Visit To Hear Our Dolby Atmos Theater!
I can hear you saying, “Atmos, fatmos, who cares? It’s just Dolby with more letters.” I forgive you for that assumption. Sometimes, that is the case, much ado about very little.
But this time… the update provides a real benefit.
I don’t expect you to take my word for it. I am hopeful you will visit to hear it for yourself. I’m sure you’re going to be impressed, because I am!
I’m a music nut. I enjoy concerts more than movies. When I heard about Atmos coming down the pike, I felt as you probably do- lukewarm. But I have to tell you, it won’t take 30 seconds for you to appreciate how much more fun it is to listen to your content in a properly set up Atmos theater!
Right now most of you are running 5.1. With Atmos, we enhance that to 5.1.4. The 4 at the end- is for four ceiling speakers. They need amplification to drive them. They need a preamp or receiver to decode the info that is going to go to them. You’re thinking… man, this is too much hassle. Nope. It isn’t. It’s well worth it.
For example, Marantz’s SR-7009 receiver for $2k can handle all this very well in one box at an affordable price. SR-7009 has 9×125 of high current power. This means you can run the 5.1 you’re running now- and just add the four Atmos ceiling speakers. All the power is on board SR-7009 just waiting to come out of the dugout. 5.1.4.
If you are running 7.1 and want to add Atmos, you need two more channels of amplification- no biggie.
Atmos sounds its best on Atmos encoded blu-ray discs. Some discs have this special Atmos content that really makes the theater shine. There’s more good news. Marantz has a decoder for the Atmos and an enhancing circuit to make these extra ceiling speakers active even with non Atmos content. So you get the full nine yards with an Atmos blu-ray disc. Your non Atmos content gets enhanced with this system as well.
Further, the portal is there for Cable TV, Netflix or whomever to allow you to stream Atmos into your system. As more content is available in Atmos and providers feel the demand, you’re ready!
Rega RP-1 With Performance Pack $640
Rega’s RP-1 with Performance Pack is more than a cost effective way to get back into vinyl. Rega’s RP-1 at $450 with Rega’s Carbon cartridge, is a good entry into vinyl with quality in mind. But the RP-1 with Performance Pack update is well worth the extra $190.
The Performance Pack includes Rega’s Bias 2 cartridge. Made by Rega (as opposed to a badged Audio Technica for example), Bias 2 features a one piece cantilever design. The transmission of energy from the stylus up to the cartridge body is not trashed by using a two piece cantilever. Two piece cantilevers are swimming with boots on. The transmission is dulled.
The output of Bias 2 is 7.0mV. This means the output is about double that of any non Rega cartridge. The benefit to you is that your phono section’s noise floor is less critical.
For example, if you’re spinning a great work like LVB’s Moonlight Sonata, the opening movement is quiet and mood building. If your phono section is generic, it can add a layer of hiss to the sound- to make it sound like a cassette from 1972. With more output from the cartridge, the noise floor is much less of an issue from the phono preamp. How many of you have state of the art phono preamps (like the Rega Aria $1500)?
The Perf Pack also features and improved belt and mat. They are worthwhile. But the cartridge alone justifies the upgrade.
Point Made
Adelina Patti (1843-1919) was the highest paid soprano of her time. When a critic asked why she had never sung any of Wagner’s roles, she said, “Have I ever done you any harm?”