- Dolby Atmos Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for Dolby Atmos:
- Anthem MRX 1140 8K: 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 5.2.6, 7.2.2, 7.2.4, 9.2.2 with internal amplifier and 7.2.6, 9.2.4 with addition of external 2 channel amplifier and 9.2.6 with addition of external 4 channel amplifier.
- Sony STR-ZA1000ES: Not supported.
- DTS:X Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for DTS:X:
- Anthem MRX 1140 8K: This model supports DTS:X but not DTS:X Pro. Since DTS:X is limited with 11 channel processing some of the speaker configurations for Dolby Atmos are not supported here. The supported configurations are 5.2.2, 5.2.4, 5.2.6, 7.2.2, 7.2.4, 9.2.2 with internal amplifier.
- Sony STR-ZA1000ES: Not supported.
- Configurations without height channels: There are also other speaker configurations available which do not include height channels:
- Anthem MRX 1140 8K: 5.2, 7.2, 9.2 with internal amplifier.
- Sony STR-ZA1000ES: 5.2, 7.2 with internal amplifier.
- Front Wide Channel support: With the presence of two front wide speakers you can enhance the front surround stage. The following speaker configurations are available for front wide channels:
- Anthem MRX 1140 8K: 9.2, 9.2.2, 9.2.4, 9.2.6.
- Sony STR-ZA1000ES: Does not support.
- 2-ch Bi-Amp: Both models are able to bi-amp up to 2 main channels simultaneously. During bi-amplification two amplifiers are used for one speaker. One amplifier powers the midrange and tweeter section of the speaker and another amplifier powers the low frequency woofers. Each amplifier is less loaded and performs better. In order to use this feature speakers must have 2 pairs of connectors.
Dolby Atmos
Anthem MRX 1140 8K supports Dolby Atmos. It is a cinematic audio format in which sounds exist as individual entities, called audio objects. In Dolby Atmos, any sound can exist as an independent audio object, free of channel restrictions. They can be precisely placed and moved anywhere in your room, including overhead, to flow above and around you in three-dimensional space. Through the use of audio objects, overhead sound, and all the richness, clarity, and power of Dolby sound, Dolby Atmos turns your room into an amazing place for entertainment. The format supports up to 128 simultaneous independent audio objects in a mix for rich, realistic, and breathtaking sound. It recreates the director's original concept through descriptive metadata to provide customized playback for home theater and delivers sounds above you through overhead speakers, special upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar.
- Dolby Surround Upmixer: Anthem MRX 1140 8K supports Dolby Surround Upmixer. If the content is not mixed in Dolby Atmos then the Dolby surround upmixer will expand the audio to all channels including ceiling speakers. The upmixer has replaced the Dolby Pro Logic II family with improved upmixing algorithms.
DTS:X
Anthem MRX 1140 8K supports DTS:X. A technique used in DTS:X is similar to the one used in Dolby Atmos. Instead of a fixed number of channels, DTS:X defines object locations from the listener in polar coordinates. An a/v receiver then dynamically renders sound according to the current speaker configuration. The speaker layout employed by DTS:X is the sum of Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D. It has standard 7.1 channel base layer, a 5 channel height layer above the base layer on the front and side walls, and 3 rows of speakers on the ceiling.
- DTS Neural:X: Anthem MRX 1140 8K supports DTS Neural:X which is an advanced upmixer that can take non DTS:X content and upmix it to the DTS:X speaker layout. It has replaced the DTS Neo family with improved flexibility.
- DTS Virtual:X: Anthem MRX 1140 8K supports DTS Virtual:X which bridges the gap between DTS:X codec and the reality of so many consumers' homes, allowing you to enjoy multi-dimensional sound regardless of room size, layout, or speaker configuration. If you have a limited speaker setup you will miss a full immersive potential of your entertainment system. DTS Virtual:X adds height and surround audio effect to your system without adding height speakers. It works with multiple configurations and delivers immersive sound experience out of 5.1 or even 2.1 speaker layouts.
- DTS Dialog Control: Anthem MRX 1140 8K supports DTS Dialog Control. This function adjusts the dialog levels during playback of the DTS:X stream. It allows you to separately increase the dialog levels in contrast with the background sound and hear dialog easily even under noisy circumstances.
Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
Anthem MRX 1140 8K supports Audio Return Channel (ARC) which allows the compatible TV to send audio signal to the a/v receiver through the same HDMI cable which is used to send audio and video signals to the TV. So one HDMI cable is used to transfer audio signal in both directions. New Enhanced ARC will support uncompressed audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio whereas the previous ARC could support only Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, DTS HD, and PCM.
Sound Processing
- Digital Legato Linear: Sony STR-ZA1000ES features Digital Legato Linear (D.L.L.) to play audio signals with high-quality sound. The D.L.L. function is a technology developed by Sony that allows low-quality digital and analog audio signals to be played with high-quality sound. This function is available for Linear PCM signals, as well as lossy compression audio formats and analog audio signals. It works when [2ch Stereo], [Direct], [A.F.D.] or [Multi Stereo] is selected.
Room Calibration
Anthem MRX 1140 8K comes with Anthem Room Correction (ARC Genesis) and Sony STR-ZA1000ES comes with Advanced D.C.A.C. room correction system.