If you're going to integrate height speakers make sure you got a separate power amp to be able to turn them off, otherwise when listening to a 5.1 movie with the height channels on, one will actually be hearing a movie thats been mastered for 5 base level speakers and yet the same 5.1 signal will be coming out of the height channels 😲 (Messes up the whole 5-ch soundstage) it becomes even worse when listening to 2-ch encoded movie with the height channels on. It's only the fact I'm able to turn my height channels off that I was truly able to verify this! But unfortunately most people using a 7 or 9 ch internally amplified AVR won't be aware of it. If one keeps being told Dolby Atmos is the next best thing to sliced bread one really can't blame them. Conclusion; unless one has got the option to turn the height channels off, I would recommend not upgrading to Dolby Atmos and stick with 5.1. After all the vast majority content is 5.1 or smaller anyway.
Promo`SM
If you're going to integrate height speakers make sure you got a separate power amp to be able to turn them off, otherwise when listening to a 5.1 movie with the height channels on, one will actually be hearing a movie thats been mastered for 5 base level speakers and yet the same 5.1 signal will be coming out of the height channels 😲 (Messes up the whole 5-ch soundstage) it becomes even worse when listening to 2-ch encoded movie with the height channels on. It's only the fact I'm able to turn my height channels off that I was truly able to verify this! But unfortunately most people using a 7 or 9 ch internally amplified AVR won't be aware of it. If one keeps being told Dolby Atmos is the next best thing to sliced bread one really can't blame them.
Conclusion;
unless one has got the option to turn the height channels off, I would recommend not upgrading to Dolby Atmos and stick with 5.1. After all the vast majority content is 5.1 or smaller anyway.