where to spend 1 K in upgrading.

Hmmm,...tons of brands out there, but first I'd have to ask if your present system is properly set up? My guess,...your biggest problem is having the mains on stands and the center and surrounds in the ceiling. I'd get everything down out of the ceiling,...but thats just me.

As for brands;
RBH
Totem
Triad
Dynaudio
Opera
PSB
Aperion
and many, many others. Depends on what you like.

I agree with 11427, I think you do not feel part of the movies because the surrounds are not surrounding you, they are firing down at you, much less immersive,IMO. I realize there isn't anything you can do as you have stated but I also feel that getting better mains won't WOW you either, it might sound smoother of better blended but won't immerse you into a movie.

Having said all that I would recommend Axiomaudio as one more company to look at for mains, if you decide to go that route. I have M80s and they are a great speaker,IMO, lots of sonic detail.

I got the impression from your first post that your center was also in the ceiling. If not, try aiming it toward your ears,.... by necessity my center is a foot or so higher than my mains, in this position it really does help to point it down toward your ears. Even though it is not my preference, you should still be able to get respectable sound with the surrounds in the ceiling, not ideal but they should still do well.

I still wonder about your set up, speaker settings, distance, levels etc.

As for speakers that Wow'd me,... RBH 1266-SE. I also prefer towers over bookshelf speakers. Which is better is debatable, both have pros and cons.

If you have 1k for upgrading, room treatments all the way. Best 1k you'll ever spend.

If you really have a ceiling mounted center, take care of that also. Make sure everything is calibrated properly as well.

If you have some DIY skills you may want to consider an infinite baffle subwoofer you can put in your attic. That will certainly solve your bass problems. You may want to consider bigger bookshelf speakers for your surrounds and mount them from the celings using a ceiling mount. That way you can angle them to point to the seating position. If you still want your surrounds and rears in the ceiling you may want to consider either the gallos or orbs which have eyeball speakers which can be aimed at the listening position.

3803 doesn't have a setup mic option. Is it a 3805?

Not to oversimplify things but have you tried turning up the volume of your surrounds?


Also, have you heard someone else's theatre that makes you feel like yours doesn't immerse? I wonder if your expectations for the surrounds are too high. I think most movies have the sound focused in the front of the room (front soundstage-they want your attention focused there) and only periodically give you much volume from the surrounds. I just watched I am Legend this weekend and there is an opening scene with Will Smith driving around in a new Mustang and the surrounds were working pretty hard there, but again, it wouldn't be normal for the whole movie to have that type of surround action.

Get the rears out of the ceiling and mount them a little above ear level, slightly behind the listening position and pointing slightly downward on that position.

Tilt the center channel down towards the middle listening position. If the sound from it is firing over your head, the soundstage will be ruined.

Finally, use an SPL meter, level match the speakers and look for bass nulls and peaks in the room from your sbudwoofer. EQ that to as flat as possible and then re-listen to your setup. If you still don't like it, get some room treatments. Speakers will certainly change the sound, but in order to get that enveloping sound that you're looking for, they will need to be level and timbre matched to ensure the soundstage isn't effected.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother with speakers at all at this point. Get the other stuff completed first. You might just find that changing the speakers won't help. Even the best speakers will sound bad in a room with poor acoustic and improper setup/calibration.

Make sure your center channel is pointed at the listening position, not facing and firing sound over your head.

How high up are the surrounds in the ceiling? Further than 8'?

And where are your left/right mains located? Wanting a bigger, wider sound could mean they aren't set up properly. Optimizing their location can change the sound drastically. If they are in a cabinet, or close to the TV or walls, not good. They should be 2~3 away from walls and other objects, on stands or other objects with the tweeter at ear height. If you are 10' away from the speakers, they should be spaced about 10' apart if possible (equilateral triangle).

Plus, as others have said, make sure each speaker is calibrated to the same level.


Once you're sure you have everything set up and calibrated the best it can be, re-evaluate what you're looking for. More low end to anchor the sound, meaning a subwoofer upgrade? More immersive surround sound - maybe move the NHTs to the back (mount on the wall, put on stands, or put shelves on the wall and put them there) and get bigger front NHTs that match your current speakers and can fill up the space better.

Room treatments are always good, but there are things you can do (like speaker placement and calibration) that should be done first. Other things like putting a rug over a hardwood floor, putting objects or a blanket over a hard surface coffee table, moving speakers away from walls - all these things can help improve the sound.

Why not try horn based speakers. They tend to do loud passages quite well. Either way, I'd recommend something efficient that can play quite loud. Paradigms are good to start with...