[gizzygone]

I'm just starting to design a basement Mancave that I hope to start in the next few weeks.


So far I have laid out a bar with a TV centered in it, and a dart board perpendicular to it.


It's a room that's about 18' x 16'.


I'm not building a theater (my living room does a fine job at that), but plan on using it as a hangout for the guys: play darts, watch a game, have a beer.


Right now I mainly use a HTIB setup to pump in some music (I like it loud... And clear, which the htib certainly can't do)


I was originally planning a floorstanding speaker setup, but because my tv is behind a bar, I don't think there's a good place for them in my space.


Aesthetically, in wall it in ceiling speakers would look best, but I am really looking for performance.


I have a mirage 5.1 setup upstairs, but I can't imagine those small speakers handling high volume music all the time.


So how should I go about designing this? It seems I could get by with a stereo setup, but most receivers are 7.1 these days... Which is fine, but it seems like a waste.


Knowing I want quality sound, will bookshelf setups give sq comparable to a floorstanding? How about in wall?


Any ideas of where to start looking would be great. It seems having a bar being the centerpiece, I'll have some difficulty.

 

[Transmaniacon]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gizzygone  /t/1521431/mancave-design-help-point-me-in-the-right-directions-for-speakers#post_24451398


I'm just starting to design a basement Mancave that I hope to start in the next few weeks.


So far I have laid out a bar with a TV centered in it, and a dart board perpendicular to it.


It's a room that's about 18' x 16'.


I'm not building a theater (my living room does a fine job at that), but plan on using it as a hangout for the guys: play darts, watch a game, have a beer.


Right now I mainly use a HTIB setup to pump in some music (I like it loud... And clear, which the htib certainly can't do)


I was originally planning a floorstanding speaker setup, but because my tv is behind a bar, I don't think there's a good place for them in my space.


Aesthetically, in wall it in ceiling speakers would look best, but I am really looking for performance.


I have a mirage 5.1 setup upstairs, but I can't imagine those small speakers handling high volume music all the time.


So how should I go about designing this? It seems I could get by with a stereo setup, but most receivers are 7.1 these days... Which is fine, but it seems like a waste.


Knowing I want quality sound, will bookshelf setups give sq comparable to a floorstanding? How about in wall?


Any ideas of where to start looking would be great. It seems having a bar being the centerpiece, I'll have some difficulty.

What's your budget? If you want loud dynamic sound, you won't get that from in-ceiling/in-wall speakers. A 2.1 setup would work well for music, a couple bookshelves and a sub would do a good job. You could also just grab a pair of towers, but bass will be better with a sub. You don't have to use all the connections with a HT receiver, it will drive two speakers just like a stereo receiver will.

 

[gizzygone]

I'd say $4000 is my complete maximum, if I can justify the price difference between $4000 and, say, $2500.


I understand the receiver portion, but it seems to me buying some incredible 7.1 channel super receiver would be a complete waste of bells and whistles for a simple 2.1 setup (Which is why I'm even considering a 5.1 setup).


Right now in my living room I have a Yamaha aventage rx-a710, which does a decent job, but i don't think it has enough horsepower for what I'd like to do...

 

[zieglj01]

Look at a pair of the MB Quart VS05 bookshelf speakers - they look sharp >>>

The woofers have 3 inch voice coils - which means they will play big and loud.


I have a pair coming today - real good move out price
http://shop.mbquart.com/p/vs05be-pair-elsberry-finish?pp=24


The Vera subwoofer - also comes with a remote
http://shop.mbquart.com/p/vs1swm?pp=24


Look at Outlaw stereo receiver
http://outlawaudio.com/products/rr2150.html

 

[cel4145]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gizzygone  /t/1521431/mancave-design-help-point-me-in-the-right-directions-for-speakers#post_24451532


I'd say $4000 is my complete maximum, if I can justify the price difference between $4000 and, say, $2500.


I understand the receiver portion, but it seems to me buying some incredible 7.1 channel super receiver would be a complete waste of bells and whistles for a simple 2.1 setup (Which is why I'm even considering a 5.1 setup).


Right now in my living room I have a Yamaha aventage rx-a710, which does a decent job, but i don't think it has enough horsepower for what I'd like to do...

You might also consider a 2.2 setup so that the bass is more evenly distributed throughout the room.


As for the Yamaha, if 105w/channel is not enough for what you want to do, focus your attention on high SPL speakers. A couple of these would do nicely: https://www.klipsch.com/heresy-iii-floorstanding-speaker/details


Then two of these: http://www.powersoundaudio.com/collections/power-x/products/xs15

 

[cel4145]

Another option over the Klipsch Heresys would be the JTR Single 8HT.

 

[Transmaniacon]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145  /t/1521431/mancave-design-help-point-me-in-the-right-directions-for-speakers#post_24451598


You might also consider a 2.2 setup so that the bass is more evenly distributed throughout the room.


As for the Yamaha, if 105w/channel is not enough for what you want to do, focus your attention on high SPL speakers. A couple of these would do nicely: https://www.klipsch.com/heresy-iii-floorstanding-speaker/details


Then two of these: http://www.powersoundaudio.com/collections/power-x/products/xs15

I would definitely go this route, put the Heresys right on top of each sub and enjoy some excellent sounding music.

 

[gizzygone]

The Heresys seem like they'd sound great, But they might be a bit difficult to include in the design... They seem to have a slightly larger foot print...


If I set them up facing the bar, behind where people would be sitting, I think it'd work, but I get the feeling that a setup like that would sound strange.



I wonder: Has anybody ever built cutouts in a wall to accommodate speakers??? I'm thinking some tower speakers would look nice to the left and right of the TV, if I could recess the cabinet into the wall (They'd be in a storage closet).

 

[cel4145]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gizzygone  /t/1521431/mancave-design-help-point-me-in-the-right-directions-for-speakers#post_24468257


The Heresys seem like they'd sound great, But they might be a bit difficult to include in the design... They seem to have a slightly larger foot print...

See, we need to corrupt you more. You are supposed to always build a room design around the optimal audio equipment setup, not the other way around

 

[gizzygone]

Haha! I know: but the bar requires plumbing, which mandates that it goes on one wall.... I wish I could flip it all around, but that would eliminate the wet bar...

 

[cel4145]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gizzygone  /t/1521431/mancave-design-help-point-me-in-the-right-directions-for-speakers#post_24468347


Haha! I know: but the bar requires plumbing, which mandates that it goes on one wall.... I wish I could flip it all around, but that would eliminate the wet bar...

Yeah. Gotta have water for a bar

The Heresys are described as floorstanders, but they aren't that tall (only about 24" high). I wonder if they would work well up in the air on shelves on either side of your bar? I just don't know enough about them, but at 99db sensitivity, they would put out some serious volume even with a basic AVR. There's a Klipsch owners thread where you could ask: http://www.avsforum.com/t/680426/klipsch-owner-thread

 

[Transmaniacon]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145  /t/1521431/mancave-design-help-point-me-in-the-right-directions-for-speakers#post_24468420


Yeah. Gotta have water for a bar

The Heresys are described as floorstanders, but they aren't that tall (only about 24" high). I wonder if they would work well up in the air on shelves on either side of your bar? I just don't know enough about them, but at 99db sensitivity, they would put out some serious volume even with a basic AVR. There's a Klipsch owners thread where you could ask: http://www.avsforum.com/t/680426/klipsch-owner-thread

Those PSA XS15s make great stands

 

[shadyJ]

Heresy's are intended for floor placement. They can get loud but I'm not sure I would want them in the kind of configuration you guys are suggesting. There are better choices for subs than XS15s as well, even for the same money. I would go with a pair of Reaction BPS 215 , and they would make better speaker stands too since the dual drivers cancel out cabinet vibrations. The XS15 would be terrible at that, since they have spiked feet, light enclosure, and a long excursion down-firing driver, it would not make for a solid stand. Another good option for dual subs would be a couple of Dayton Titanic 4 15" kits . They are easy to put together and you save $150 over the assembled version. Serious 15" drivers and 1 kW amps, those will do nicely if you like it loud. There is also a Hsu VTF15h dual drive , that would be great for loud music and also as speaker stands due to their massive cabinets.


As for speakers, the Heresys are nice, but they don't have the open sound of the upper lines of Klipsch Heritage. If I were going Klipsch Heritage, I would get a used pair of La Scalas. Those things sound incredible, and it's not unusual to see them going for $2k. I would also be looking at Pi speakers along those lines, they are like updated Klipsch Heritage speakers. They have extraordinary dynamic range and very good on and off axis performance. I would be looking at the Pi Threes with upgraded drivers in your budget and setup. The thing is, those might be way more than you need in terms of dynamic range. If that's the case, you might just save some money and look at some Klipsch RB-81 s. Those things may not be able to hit the monster SPLs of the Klipsch Heritage or Pis, but their dynamic range is still above average and will get loud enough for most people. You might also look at some KRK Rokit 10-3 s, those are about $500 each and can be bought at most pro-audio stores. They should sound nice and foot the bill for loudness very well. They are active so all you need is a receiver with pre-outs, they won't even tax your AVR's amp at all. Another active speaker which might do well for you is the Emotiva Stealth 8 , they have very good dynamic range, maybe not quite on the level of the 10-3s, but they will get loud with no problem and they have terrific measurements , so they sound quality should be very good.


As for receivers, you don't even need an amazing one for most of the above speakers. Klipsch Heritage and Pi are all high sensitivity and high impedance, so any AVR coudl drive them to blazing loud volumes without breaking a sweat. And all the active speakers would need is an AVR with pre-outs, which aren't hard to find for two channels in a budget receiver. I wouldn't spend over $500 for the kind of receiver that run that kind of speaker system.

 

[gizzygone]

...and don't forget on a budget...


But seriously, I'm not completely unrealistic. I just want a system that can handle a little volume, without sounding like crap.


I know tower speakers tend to have good sound. I have a friend with some nice kilpsch 8" towers that sound great, and look great too.


But given the space and layout constraints, i don't think they'll work in my situation. Bookshelf speakers seem like a decent alternative, but I wasn't sure what other options I may have. In wall would be my preference for aesthetics, but they seem to be quite limited in terms of SQ and volume.

 

[zieglj01]



Quote:
Originally Posted by gizzygone  /t/1521431/mancave-design-help-point-me-in-the-right-directions-for-speakers#post_24470372


In wall would be my preference for aesthetics, but they seem to be quite limited in terms of SQ and volume.

These in-walls are high-in Boston, on close-out prices > they can take a lot

of power, and are around 90 db sensitive. Unless you are looking for Imax

sound levels - you should be fine.
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/bosvsi5835a/boston-acoustics-vsi-5835-3-way-8-lcr-in-wall-speaker-each/1.html#!more


Also this
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/bosvsi585a/boston-acoustics-vsi-585-2-way-8-inch-in-wall-speaker-each/1.html


Are you really looking for a type of subwoofer, that will knock the drinks off a bar?


If you want to go with bookshelf speakers, and like klipsch - then the Klipsch RB-81

it will be fine.