[TheSwartz]

Hello, I am doing research to install a 7.1 system in a 14.5 x 13.5 room with 10 ft ceilings and hard wood flooring.


I just figured out that the clearance from the side of the 60" TV I'm going to wall mount to a door frame at best is 12 inches (I don't have measurement yet, need to get access back to this house to measure again). It might only be like 3 inches (uggh).


I had wanted to do in-wall speakers for the center, fronts, and sides with in-ceiling installation of the rear speakers.


Since it's a possibility that I couldn't center everything on the desired wall the way I'd like, I was wondering if installing the front speakers in the ceiling would be any problem. I am primarily wanting to make sure I get the best quality experience I can squeeze out of my situation.


The distance from the wall to the sitting position is 10 feet, which is the height of the ceilings. But, for some reason, I just think this might be an odd thing to do...


Thanks!

 

[ack_bk]



Quote:
Originally Posted by DrGerm /forum/post/0


Hello, I am doing research to install a 7.1 system in a 14.5 x 13.5 room with 10 ft ceilings and hard wood flooring.


I just figured out that the clearance from the side of the 60" TV I'm going to wall mount to a door frame at best is 12 inches (I don't have measurement yet, need to get access back to this house to measure again). It might only be like 3 inches (uggh).


I had wanted to do in-wall speakers for the center, fronts, and sides with in-ceiling installation of the rear speakers.


Since it's a possibility that I couldn't center everything on the desired wall the way I'd like, I was wondering if installing the front speakers in the ceiling would be any problem. I am primarily wanting to make sure I get the best quality experience I can squeeze out of my situation.


The distance from the wall to the sitting position is 10 feet, which is the height of the ceilings. But, for some reason, I just think this might be an odd thing to do...


Thanks!

It is not ideal to install them in the ceiling. But it is what it is. Let us know for sure, and there are some in-ceiling speakers that are preferred, but we need to know your budget. You may also want to consider a nicer sound bar.

 

[BobL]

In ceiling speakers can work in the right situation. If they are too far above the TV it doesn't tie the sound to the picture. They tend to work well with TVs mounted high on the wall such as above a fireplace and projectors screens. If you do in ceiling speakers make sure you do ones that angle ~45 degrees towards you. The ones that have a smaller 15 degree angle aren't really good for your application because the sound is aiming more downward than at you.

 

[TheSwartz]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk /forum/post/20786476


... but we need to know your budget.

I intend to spend ~$1,500 - $2,000 for 7 speakers (not including sub, which I have one already). I have considered only setting up 5.1 for now and then buying/installing the 2 rear speakers later.


I am reading about sound bars now. Definitely a lot more for me to research. But I wonder if there is a high quality sound bar that would double (triple?) as both the front speaker and both fronts?

 

[craig john]

DrGerm, (ID Guy, by chance???

)


Your instincts are correct. Mounting the front soundstage in the ceiling would be a highly compromised design. Think of in-ceiling speakers like spotlights. They both shine a cone of light or sound down from the ceiling. If you are standing underneath them, you'll get great light/sound. If you're outside the cone's dispersion pattern, you get a dimmed light, or a reduced sound.


The further issue with sound is that higher frequencies are more focused and directional than lower frequencies. Therefore, the higher you go in pitch, (frequency), the worse the problem becomes. What you end up with, sitting outside the in-ceiling speaker's downward cone, is pretty good mid-bass, recessed midrange and completely missing treble.


In addition, consider that the front soundstage should "lock up" with the front video image. You want the voices to sound like they come from the speakers' mouths. If the voices originate in the ceiling, they will image, (or sound like), they're coming from above the video display. While some may tell you that the brain will correct for this, and "interpret" the sound as coming from the visual image, that has never been the case for me. I always hear the speakers as point sources, connected to, or disconnected from, the on-screen images.


Combine the above issues, and that is *not* a recipe for good sound.


If you must have "built-in" speakers, consider in-wall speakers mounted in the front wall, around the video display. This is your best chance for audio/video lockup and for your listening position to be in the proper dispersion pattern of the speakers.


At that point, your only real concern is to ensure your speakers are well insulated from the walls they're installed in. Selecting only speakers with their own integral enclosures will ensure this:
http://www.cepro.com/article/how_to_...er_systems/D1/


Good luck building your system.


Craig

 

[ack_bk]

Craig John is spot on. If in-wall placement does not work, one sound bar you could consider:
http://www.triadspeakers.com/products/owmlcr3se.html

 

[TheSwartz]



Quote:
Originally Posted by craig john /forum/post/20786509


DrGerm, (ID Guy, by chance???

)

LOL, yes

Thanks for that info, was exactly what I was looking for and I appreciate your confirming my suspicions!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ack_bk /forum/post/20786598


If in-wall placement does not work, one sound bar you could consider:
http://www.triadspeakers.com/products/owmlcr3se.html

Great, that might do the trick for my situation. I have to wait to get back into this house (that we haven't closed on yet) to re-measure the room and see what's going to work.


This situation made me think of a variation of something that's been said before: "As you know, you build a home theater in the room your wife gives you, not in the room you might want or wish to have at a later time!"