Do NOT Blow Your Entire Budget on Two Channel Audio

Kota, I feel you are trying to promote technology to people who have the incorrect time flashing on their VCR because they don't feel like learning how to fix it.

I agree, object based ain’t gonna happen except for very small minority

It is already happening. It is happening in large numbers. It takes a lot of speakers to ATMOS, but we only have 2 ears. Most people will experience ATMOS and other object oriented audio by using headphones.

They grew up exposed to much more artificial, processed music than they were real, live music.

Two channel audio is an illusion. You get an okay illusion of the sound in front of you, but everything else, the sides, the back, above, is a poor illusion that by chance, maybe, but probably not, will sound like live music. Where ATMOS is most superior is recreating a live event. You get the sides, the back, the top as the real thing, not fake.

The side to side and front to back soundstage created in high end 2 channel audio is a superior 3-dimensional depth musical experience anyway IMO

You need to get out more. Seriously. Get out and listen to some high end ATMOS. Does not matter how much you spend on a 2 channel system. You can't get out what is not there. Sure, you can fake it and get something appealing, when the recording is just right for your system. ATMOS does not need to fake it. It has all that sound information you are trying to fake because it does not exist in 2 channel.

I think the requirement for a pair (or four) ceiling speakers will be the deal-breaker for nearly all audiophiles.

The kicker, but also a misconception about requirements and false knowledge. You spend 6 figures on a 2 channel system. The sound from the speakers reaches your ears and it is pristine. All great right?  Hate to break it to everyone, but all those reflections off floors, walls, ceiling, book shelf, and everything else is far from pristine. Screwed up in time, things resonating, screwed up frequency, distorted. A total mess. ATMOS replaces those screwed up reflections with better right at your ears sound. No need for the same quality as the mains to get better quality than chaotic reflections.

Back at you @kota1 .  Maybe some will take heart. All you can do is educate.

@britamerican

Back at you @kota1 . Maybe some will take heart. All you can do is educate

Thanks, it goes back to my OP about budgeting. To put 100% into channel based audio as a consumer when the industry is moving away from channel based and toward object based is questionable in my view. I can tell by the responses in this thread that there remains a huge gap in not just implementation, but even understanding how to implement an object based system for MUSIC (not home theater).

See producer Steve Wilsons comments about how the music industry pivoted to Atmos when Apple began offering spatial audio:

https://youtu.be/efqXWoerSyg?feature=shared

If I had 5.1 or 7.1 ears, I might agree, but I only have 2. 
All you can do is dissuade. 😄

All the best,
Nonoise

@xenolith 

Here is the growth of streaming, I rest my "premise":

britamerican

Two channel audio is an illusion. You get an okay illusion of the sound in front of you ... Where ATMOS is most superior is recreating a live event ...

Both two-channel audio and ATMOS create an illusion. It's perfectly fine to prefer one illusion to the other.