Audio Video News

Audio snobs might cringe at the idea of visiting a Best Buy but did you know that the chain’s Magnolia Design Centers sell McIntosh electronics and speakers from B&W, MartinLogan, and Sonus Faber? I had no idea until I visited the Design Center in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, one of 54 store-within-a-store locations across the country. Not to be confused with the Magnolia Home Theater sections found in about 350 Best Buy stores, Design Centers have acoustically treated demonstration rooms for stereo and home theater, the latter of which is also used to showcase the wizardry of home automation: one-button theater control with a motorized projection screen that descends from the ceiling and lights that automatically dim when it's movie time. Or a painting that lifts to reveal a TV mounted in the wall. Those were a few of the capabilities demonstrated for me.

But this story isn’t about any of that. It’s about options for demo’ing Dolby Atmos surround sound at a time when independent AV stores are getting harder and harder to find. Atmos—with its height speakers, enhanced spatiality, and object-based approach to sound placement—is an aural refinement you really have to experience to appreciate.

I admit to being a bit skeptical as I walked through the front doors of Best Buy, even though I’ve had mostly positive shopping experiences in the past. But it is a huge box store, and employee turnover is a fact of life, so you never really know what you’re going to get in the way of sales support. That said, Magnolia is run as a separate entity with its own (commissioned) sales staff. And it shows.

Walking into the Magnolia area in the back of the store I was greeted by Evan, a likeable twenty-something system designer. He knew I was coming because I had called in advance and explained that I was interested in taking Dolby Atmos for a test drive. Expecting to be led to a dedicated theater room, I followed Evan into a classic audio demo room with angled rows of floorstanding and bookshelf speakers plus a formidable selection of in-wall and center models, subwoofers, and speakers mounted in the ceiling. The only seating was a pair of leather ottomans in the middle of the room. Turns out the home theater room in this location is equipped for 7.1 action but had not yet been upgraded to Atmos. Would it be in the future? Evan was hopeful but couldn’t say for sure.

This was not the scenario I had expected, but I tried to keep an open mind: Could the setup pull off a convincing demo?

We chatted for a few minutes and Evan ran through the audio equipment he would be using for what would be a 5.1.4 demo: An Oppo BDP-103 BD player feeding a Pioneer Elite SC-89 receiver connected to Pioneer’s new Andrew Jones-designed Elite series speaker system, featuring the Atmos-enabled SP-EFS73 mini tower speakers. Four Sonance ceiling speakers were used to convey height information instead of the EFS73’s top-firing drivers, which are designed to bounce sound off the ceiling in rooms where in-ceiling speakers are unwanted or impractical. An Epson projector delivered the video.

Cueing up Transformers: Age of Extinction, Evan played a selection of scenes, including one with a helicopter flying over snow-capped mountains. The surround sound was engaging but not revelatory in the way I know it can be, leaving me to conclude that scene selection could have been better. Then Evan swapped in Dolby’s excellent Atmos demo disc, which I’ve heard on a number of systems. The disc is purpose-built to show off Atmos—and that it did. In one trailer, the system convincingly tracked the sound of “helicopter” maple seeds floating down from high above. In another, rain started falling in the jungle and I found myself caught in a downpour, instinctively looking up. The only thing missing were the actual drops.

If you have yet to experience Dolby Atmos in a home setting, I have no reservations recommending a visit to Magnolia Design Center. Just be sure to call ahead and confirm that the location is equipped to do the demo. To see if there’s a Design Center near you, visit magnoliaav.com and click on the Locations tab.

Another option is to seek out a professional installation company at cedia.org, home of the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association; click on the “Find a Pro” box and enter your zip code for a list of installers in your area, keeping in mind that not all of them have demonstration facilities. Or maybe you’re lucky enough to have an established relationship with an independent AV shop in or near your hometown. If that’s the case, what are you waiting for?