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Configure this room :)

post #1 of 13
6/9/08 at 9:25am
Thread Starter 
Image should have all the necessary info on the room. Dimensions are inside of wall to inside of wall. There are tables by all the furniture, just didn't put it on there. Primary view positions would be either side of the couch at the back of the room and the recliner on the right side. Loveseat on the left isn't a primary seat.

Ceiling height is 14' at the TV and drops back to 8.5' at the sofa at the rear of the room. Oh, and i think i forgot to label it, but the small wall on the lower left is a 1/2 height (3') wall between the great room and dining room.

Main viewing for surround will be movies (80%) and occasionally tv (20%).

Receiver is either going to be onkyo 705, pio 1018, or yam 663 - still undecided, but that isn't overly relevant here. Presently i'm looking for a good setup for this room for speakers, and want to keep it under $1000. Preferably lower. It's not the ideal room for a theatre setup, but you gotta work with what you've got

If you have location ideas, i'm open to those as well

Thanks!


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post #2 of 13
6/9/08 at 10:01am
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post #3 of 13
6/9/08 at 10:08am
Thread Starter 
There aren't too many different options for how to locate the room. The TV is in an entertainment center and that would basically wipe out the two windows in the room.

I was more looking for what speakers to get and where to put them. I actually like the room config, but i simply can't wipe out my windows to accomplish it. And FWIW, the ONLY tv connection in the room is behind where the TV presently is. The other two walls are exterior walls and there is no attic over the room so I can't run cable down them.
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post #4 of 13
6/9/08 at 10:21am
All I can say is.... what's more important to you.... Looking out the windows or having a nice sound set up for a great HT experience? Your call. As for the Cable outlet.... just run a cable from the outlet to where the TV is over by the window. Not terribly difficult to do....

But, the way you have it set up now, doesn't leave you any options for optimal speaker placements. You need to decide where your priorities are.
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post #5 of 13
6/9/08 at 11:30am
I agree with quad... with your current setup, I wouldn't bother with surround sound. You can't take advantage of it anyway. Here is the "ideal" setup:
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/home_e...omlayout2.html
You can't get close to that with your current arrangement, and unless you can get at least close to that, surround sound is not worth doing. I would stick with stereo or, at most 3.1

Craig
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post #6 of 13
6/9/08 at 12:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by quadriverfalls View Post


I would take this, ditch the TV, buy a projector and electric screen (in addition to reflecting light hitting the front, projector screens also block the light behind them). This also makes speaker placement easier...
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post #7 of 13
6/10/08 at 4:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by quadriverfalls View Post


Good call John. I would second this thought process. I did the exact same thing and blocked our sliding glass door to the back yard (have other access through kitchen) to get better placement for my system. It's worth it and will give you such a better experience.
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post #8 of 13
6/12/08 at 9:24am
Thread Starter 
Not bad ideas. I DO have a 9 year old 5.1 system in their now. The rear speakers are on either side of the couch in the back of the room and I can tell a difference when they're off.

The older speakers are showing their age and the current reciever has a short that prevents the sound from being turned up past -25db, so i was looking at new pieces. The layout isn't ideal by any stretch, but the sound doesn't suck either. Sounds pretty good actually.

My first question seems to have been answered in that there isn't a better way to place the speakers in the current configuration. I will look at alternative layouts though.

The screen is a VERY intriguing idea, though, i must say

Any suggestions for speakers?
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post #9 of 13
6/12/08 at 11:35am
There is a room configuration here that will allow for optimal viewing and listening...bear with me and give it a try, I think you'll like it:

First swap the Loveseat and TV. Square the TV up on that wall, just a little offset to the left of center. Place the Couch in front of the windows, it won't block the windows much I would presume. Place the Chair across from the loveseat so that it faces the loveseat, or at an angle towards the TV.
Get an area rug that is the length of the opening to the Hall/Entry and place it so it protrudes slightly on to one side or the other of the opening. Now you have the rug and loveseat to cover the cable run over to the TV so that the wire does not show at all and won't be tripped over.
Fronts can now go on the sides of the TV with the sub in the corner at the Hall/Entry opening. The surrounds can flank the couch spread out to the wall and fireplace. The speaker wires for the surrounds can wrap around the loveseat and under the rug along with the cable line and again, very little to no wires showing.
Finally, kick back relax and enjoy tremendous 5.1 surround. God that was a lot of writing, I hope it sparked some thought.
As far as speaker choice...I'll leave that to the 500 other $1000 budget threads.
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post #10 of 13
6/12/08 at 11:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioMike View Post

There is a room configuration here that will allow for optimal viewing and listening...bear with me and give it a try, I think you'll like it:

First swap the Loveseat and TV. Square the TV up on that wall, just a little offset to the left of center. Place the Couch in front of the windows, it won't block the windows much I would presume. Place the Chair across from the loveseat so that it faces the loveseat, or at an angle towards the TV.
Get an area rug that is the length of the opening to the Hall/Entry and place it so it protrudes slightly on to one side or the other of the opening. Now you have the rug and loveseat to cover the cable run over to the TV so that the wire does not show at all and won't be tripped over.
Fronts can now go on the sides of the TV with the sub in the corner at the Hall/Entry opening. The surrounds can flank the couch spread out to the wall and fireplace. The speaker wires for the surrounds can wrap around the loveseat and under the rug along with the cable line and again, very little to no wires showing.
Finally, kick back relax and enjoy tremendous 5.1 surround. God that was a lot of writing, I hope it sparked some thought.
As far as speaker choice...I'll leave that to the 500 other $1000 budget threads.


That sounds like the best option to me, especially if the couch wont block the windows. But then you have to worry about sun glare.
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post #11 of 13
6/12/08 at 12:06pm
As for the speakers showing their age;how are they showing their age? Are they blowing out? I would get a new receiver and worry about the speakers last your reveiver may be the reason why your speakers arent performing "right".
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post #12 of 13
6/12/08 at 12:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lebronze View Post

That sounds like the best option to me, especially if the couch wont block the windows. But then you have to worry about sun glare.

Curtains are a beautiful thing

BTW: my set-up would also then allow for a nice sitting/reading area between the fireplace and dining room. A club chair or two and a small bookcase, voila! Also could be a nice place for a kiddie or banquet table during large family gatherings or parties.
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post #13 of 13
6/13/08 at 9:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhioMike View Post

Curtains are a beautiful thing

BTW: my set-up would also then allow for a nice sitting/reading area between the fireplace and dining room. A club chair or two and a small bookcase, voila! Also could be a nice place for a kiddie or banquet table during large family gatherings or parties.


That's the layout I was thinking, too.

As far as glare, those windows face dead east. And there are 2.5" wood blinds on the window. Not much gets through that I don't want to get through.

The only problem that layout really gives me is having to get 2 DTV coax cables from the front corner by the windows to the wall the loveseat is presently on.

As for the speakers, if the room layout doesn't make that huge a difference, i can use the info i've seen on those other threads you mention. Polk M50's (i think) and the matching center channel seem to be one of the popular options. And fwiw, the speakers were going to be the very last thing on the list. I harbored the same suspicion about the chips in the reciever being at fault. I seem to recall hooking the thin up originally and being blown away by the sound quality. Perhaps a new layout, speaker position, and receiver will fix that.
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