I'll start with the Dimensions of the room:

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/room1.jpg

I'm still working on this house, this room I was saving for last because it will be the easiest. I'm going to be installing a new front door, snap/lock together wood flooring (with a throw rug overtop), and will be repainting it. Right now, I'm thinking a light grey or off-white with a hint of grey. Anyways, here's the room, which is unfortunately small and almost square:

The main doorway/enterance (being replaced by a larger +4" door) and front window. I plan on installing drapes and new blinds. A bedroom/computer room is on the left in this photo.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom001.jpg

On the left side of the open doorway which leads into the kitchen. TV Stand and Left L890 will go here.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom002.jpg

The left wall (when facing the TV):
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom003.jpg

The front wall (I tried to get it all in one shot, oh and that line is a cob/spider/dust web that's hanging lol):
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom004.jpg

The back wall (front of the house which I tried again for one shot):
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom005.jpg

Another angle of the front wall:
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom006.jpg

Where the Right L890 will sit... possibly the L8400P behind it, but I think it'd be better in the back left corner behind the couch.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom007.jpg

The door will swing open, but I would have enough room to mount a speaker. Oh, and that thermo is being replaced by digital and that steel grate which is in some pics is coming out and I'm getting registers and cold air returns in all rooms - all new heating..95% efficient and central a/c, oh yeah!:
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom008.jpg

There's 13" of room from the top molding of the doorway to the ceiling molding which is 1", so 14" to the ceiling. I could make (or buy) a 45 degree angle corner mount so the speakers would face down.:
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom009.jpg

and then put one up in this corner... just an idea:
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/mroom011.jpg

Yeah, small room, old house, whatcha gonna do!? I got it for a killer price and I'm fixing it all up nice. The 15yr mortgage is way cheaper (even with tax and insurance) than renting. It's in a nice neighborhood too. I plan on living here for 3 years, until I finish college (I'm going back!) then moving on to bigger and better! :)

p.s. that furniture is my brothers and he's just storing it there for now. I have yet to buy any furniture for this room besides the TV stand.

Possible setup?

I'm NO artist! Some spaces appear WAY larger than they really are (i.e. the space in front of and behind the couch!)

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/locdb/mroom/setup.jpg

Behind the couch there is apx. 48" (4') of space.

I think wiring is going to be a problem. Since I'm redoing the floor I can run wires up through the basement, but it will be hard to hide them going up the walls. Maybe use some kind of molding to put them under, but even that would look bad, but I guess better than wires. The way they built these walls makes it difficult/impossible to run wires through them.

Any comments? Ideas? Suggestions?

Here's my other thread which is on receiver input for my speaker setup and shows what I have right now, etc.:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14347217#post14347217

If you don't want to go to above link, here is my (currently a 5.1) speaker setup.

- JBL Studio L890 x2 for fronts

- JBL Studio L820 x2 for rear surround

- JBL Studio LC2 x1 for center

- JBL Studio L8400p x1 for subwoofer

I MAY buy either 2 more L820s or L810s to complete a 7.1 setup.

Any comments? Ideas? Suggestions?

The listening position needs to be centered left and right in the room. See this:

How to set up a room (http://www.realtraps.com/art_room-setup.htm)

--Ethan

The listening position needs to be centered left and right in the room.

Easier said than done... If I move the hypothetical sized couch over (which dimensions I got from measuring the couch at my current residence) I would be left with 1.6' of space on both sides, which wouldn't allow enough room to easily walk by to get to the front door, or into the side bedroom/computer room/office, especially while carrying anything. If there was anyone sitting on the far left side of the couch, it just sucks to be them! lol I wish I had more room to do what you say, but I just don't, at least not practically. I suppose I could put something underneath the legs of the couch, so if the couch was "packed" I could slide it over in order for everyone to hear the surround properly.

p.s. I'm leaning towards the 5.1 setup over the 7.1, so any suggestions on where to place the rear speakers is appreciated. I have 2 possible locations highlighted in my high-tech drawing :)

I would be left with 1.6' of space on both sides

Okay, fair enough, but just make it so whichever seat you prefer is centered left and right. I'll also mention that a room this size needs as much acoustic treatment as possible.

--Ethan

Okay, fair enough, but just make it so whichever seat you prefer is centered left and right. I'll also mention that a room this size needs as much acoustic treatment as possible.

--Ethan

What do you mean by acoustic treatment?

What do you mean by acoustic treatment?

Bass traps, diffusors, reflection absorbers. Look here:

Acoustics Facts & Fiction (http://www.realtraps.com/facts.htm)

The above is written from the perspective of home recording studios, but all of the advice applies to stereo and home theaters too.

--Ethan

Bass traps, diffusors, reflection absorbers. Look here:

Acoustics Facts & Fiction (http://www.realtraps.com/facts.htm)

The above is written from the perspective of home recording studios, but all of the advice applies to stereo and home theaters too.

--Ethan


Wow... that's a lot of work. Too much to do for this simple little room. It's useful information for down the road though when I move into a larger home and can actually dedicate more space to a home theater room.

Any chance you could flip the front and back of the room around with the setup? If you could center the display with the front speakers on either side?

Any chance you could flip the front and back of the room around with the setup? If you could center the display with the front speakers on either side?

Hm, no, because there's that window in the center of the wall where my TV would be wall mounted. That'd be a perfect idea if that window wasn't there.

Windows? You don't need no stinkin windows! ;)

Windows? You don't need no stinkin windows! ;)

Haha... I'm right there with ya' on that one! :p

Wow... that's a lot of work.

Not at all! Every room will benefit from even minimal treatment. Say, four bass traps for the wall-wall corners plus one 2x4 foot absorber panel on each side wall. That will improve the sound of your system more than anything else you can do, including buying new expensive loudspeakers. Really.

--Ethan