[mikebmitchell]

Please help, I am moving into a new home with a less than ideal setting for a home theater. My room is about 24' long and 12' deep. One 12' wall has french doors while the other has a large window. My couch will be placed on one of the 24' walls with openings on both sides of the couch. My monitor will be placed off center on the other 24' wall (fireplace is center). I am concerned about placement of speakers with an off center monitor. I will be installing a 7.1 config. So my questions are:


1)Can or should I put one of the mains on the other fireplace or do they need to be equidistant from the monitor?


2)Should the side surrounds be placed close to the seating area or at the ends of the 24' wall?


3)How far out from the wall does my couch need to be if I place the rear surrounds on the back wall facing down?


I will be using the following speakers

Mirage 260s for the mains, CC for center, and 4 Omnisats as surrounds with a Velodyne sub.

Sorry for the long message, but I am stumped. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.


Mike

 

[mikebmitchell]

I need some help delivery is next weekend. Thanks


Mike

 

[JasonColeman]

Mike-


Never fear...the help of AVS is here (at least they should be momentarily!).


It sounds like a less-than-ideal setup, but don't worry it should work fine.


What receiver are/will you be using? Does it have an auto-eq feature like Pioneer Elite or Yamaha or Denon? These can compensate for locational discrepancies that you might have, or you can use an SPL meter for calibration. Having one front speaker out of place, while not ideal, isn't a big deal.


Next question is this...will this be your first 7.1 system or have you had 7.1 and want to have it in the new house, too? The reason I ask is that you have a very wide, yet shallow room. Not very ideal for 7.1 as I see it. A good 5.1 setup should work fine, but if you need to mount the back surrounds in the ceiling or at the top of the wall right behind the couch, then so be it. As far as how far out from the wall to place the couch, I'd simply try moving it out 2-3 feet and seeing what you think. In such a shallow room, you don't have much "room!" There's not any way you could rotate your whole setup 90 or 270 degrees?


The side surrounds shouldn't be placed at the back corners of the room...there's just no need to put them that far away. I'd move them closer, especially if you're planning to put back surrounds right above your head! 12' away is a lot of space for sound to get lost, especially in a room only 12' deep. I'd try to keep them 6-8' feet from the couch at most. Maybe you should ceiling-mount those too?


I assure you...some knowledgeable AVS member will come to your rescue sometime soon. In the meantime, do you know any parlor tricks?


Jason

 

[mikebmitchell]

Hey thanks for the reply. I will be using a Denon 3805 reciever, so I will be able to take advantage of the Auto-eq feature. This will be my first 7.1 setup as I am upgrading from 5.1 in my old house. Unfortunately my wife will not let me rotate the setup because it would block a bay window at one end and french doors at the other. I was considering putting the side surrounds on stands and moving them a little closer.


I would certainly appreciate any other suggestions.


Mike

 

[JasonColeman]

Mike-


Excellent choice on the AVR (check in on the 3805 thread...I'm a "Big Fan").


I would pre-wire for 7.1 and maybe try it out once you get settled in, but I think that with your room size (especially front to back 12') you might be better off with 5.1 or maybe 6.1.


The auto-eq of the 3805 is awesome. It will deftly correct any "challenges" you have as far as speaker placement, different types of speakers, etc. It is an excellent AVR...did I already mention that?


Putting the side surrounds on stands and moving them closer is a good idea. If you have them 12' feet away, there's a lot of clarity that's lost during that 12' trip to your ears, especially in a rectangular room (chock full 'o reverberation). 7.1 is a lot of speakers in that size room, especially when you consider the WAF!


BTW, do you have the auto-eq mic for the 3805?


Jason

 

[mikebmitchell]

Thanks again.

No my local B&M does not carry the mic. Any suggestions on where I can order one online?


Mike

 

[JasonColeman]

Crutchfield sells the mic, and a lot of people have gotten theirs there.


Good Luck!


Jason

 

[mikebmitchell]

thanks again, I can't wait for the delivery of my new HT system

 

[8ballcoupe]

I imagine those speakers will do a pretty good job for you in that room.


I know that, at least in times past, a fellow named Alex at Mirage would respond directly to a fax sent to:


416 321 1500


with "attention Alex" on the cover page.


Just draw a diagram (with measurements included) of the room that includes things like window, door, and obstruction information as well as preferred furniture layout and the exact speaker / equipment you have and fax it to him. He has responded to friends of mine with specific and effective placement advice.


Ernie

 

[mikebmitchell]

That would be great. I'll give it a try.


Mike

 

[8ballcoupe]