If this was yours to do...

What would YOU do?....

Hey all, my name is Sherri. Live in Canada. and you will be seeing more of me then you probably want

I have just finished building my dream home... took a few ideas from here over the years and hope to finish up with savant as my system.

I am all roughed in and am wanting products to install.... it has been 2+ years since I started to build and everything I looked at then might not be what I want now.... PLZ Help

Being able to minimize sound bleed from room to room is important... it is a loghome with no real walls separating a lot of the main area.

Directional options, stereo options.. I know SFA but am a quick study

If someone wouldnt mind giving me a clue on what I want to look for, number wise... what number means what... I get amps and output... little unsure on ohms, but the day is early


And then I have to figure out what I need to run it all... That would be a big help.

I have never been much of an idiot so I can do a lot of my own searching I just would like to know how they work.

This be my home....

I have a loft open design above the great room... 24x30 I have 4-8" holes for speakers to go in... Def Tech was my original thought but please keep in mind I am on a budget.... any thoughts??

I have one of three BPS-1 BANDPASS SUBWOOFERS in the loft as well. The others are in the kitchen and one in the livingroom.

My kitchen is 22x15 with vaulted ceilings and a 12/12 pitch. wired for 2-8" sort of kitty corner from each other

The living room 22x20 12/12 pitch as well.... at the other end of the main floor I have 4-8" holes waiting to be filled with the sub in the center... these will be my surround as well of course... (I didnt know if I had to mention that) The ceiling is about 22' high and the holes are set at about 14' up on the pitch

Master bedroom has 2-4" that will probably never be a full blast.. (Something the other speakers will be expected to do) FYI

I have 2 zones outside east and south 2 -8" round in both zones, they are in soffits and well out of any weather... (am I still stuck with outside speakers? I have not found any I like )

I just dont like products installed that I have not researched... So I ask for your experiences. And really appreciate if you think I might want to try/look/checkout something different

This is one of many posts to come... I hope. Nice to meet you all.

Thanks for the reply... this is my third attempt at a post... I get less and less articulate the more times I have to retype a post... Sorry.

The more I look the more I wonder if I got the right crew to come in... but those are personal thoughts... I dont know if all these little headaches with the wiring a project are standard... being a woman I sometimes have one or two contractors thinking they can make changes and not inform me ... which now leaves me without my HDMI runs and looking for alternatives.... and I am getting a little gun shy of my installers recommendations as I have caught him blowing smoke up my ass, and I tend to take that personally... but onto speakers (I have to remember with forum I am in)


Thanks for the point out on the 4" in the MB I can cut them out to 6"'s .... The home is going to have a dedicated HT room in the basement approx 14X20 all wired up..... and all the zones I mentioned are just mostly for daily rocking.... I like my music loud..... but I was under the assumption that the 10's in the living room ceilings would also be my living room surround, that was our discussion at the beginning when I hired this crew.

I am also installing savant, (but the installer is trying hard to convince me to go to AMX... saying they are comparable in cost... something I am not 100% sure on) I want every zone to be independent with multiple sources... I will have sirius, Ipod, Itunes


... the installer said I could not go stereo in the house as he went 2 wire not 4... this is not changeable, but am I missing out on options then? That is my biggest concern... My theater sound will be down stairs though what wire do I want to make sure is there? I am prewired for a projector and all other HT necessities though I hope.. but not speakers as that project is next year..

I did ask him why he went with that and he said that is how he designed it... I asked him if he thought that that might be something I might want to have some input on.. (Trying to keep sarcasm out of my voice, my husband says I am hard on contractors... I think of it as having high standards)

From the little reading I have done I am already worried abut boominess as I have 2 speakers in the living room that are with in 24" of the wall....I have no one but me to blame.. I just want to make sure I am really well informed from here on out... I so want to do this right.

Is there a certain brand that has addressed the boom issue or another option?

He designed the room without telling me it was with specific products in mind...

... when I went in in 2010 I informed him I get great discounts through Direct buy Polk and JBL and infinity speakers. Enough savings to make it worthwhile to go Polk or a mix and match of all three (Is that smart though or does it matter if I get individual amplifiers per zone?)

My installer designed with def tec and sonance in mind... that is what he says but contract he has (the one basing the quote and the one he says he wired for) the mariner 51 for my outdoor speaker, but they cut a round hole.. he says that is ok that an indoor can go outside... I have issues with that... I think the area may be dry as it is under soffit but it is the cold/hot extremes that concern me... I have to find

Wire is wire, but he is trying to tell me that the inserts are only good for the speakers he designed it to go with... I understand that he gets an end on all products but I was very up front about wanting him mostly for his expertise in design ect.... @ 95.00 an hour I do not need someone foisting the products on me that I haven't had time to research ..... now it seems as if he seems to think I am painted into a corner and must buy def tec.

I dont see an issue with using same insert? Is it an issue??? .. and if it is I can just remove them anyway as long as my circles are cut right ... am I wrong?? The ceiling is 1x4 pine tongue and groove... So I can always shave the opening if needed

Not that I would mind DT speakers or Sonance but Polk has a great rep and I can get the vanishing series at great savings. 50% approx. I have to see if I have the depth for the LS series, but it is spray foam insulation, so I can always gouge out some if needed. If not I can get the RS series ... or am I not looking in the right direction for what I want?

I can get these at about 40- 45 % off

http://www.infinitysystems.com/home/products/product_detail.aspx?prod=ERS610&cat=ISP&ser=ERS&Language=ENG&Region=USA&Country=US

I would like speakers that will play both TV surround and music when rocking to do my housework.. I have 3 5' long subs built into the ceiling as well one in kitchen one in loft and one in living room....

http://www.sonance.com/products/speakers/detail/474

At this time I do not know if I should go a bunch of smaller amps The installer recommended 11 sherbourn 2/150B power amps 1 per sub and another per pair of speakers

What are the pros and cons of a couple of multi zones over a dedicated amp per zone?. He designed the subs to have their own amp.. I can make it so heat is a non issue.. 11 seems like a financial nightmare.... and power supply headache

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and reply... I have one shot at this.. I want to make sure that I have as much info I can get before I decide..... I have a lot to do yet to get where i want to go... off to the HT thread .. gotta find a rack solution. Now that I am not limited to 50" I can move my racks to HT furniture and put it under front of screen... looking at cabinet hardware for solutions....

I have already almost designed the cabinet, got some incredible Ideas from here already and want to post pics.. but I guess I have to start it first which means I need to know my components... which means I need to know my speakers... God no wonder I feel like I am going in circles

@HTC ... Smartass... .... Keep up with comments like that and you will never see me coming... ... j/k

Ok so I have tentatively settled on Polk.... vanishing series... until I started looking at infinity... I will tell you what I have come up with for polk, and if Infinity will outdo that I would appreciate knowing...

Through out the house ... Living room, 4 speakers ... kitchen.. 2 speakers Loft... 4 speakers ... I think I will fill the holes with Polk 70RT ... So that leaves me with having to fill my exteriors... Want rounds as holes are cut... and my Master bedroom and bath... The bathroom actually has a shower with stereo and Tv and all the toys... so the in ceiling is a little redundant..... I am ok with over kill... I always feel better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it... am a big believer in more power.


Specs for in-ceiling round... I am limited due to depth... I dont have any depth over 6-7"

http://www.polkaudio.com/customaudio/vanishing/specs.php#inceiling

I can pick these up for 90 before taxes I will need 10 of them... but I get just about if not more of a savings on infinity... I am going into future shop today... want t listen to some see what my fine tuned ears can pick up...



Are the grills necessary? I like the look without them.

Are JBL speakers comparable?
Edited by sherri - 6/12/12 at 9:59am

I have a membership that gives me discounted pricing on JBL, Polk and Infinity... Paradigm..... I do not... it gives me the feeling of having a bigger budget ....

I have the Big Box shop tech squad coming out on friday to see what I have...

How hard is it to post pics here??

Chills.. when I think of what I can do for a HT


http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/general/ProductFamily.aspx?FId=91&MID=1



I feel like a kid in a candy store ... I love it.