I just moved into a new home, and am planning a speaker purchase. I already know I want to go with SVS speakers and sub, but am not exactly sure what choices I want to make with them. Excuse my ASCII art, but it's probably better than me drawing something with Paint :):


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| ----TV---- |
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| ----Couch--- |
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So, the room is 30'9" long (width in drawing), 14'6" wide (height in drawing), and 7'10" tall for about 3500 cubic feet of volume. The TV is just over 6' wide (Mits WD73831 73" DLP), and the front edge is about 2 ft. out from the wall. Across from the TV I have a couch. I plan on putting all speakers except for front center on stands (front center will be wall mounted just above TV). So... do I have enough room to do 7.1 with the couch about 7' away from the TV, leaving about a foot and a half for surround rears behind me? Or should I just stick with 5.1 so I don't have to be so close to the TV?

Next, with the SVS's... I need to weigh my options. I'd like to keep the cost of all my speakers + sub < about $2000, but I can go above it if it's much better. I want to definitely go with SCS01's for the front left and front right, but is it worth it to upgrade the surrounds (+ rear surrounds if I go 7.1) with the SCS01 instead of the SBS01? Finally, which sub? The "New PB12-NSD" is the more expensive sub in the pre-packaged SVS systems, and that's the minimum I would go with. Would that be enough for my room size? If I were to upgrade from that, should I go in the same line, but with a dual woofer (PB12-NSD/2), or upgrade to the Plus line? I.e. dual woofer just goes louder/fills more volume, whereas going to Plus or Ultra is more sound quality (yes, that's very subjective), right?

I will be purchasing the new Pioneer VSX-92TXS when it comes out in August that is THX Select2 and Neural and Dolby Digital EX certified (and just about every other alphabet soup it can muster).

Thanks for your help.

Wow, 7' from a 73" Mits (nice TV BTW)...if you can't change your room orientation, to put your TV on the short wall, then stick with 5.1. As far as the sub...there is more articulation with the Plus, but since you're going to be relatively nearfield with that setup, the PB12NSD will probably be enough. If you suffer from "I should just go with the Plus" syndrome, then you had better do it...no 2nd guessing.

I agree, 7 feet away from a 73" screen is really close. Can you rearrange the room?

Nope, I can't put the tv at the end of the room... bookshelves and closets at one end that need to be accessible, and entrance at the other end. Anyhow, with the couch currently against the wall, my eyes are about 10 feet away from the screen. How far do you need to be away from surround rears? Or is distance not as important as the correct angle (so long as the receiver is calibrated correctly so that sound levels are equal)? If necessary I could possibly mount the rears on the wall and only move the couch up a foot or less. I would guess the correct angle is more important, it's just that if it's really close, the angle is only correct for the sweet spot, and it changes drastically for other viewers.

The current distance isn't that bad, and I wouldn't mind moving up. It gives a more "enveloping" feeling with screen, like your actually at the theater. Just have to be careful when playing Wii :). I don't really plan on having more than two-four people down here at a time, so I'm not worried about running out of space for people to sit.

If I only go 5.1, am I really losing that much? In the insiders thread I remember reading that most films are not mixed in 7.1, and if they are it's for SDDS with five speakers across the front, instead of three front, two sides, and two rears. However, are many movies mixed in 6.1 using Dolby Digital EX? Looking through my own small movie collection, many of them say Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (I would assuming indicating that the 6 channel is indeed matrixed in).

You are going to go blind.

i've never heard of SDDS in any home, nor seen any consumer amp/preamps that support it. 7.1...you'd need at least 5 feet to mount the last 2 speakers... you'll be fine with 5.1

why is everyone commenting on the distance from the tv? i always see front projection systems where the screen is 110'' and the viewing area is maybe 12' back. no one is going to go blind.

i'd go for the pb-12 and 5.1 with the surrounds directly to the sides of the couch.
the plus might be a bit much, unless you wanna match the big tv with a monster sub.
:D

1.5 x dia of screen for hd = 9ft sd maynot look as good. Don't think he's going blind. I would get the PB12nsd/2 0r the Pb12 and one later when $$ allows

Thread Hijack>>>


How do the HTD Level Two Bookshelves compare to the SVS SB(C)S-01's? You don't hear a lot about the Home Theater Direct line on here...just wondering if anyone has any experience with their products.


I'm looking for a pair of bookshelves for -/= $200 and a good matching center speaker or third bookshelf to use as a center.


Would be interested in various ID brands to consider. I've already looked at the X-series, HSU, SVS, HTD, Axiom, Aperion, and Outlaw....anymore I should or could look at?

i've never heard of SDDS in any home, nor seen any consumer amp/preamps that support it. 7.1...you'd need at least 5 feet to mount the last 2 speakers... you'll be fine with 5.1

That was my point... 7.1 theater mixes are not suitable for home use because nobody supports it.

Yeah, EnzoPolotso, everyone comments on how huge 73" is for an RPTV, but don't even flinch on both size and distance for front projections > 100".

Anyhow, so it looks like I'll probably go with the 5.0 SCS deluxe system (SCS's for all 5 speakers) - $875, and just because it fits in my budget, the PB12-Plus - $949. Plus two sets of stands, some mounts, and an SPL meter = $2,052.90. Plus tax and shipping, minus discount for buying a sub with an SCS speaker set (I need to contact them) should bring me in just over $2,000. Perfect.