are my left and right speakers too close to the wall?...

they are Triad Silver inwalls

there is about 112" between them to accomodate a screen

i plan on using acoustic treatments on the side walls for sure to help

it wouldnt be too tough to move the speaker in around 6" from the wall on each side if needed

thanks

brad

here is another pic...the side walls i'm speaking of are two rooms located in the front of the theater....the room does open up more in the back

i think they are too close to the wall and you should move them closer together as much as you can. if you leave them as is, i can guarantee you that you will regret it later. push them closer together!!!

i have included a crude drawing of my entire basement....i am somewhat limited by the design on what i can do with the front three speakers

i do think moving the left and right in about 6" is probably a good idea...

thanks again!

I would consider building a screen wall out a couple of feet and using a Acoustic Transparent screen, and placing the speakers behind it. You do not seem to be lacking in depth of the room. The 6" doesn't seem like enough to remove the corner effects. You'll be able to have a wider screen too, and you'll also be able to place center right behind the screen. :)

Look up the SMX screen material the Ruben is helping everyone with. Very inexpensive.

I would consider building a screen wall out a couple of feet and using a Acoustic Transparent screen, and placing the speakers behind it. You do not seem to be lacking in depth of the room. The 6" doesn't seem like enough to remove the corner effects. You'll be able to have a wider screen too, and you'll also be able to place center right behind the screen. :)

Look up the SMX screen material the Ruben is helping everyone with. Very inexpensive.

i suppose this is still an option for me (building out the wall) but i had kind of decided i didn't want to do my center behind the screen for fear that i would give up some video quality for the convienance of not seeing a center speaker...to me, thats just not worth it

but maybe i was mis-informed...are the newer acoustic transparent screens that good?

Before modifying your design, I would suggest you contact the manufacturer of the speakers that you are using and get their opnion. Some speaker designs can be placed quite close to the wall.

Before modifying your design, I would suggest you contact the manufacturer of the speakers that you are using and get their opnion. Some speaker designs can be placed quite close to the wall.

hey mike

that's great advice

i sent a note off to Paul Scarpelli from Triad on this very subject...i'm sure he will get back to me soon

If you can't move them I would angel them inward. You could frame out your corners then cover the frame with drywall and insert your in-wall speakers in the newly chamfered corner.

I responded in a post here yesterday, but I sure don't see it. :confused:

Yes, the left and right are too close to the wall. Not only will you have a smear from the first reflections, but the left and right speakers will act like horns in those corners, and you'll have an elevated frequency response in the bass and lower midrange. If you can move them in 6", that will help a great deal, but you'll need fairly thick acoustical padding to kill first reflections.

Angling them in is not an option because the speaker mounts flush to the wall, and it needs the full 4" stud depth.

What I would have done is have all three speakers at the same height (tweeters at 40" - 44" off the floor), firing through an acoustically transparent screen, with the left and right also behind the screen, and 18" from the side walls. That's the right way to do it.

Paul

i think i will revisit the acoustic screen option...it will be really easy for me to move the left and right speakers in and get them 18" from the wall

any recomendations on screens to match up with the Triads?

thanks again

brad

I would consider building a screen wall out a couple of feet and using a Acoustic Transparent screen, and placing the speakers behind it. You do not seem to be lacking in depth of the room. The 6" doesn't seem like enough to remove the corner effects. You'll be able to have a wider screen too, and you'll also be able to place center right behind the screen. :)

Look up the SMX screen material the Ruben is helping everyone with. Very inexpensive.

I agree. In wall speakers are a severe compromise and impossible to setup properly because one can not test their performance and how they will interact with the room.

Paul

i think i will revisit the acoustic screen option...it will be really easy for me to move the left and right speakers in and get them 18" from the wall

any recomendations on screens to match up with the Triads?

thanks again

brad
I've been a fan of Stewart Filmscreen for years, but I use Screen Research in my theater. It's not perforated; it's a weave. Pixels on top of perforations can produce artifacts. Expect to pay a lot for a Screen Research screen, but expect unadulterated audio and a superb picture.

hey Paul

i will check out both screen companies

it's so nice to have a guy like you that works "in the business" at our disposal here on the forums...i hope you know it's much appreciated

thanks again

brad

hey Paul

i will check out both screen companies

it's so nice to have a guy like you that works "in the business" at our disposal here on the forums...i hope you know it's much appreciated

thanks again

brad

Good idea Brad. Be an informed consumer. That Stewart screen will be $$$. The SMX material is also not "perforated" its a weave. Not to seem like too much of a fan boy, the SMX stuff just is sooo much more affordable. If your a DIY'r type, I'd give it a whirl.

It also depends greatly on your seating distance. The closer you are the more you might see the openings in the weave. Just have to make sure your seating distances are ok. I forget the estimation for distance 1-1.5x screen width or is it diagonal. eh... something like that anyway.

I'm sure you'll see alot of testamonials about the SMX screen here.

Good idea Brad. Be an informed consumer. That Stewart screen will be $$$. The SMX material is also not "perforated" its a weave. Not to seem like too much of a fan boy, the SMX stuff just is sooo much more affordable. If your a DIY'r type, I'd give it a whirl.

It also depends greatly on your seating distance. The closer you are the more you might see the openings in the weave. Just have to make sure your seating distances are ok. I forget the estimation for distance 1-1.5x screen width or is it diagonal. eh... something like that anyway.

I'm sure you'll see alot of testamonials about the SMX screen here.

i think i will look into the SMX...i am a bit of a DIY'r so it might be a great option...i seem to remember that when i looked into acoustic trans screens in the past they were $3000-$5000...not sure what the SMX will cost but it might be worth a try

my seating distance will be about 15' from the screen

I can see the weave on my Screen Research screen if I'm about 6' away, but I never sit that close unless I want Nemo to scare the crapola outta me...

BTW, there are hardly any manufacturers left on this forum. I think they may have been chased off either by a rough crowd, or because they were shameless shills. I'm just a hobbyist like the rest of you, and I won't promote my brand unless someone asks about it, and even then, not at the expense of our (grossly inferior!) rivals. <cough>

I can see the weave on my Screen Research screen if I'm about 6' away, but I never sit that close unless I want Nemo to scare the crapola outta me...

BTW, there are hardly any manufacturers left on this forum. I think they may have been chased off either by a rough crowd, or because they were shameless shills. I'm just a hobbyist like the rest of you, and I won't promote my brand unless someone asks about it, and even then, not at the expense of our (grossly inferior!) rivals. <cough>

well, all i know is i read great things in a lot of places about TRIAD, but having your help really pushed me over the edge to pull the trigger on a full TRIAD system

now, hopefully it will sound good... :D

well, all i know is i read great things in a lot of places about TRIAD, but having your help really pushed me over the edge to pull the trigger on a full TRIAD system

now, hopefully it will sound good... :D
As long as your left and right fronts aren't stuffed into the corners, it will sound excellent. :cool: Let me know how things progress. Thanks for the great suggestions and comments from my Forum Bruthahs, too.

well, it looks like i'm gonna go with an acoustically transparent screen

i am in the process of moving those left and right speakers in and moving the center up...

a 110" screen is about 99" wide

if i do the speakers 32" apart (on center) will that be OK?...this way all three speakers would be about 80" total left to right

or should i space them out a bit more to get to around 90" total?...i can do this but it will involve some more framing...if you look at my pics you'll see what i mean....i hope... :D

well, it looks like i'm gonna go with an acoustically transparent screen

i am in the process of moving those left and right speakers in and moving the center up...

a 110" screen is about 99" wide

if i do the speakers 32" apart (on center) will that be OK?...this way all three speakers would be about 80" total left to right

or should i space them out a bit more to get to around 90" total?...i can do this but it will involve some more framing...if you look at my pics you'll see what i mean....i hope... :D

Move them around until you get a flat frequency response. A cheap SPL meter will get you close. Measurement obviously should be from the final seating position which, as a general rule, should be about two thirds of the room length.

Move them around until you get a flat frequency response. A cheap SPL meter will get you close. Measurement obviously should be from the final seating position which, as a general rule, should be about two thirds of the room length.

i can't really do that as i'm going with TRIAD inwalls and this is all new construction...

maybe i need to decide exactly what screen i'm going with (or at least what size) and add the speakers accordingly...??

i guess my main question is if i put them on 32" centers will this now be too close together?...if i do spread them out it wont be by much (maybe 6" further apart?)because i have to fit them behind that screen that is about 99" wide

here's the newest pic with the adjustments i made today...

there is now 36" from the left and right speakers to each side wall

there is 18" between each speaker

all three speakers total about 78"

(the length of the wall is 12' 6" total)

a 100" screen is 90" wide

a 110" screen is 99" wide

again, if i have to i can do some framing adjustments and move them out a bit more...maybe now they're too close!?... :rolleyes:

Can you share what screen you ended up with and the approx price?

Can you share what screen you ended up with and the approx price?

i haven't decided yet... :o

i need to speak to my HT guy and do some more research, but i think the good acoustically transparent screens can get pretty pricey

i guess it will also depend on which FP i go with...

Don't discount the importance of a good screen. My screen retails for double what my projector retails, but it enables me to place the front speakers correctly.

Don't discount the importance of a good screen. My screen retails for double what my projector retails, but it enables me to place the front speakers correctly.

hey Paul

so what do you think of the speaker placement now?...

will this work for just about any screen i decide to go with?...

thanks again

brad

Looking at your picture again, you should have moved the left and right brackets into the adjacent stud spaces. From your description, you moved them over TWO spaces. They will be too close together, although it will work better than your original placement next to the wall.

BTW, there are hardly any manufacturers left on this forum. I think they may have been chased off either by a rough crowd, or because they were shameless shills. I'm just a hobbyist like the rest of you, and I won't promote my brand unless someone asks about it

It's easy to be magnanimous when the forum is full of satisfied customers that spread the word for you. Take a job with Bose, come back here, then we'll see if your attitude changes. ;)

Looking at your picture again, you should have moved the left and right brackets into the adjacent stud spaces. From your description, you moved them over TWO spaces. They will be too close together, although it will work better than your original placement next to the wall.

i originally was going to move them over one space...but if i do that the total of all three speakers will be approx 110"

from looking around it seems that a 100" diag screen is 90" wide and a 110" is 99" wide

see what i mean?...maybe i should move the left and right out about 6"-8" each and just plan on going with a 110" screen (or larger)

this would make my three speaker total about 90"-94"

It's easy to be magnanimous when the forum is full of satisfied customers that spread the word for you. Take a job with Bose, come back here, then we'll see if your attitude changes. ;)
I'll never apologize for satisfied customers, I'll never work for Bose (they wouldn't want me), and I'll never compare myself to Willy Wonka like another speaker guy just did. And, I'll never change my attitude. This stuff is fun, and I like this group of enthusiasts.

Neener. :p :D :D

i originally was going to move them over one space...but if i do that the total of all three speakers will be approx 110"

from looking around it seems that a 100" diag screen is 90" wide and a 110" is 99" wide

see what i mean?...maybe i should move the left and right out about 6"-8" each and just plan on going with a 110" screen (or larger)

this would make my three speaker total about 90"-94"

I'd decide what size screen first, then figure out the speaker placement. It looks like your best position for inwalls is going to be one of only 4 positions:

99" screen:
1) 26" off the side walls - speakers just inside the screen frame (roughly 99" spread)
2) 9" off side walls - speakers just outside the screen

90" screen:
1) 30" off the side walls - speakers just inside the screen frame (only about a 6" bump each wider than your last pic - probably not enough)
2) 14" off side walls - speakers just outside the screen

Even if you end up with the L & R outside of screen, I'd still look at the acoustically transparent screen - the biggest benefit is with the Center speaker.

I'd decide what size screen first, then figure out the speaker placement. It looks like your best position for inwalls is going to be one of only 4 positions:

99" screen:
1) 26" off the side walls - speakers just inside the screen frame (roughly 99" spread)
2) 9" off side walls - speakers just outside the screen

90" screen:
1) 30" off the side walls - speakers just inside the screen frame (only about a 6" bump each wider than your last pic - probably not enough)
2) 14" off side walls - speakers just outside the screen

Even if you end up with the L & R outside of screen, I'd still look at the acoustically transparent screen - the biggest benefit is with the Center speaker.

those do sound like the best options...thanks

i think i will just figure on a 99" wide screen, and move each speaker over about 8"-10"...putting them at about 26" from the side walls

this way i am far enough from the side walls but still allow all three speakers to be behind the screen...my thinking is if i'm going with that kind of screen i might as well put all three speakers behind it....i think that looks cleaner anyway

i will just have to get a screen to accomodate this setup

I'd decide what size screen first, then figure out the speaker placement. It looks like your best position for inwalls is going to be one of only 4 positions:

99" screen:
1) 26" off the side walls - speakers just inside the screen frame (roughly 99" spread)
2) 9" off side walls - speakers just outside the screen

90" screen:
1) 30" off the side walls - speakers just inside the screen frame (only about a 6" bump each wider than your last pic - probably not enough)
2) 14" off side walls - speakers just outside the screen

Even if you end up with the L & R outside of screen, I'd still look at the acoustically transparent screen - the biggest benefit is with the Center speaker.
Sage advice.

I chose the right screen size, and then positioned my speakers for best sound. Even though my screen is acoustically transparent, the left and right speakers are outside the screen. The big advantage is, as stated, the fact that I have the center at the same height as the left and right, for a seamless soundstage.

Fight the urge to put the speakers really close together to get them behind the screen, or doing a giant screen to cover all three speakers. Form should, instead, follow function.

those do sound like the best options...thanks

i think i will just figure on a 99" wide screen, and move each speaker over about 8"-10"...putting them at about 26" from the side walls

this way i am far enough from the side walls but still allow all three speakers to be behind the screen...my thinking is if i'm going with that kind of screen i might as well put all three speakers behind it....i think that looks cleaner anyway

i will just have to get a screen to accomodate this setup

If you decide 90" is better, I wouldn't worry about the aesthetics of placing the L&R outside the screen - the inwalls will still give a nice finished appearance. I can't extrapolate audio performance based on these different placement scenarios like some others may be able to - but if I was shooting from the hip with a WAG - I'd bet that 14" from sidewall with speakers just outside a 90" screen is probably the best option of those 4.

Like Paul said, the primary benefit of an acoustically transparent screen is to allow the center speaker to be placed at the same height as your L & R speakers (and allow the sound to come directly from the corresponding video) - not to hide the speakers. In other words, you aren't "wasting" any functionality of the screen by not locating all 3 speakers behind it.

i suppose this is still an option for me (building out the wall) but i had kind of decided i didn't want to do my center behind the screen for fear that i would give up some video quality for the convienance of not seeing a center speaker...to me, thats just not worth it

but maybe i was mis-informed...are the newer acoustic transparent screens that good?


Just so you know, you would not be giving up one wit of video quality by going with an SMX screen and the realizim and depth of sound field you achieve is stunning.

Just so you know, you would not be giving up one wit of video quality by going with an SMX screen and the realizim and depth of sound field you achieve is stunning.

Ya what she said!

What was that other saying... "a fool and his money are soon parted." I could never bring myself to spend 2x a projector on a screen. I would have to be thoroughly convinced of the performance. Actually I would like to be convinced at any price point. I understand that if you pay 8k$ for a screen your gonna say you love it. If I spent $8k for anything and didn't like it, it would be returned. So I wouldn't look like a total sucker.

Oh that reminds me I need to return my $10k speaker cables. :p

I just spoke to Ruben over at SMX screens...

it looks like this might be the way to go...reading reviews and testimonials it sure seems like a great product...for A LOT less than a traditional AT screen from the big companies

i can put that money saved to good use elsewhere... :D

I just spoke to Ruben over at SMX screens...

it looks like this might be the way to go...reading reviews and testimonials it sure seems like a great product...for A LOT less than a traditional AT screen from the big companies

i can put that money saved to good use elsewhere... :D

Bingo. :)

I followed the inception of the SMX material on these fourms over the past year. The "weave" that they talk about is soo similar to the SMX stuff I personally couldn't tell much difference. Ruben did a bunch of testing and spent a ton of time looking into this. I really have to salute him for the effort he put forth to make things like this more affordable. I really don't mind him making some cash off of his continued hard work. I would much rather give my money to a guy like that. I'm not sure by you can probably find alot of the discussion on the diy screen sections here at avs... Might be old or removed now, but very interesting inception of a good product.