The most intense demos happen near the end of Ch. Gravity does an amazing job of taking advantage of the four discreet overhead speakers, which are frequently used independently to bounce, swirl, and shift the audio environment around the space of ceiling. As George Clooney slowly circles the shuttle in his rocket pack, Ed Harris’s voice from NASA control is mixed aggressively up to the ceiling speakers, giving a real “in your helmet” sense to the audio. The film opens with a big swell of music and what sounds like rocket engines firing before cutting to total silence as we orbit the earth. Notice how the mechanical sounds of Art3mis’ bike dying are clearly placed in the back of the room behind the listeners, and gradually move to the foreground as she approaches the bike. When T-Rex and King Kong get in on the action, their foot stomps raise the bass concussion to the next level, with roars/growls that energize the entire room.

Explosions have tight, deep, concussive bass, letting you feel each virtual metal-on-metal crunch-and you can practically track the progress of every bouncing coin or piece of debris. The race is filled with cars cartwheeling overhead and around the sides of the room, racers swirling back and forth, around all sides, and overhead, with tires squealing for mercy. The rumble as the bridge constructs itself is deep with bass, and the fireworks to begin the race explode overhead.

Notice how the smoky exhaust from Parzival’s DeLorean wafts into the room, the smoke dissipating. Once the race starts, the music stops and the scene is all about sound effects. The “First Challenge” scene is just fantastic eye and ear candy throughout.

Dolby atmos demonstration disc