[Grampa]

I'm trying to plan the sound for a basement HT. The space sits in the short leg of an "L" (i.e., so it's open at one end), and measures about 16' square. It serves as an office by day, and has a counter and overhead cabinets along the north and east walls. The screen will be on the west wall, with seating about 12' back. (For reference, the top of the "L" points west.)


I intend to use bookshelf speakers on either side of the screen, the left one mounted on the wall, and the right one sitting on the counter where the north and west walls meet (about 32" high). I'm not sure about the center speaker; I suppose it could be mounted on the ceiling in front of the screen (which will have at least a 12" drop, so the image will not be blocked). I have no choice for the surrounds: because of various architectural obstacles, they must be mounted in-ceiling.


I understand that I should try to match the speakers. I am trying to do this for around $1,500 for a 5.1 system, although I could spend a little more. The Ascend speakers looked pretty good in this price range, although I don't know how well they would work in my space. Can anyone recommend in-ceiling speakers that would be an appropriate match for the Ascends, or alternatively, a comparable package from another manufacturer that would meet my needs? The difficulty seems to be finding bookshelves and in-ceiling speakers that will work well together.


Thanks.

 

[Grampa]

Perhaps if I narrow the choices, someone will respond.


The online companies discussed in this forum (Ascend, Axiom, Rocket) do not appear to have "matching" in-ceiling speakers. What about building a 5.1 system around NHT speakers, i.e, using SC2 or 3 for the fronts and CS6.3 for the surrounds? Alternatively, I talked to an HT dealer who is recommending JMLab Chorus S 706 bookshelves, along with JMLab Cache in-ceilings. As a third possibility, B&W has some bookshelf/in-ceiling combinations that might work.


If I go listen to the front bookshelves only, and choose the ones I like best, can I simply assume that the in-ceiling speakers from the same maker will match up? Experience with any of these combinations would be appreciated.