First Steps in Dolby Atmos: Part Three — Cables, Stands and Mounting Brackets—Oh My!

Welcome to part three of my journey into immersive audio and Dolby Atmos.

In part one (March 2025), we looked at the conversion of a corner of the basement in my 1920s Midwest home into my home office and editing suite, and began its evolution into an Atmos listening and mixing space treated with bass traps, panels and DecoShapes from GIK Acoustics.

Last month (May 2025), we looked at my choice of an immersive bundle of IK Multimedia iLoud MTM MKII monitors (reviewed February 2025), along with a JBL LSR310S subwoofer to handle the low-frequency extension (LFE).

We also started considering Atmos interface options, software-based room correction and further room treatment needs for my space.

Finally, we input data into the Excel-based Dolby Atmos Room Design Tool (DARDT) to guide our speaker selection and get placement advice for the 12 necessary speakers in the 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos array (7 surround speakers, an LFE ‘sub’ channel, plus 4 height speakers).

In future installments, we will revisit the numbers, DARDT layout suggestions, and the quirks of my room. But first, lets explore crucial, often overlooked elements of any immersive speaker installation.

It should not be surprising, but besides the speakers and interface, you will also need to consider stands and/or mounting brackets plus a way to get power and audio signals to each speaker.