV7704 / AV8805 are excellent processors.  I have also had them in my system for testing.  The AV8804 is excellent with strong bass/midbass and good impact on sound.  Marantz has excellent power supplies in their processors.  However, it does roll off the high frequencies some.  The Krell had much better high frequency response.  You just want to make sure you don't pair the Marantz with a warm amp because the sound may become too dull and you may lose visceral impact.

The Anthem is likely the best affordable modern solution if you are concerned about the rolled-off high frequencies of the Marantz.

It might not be an affordable option, but might suggesting trying to expand your budget for a Krell Foundation 4K.  It uses op amps and doesn't have the great sound of the discrete analog stages of the HTS/S1000/S1200, but it's excellent and I think it's going to be better sound quality than Anthem.  It is only a 7.1 processor.  One of the things I really like about Krell is that they use linear power supplies for everything, including the digital section.  Most processors will use linear power supply for analog, but will still use switching power supply for digital.

In my opinion, I would rather have a really excellent 5.1 system than a immersive 13 speaker Atmos system.  I've been in Atmos theaters and it's interesting to have all the sounds floating around everywhere (like the ceiling), but I can still hear the flaws in the speakers/amps they use.  It will likely be the same in your system if you really want the immersive experience, unless you spend a large amount of money on good speakers/amps.
I have also thought about upgrading to a processor with Atmos, but sound quality is highest priority. Unfortunately, there aren’t many very end processors available now that’s also good for 2 channel music. 
I have had Krell Foundation and S1200.  The S1200 sounds much better for music.  Recently replaced the S1200 with a Krell 707 with significant improvement in 2 channel sound quality.  HT sound is also really good, but doesn’t have the bells and whistles of new processors.  I will keep the 707 until there is processor that match its sound quality.
I have both the Krell HTS 7.1 and S1200U-3D and found the Krell "bubble" of sound is better at 5.1 then any ATMOS system I've reviewed, I also had the Marantz AV880x and Krell Foundation in my system and missed how the speakers vanished. If an excellent 5.1 or 7.1 system sounds amazing, why would anyone want to change to ATMOS unless their attempting to buy cheap equipment or looking at becoming a hugh movie theater where the goal is different. This reminds me when everyone needed 7.1 to feel satisfied, but it was only needed with large rooms.  I looked at getting the Krell 707, but when it jumped from $18,000 before release to over $32,000, I got off the audiophile bandwagon.
Beyond yes! Atmos is to home cinema what 5.1 was to Dolby Prologic , the upmixers will even take a standard TV show and breath new life into the audio. No 5.1 processor no matter it's pedigree will outmatch a properly setup native 7.1.4 or 5.1.4 playback system.
Do it!