[PhiPsi32]

I've spent a good bit of time searching through the posts for comments on in ceiling speakers. The only comments I've seen say that they are not recommended for surround sound especially the front speakers. I'm looking for a speaker setup for the family room that will give me decent to good sound for movies and sports as well as ambient music (Sonos or AirPlay). However, the floor plan is not friendly to a box speaker setup (refer to photo).


The TV niche is in the corner. I have room for an in wall speaker on one side, but the fireplace is right next to it on the other side. The closest open wall space is 5' above the floor. The great room is a large open design that flows into the breakfast nook and kitchen with no walls. So the side speaker would have to float in the middle of the room. The wall near the TV is lined with large windows and french doors. The windows are about 4' tall and start about 2' of off the floor. Again there is no convenient placement for a side speaker. I've pasted an image at the bottom.


So, is an in ceiling system a reasonable compromise? Will I be able to assemble a decent sound system? Keep in mind that right now I'm just using the native speakers from my Samsung PN58B850. Or should I be looking at something like a sound bar? Or is there a clever way to install stand alone speakers given the floor plan? All opinions are welcome. I'm considering the B&W CCM683s or a Speakercraft aimable model.

 

[tbraden32]

Triad makes some great in-ceiling speakers. Jump over to that thread and ask Paul

 

[swtguy]

Definately triad if you can afford it. Whats your budget? Inceiling or they have several "sound bar" type applications that are actually 3 speakers each with their own cabinent all connected together designed to fit below the tv.(will sound 100x better than the crappy soundbars most companies sell)

 

[schan1269]

Believe it or not, buy some tower speakers. You don't need to find anywhere to put them...other than the floor. (and yes, you can pre-wire in the floor and put speaker connects right in the floor, put the speaker right on top of it)


Or you could get ceiling mounts for bookshelf speakers that will drop them down about 2 feet. Pinnacle makes the QP series LCR(as in all 3 front speakers in one enclosure) which are made to attach right to the TV. If you have a TV, you have a place to mount QP.

 

[PhiPsi32]

My budget is flexible. I was thinking $3-$5k for the whole system: speakers, amp, & sub. Wiring the floor is probably not an option; it's tile not carpet.

 

[swtguy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by PhiPsi32 /forum/post/20817149


My budget is flexible. I was thinking $3-$5k for the whole system: speakers, amp, & sub. Wiring the floor is probably not an option; it's tile not carpet.

Do you have a receiver or prepro you will be using or thats part of the budget as well?




I'm not sure on the current triad pricing as the price guide I have is from 2009 but with your budget I'd do 2500ish on the LCR and surrounds, $800-1k on a sub and another 800ish on the receiver(i'm assuming you dont have a prepro already).


You could do the mini lcr 3.0, or 3 in ceiling mini lcrs if you want them completely hidden and some of the round speakers for the rears. That should put you around 2000-2500(check with Triad on the pricing).


If you want to do all triad speakers you could get a silver omnisub but personally I'd get an ID sub, seem to be more bang for the buck.


For the receiver make sure you get one that is 4ohm compatible as the triad speakers are 4ohm and a lot of receivers aren't made to drive a 4ohm load.

 

[swtguy]

How tall are your ceilings? If its a 2 story ceiling I would think you'd definately want to go with the mini lcr 3.0.

 

[schan1269]

Cutting a perfect square in tile would be a pain in the butt.


I would seriously consider these and just arrange them around the TV.


Def Tech Mythos

Pinnacle QP

KEF T series.


The rears, stick with the same mfr as the choice above and get ceiling mounts to drop the speakers down. That is actually an easy room to put audio in. If you'll mount stuff to the wall/ceiling. If you want in-ceiling/wall, that can be done, but is never "the best" option.

 

[PhiPsi32]

Yes, 5k is the budget for the whole package. However, I will go over that if the extra $$$ will deliver a boost in performance commensurate with the extra expense. Ceilings are 10', sorry. It's in the diagram but not obvious.


And I do not have an amp or receiver. My plan was to purchase an amp to go with the speaker system.

 

[PhiPsi32]

Thanks for the info. I have a tentative plan, and I have solicited bids from some local dealers. I hope to be able to contribute to the forums once I have some audio experience.

 

[tbraden32]

And your initial plans call for what speakers??

 

[uscmatt99]

That's a tough room. I have a 5.1 set of Triad in-ceiling bronze LCRs. They sound great, but my room has a more favorable layout. It looks like you don't even have seating which directly faces the display, so how do you optimally setup the ceiling speakers? Remember you only get one shot. I'd be tempted to go with Triad's top of the line soundbar and mount it and a display to an articulated wall mount that you can swing out if desired. Then go with bronze in-ceiling surrounds since you won't be able to localize them anyway, installed above and slightly behind the couches.

 

[Neurorad]

That's a great idea - articulated mount - for a corner spot. Looks like a normal on-wall TV when retracted, pulls out for easier viewing from the seating area and kitchen.


I think you'd have to audition some sound bars, though. Not sure how great they've become. I've read that good sound is now possible, just do your homework; it's a pretty big space.

 

[uscmatt99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neurorad That's a great idea - articulated mount - for a corner spot. Looks like a normal on-wall TV when retracted, pulls out for easier viewing from the seating area and kitchen. I think you'd have to audition some sound bars, though. Not sure how great they've become. I've read that good sound is now possible, just do your homework; it's a pretty big space.

The Triad "soundbars" are 3 individually enclosed and sealed speakers with one outer enclosure just for aesthetics. In fact, I think you can buy their mini-LCR speakers in separate enclosures as well so you could optimize placement as room allows. You only miss out on the wider spread you'd get with individual speakers with their bar. I have one of their mid-range bars in my bedroom, and while the output is lower and the low-frequency extension is only to 120Hz, the clarity is amazing. These are not your typical pseudo-surround bars like Yamaha, Sony, Pioneer, etc. I came from a Sony soundbar and the clarity is definitely on a different level. To be fair the Triad is hooked up to an AVR with Audyssey and this could account for some of the difference.


My wife and I built our house and I remember the first thing I changed was the damned fireplace location. We kept one purely for resale purposes down the road, but had to make it a direct-vent so it could be on an inside wall. The entire reason was so that I could put a big display in the middle of the room, at the appropriate height, lined up to the couch, that we could also see from the kitchen. I've said it before and I'll say it again-- I watch TV every day, but fireplace only twice a year. Of course the people who helped us with furniture and interior design absolutely cringed, but they don't live in my house