[nsdc16]

This is my first post. We are moving into a new house that is going to have a media room of size 11x 14. Distance between projector and screen will be around 12 feet. I am looking for 5.1 surround sound speaker system to be mounted on wall. I have 2 yr old baby and as per wife's order, on floor speakers is not an option. I am totally new to this audio setup and would really appreciate if I can get some recommendations for speakers and sub woofer. Considering the size of media room, do I really need big speakers?

My budget is around $ 1500 for whole 5.1 surround system.

Another question is I am thinking of putting two speakers on either side of the screen (106 inches), center speaker below the screen, and rear(surround) right and left in line with where the couch would be (11 ft from screen). I am not sure about the placement of sub woofer. All the speakers would be at 6 ft height from floor. This is my thought and obviously any recommendation on this as well would help me immensely.

 

[commsysman]

I suggest that you consider a pair of the JBL Studio L820 speakers for the front ($650), a JBL LC2 center speaker for $499, and a pair of the JBL Control 1 speakers for the rear for $200.


They are all designed for wall-mounting. Six feet is too high, really; 5 feet would be a lot better.


I suggest that you go ahead with the main speakers now and look for a downward-firing subwoofer later, with a 12-inch driver and at least 300 watts of RMS power. The subwoofer needs to be on the floor, but a downward-firing model is pretty much child-proof.

 

[nsdc16]



Quote:
Originally Posted by commsysman  /t/1421939/need-recommendation-5-1-...d-sound-speakers-for-media-room#post_22252345


I suggest that you consider a pair of the JBL Studio L820 speakers for the front ($650), a JBL LC2 center speaker for $499, and a pair of the JBL Control 1 speakers for the rear for $200.

They are all designed for wall-mounting. Six feet is too high, really; 5 feet would be a lot better.

I suggest that you go ahead with the main speakers now and look for a downward-firing subwoofer later, with a 12-inch driver and at least 300 watts of RMS power. The subwoofer needs to be on the floor, but a downward-firing model is pretty much child-proof.

A dumb question: When looking for speakers nominal impedance: 4,6 or 8 ohms, is higher impedance better? Also, what's the minimum power rating I should look for in speaker for a media room of 11x14 size.


Also, I have read here on forums that sensitivity is another important factor when deciding your speaker. Is higher sensitivity db better?

 

[mlk2106]

I just happen to hear a GoldenEar set up consisting of 5 SuperSat 50s (on-wall). Going into hear them I was quite dubious about their performance but to be truly honest they were pretty damn impressive. I would look into that system if it is in your budget (~$2500). I think having the 50s for all channels is a bit much so making your front sound stage all SuperSat 50 and use the SuperSat 3s for your rears you will be quite happy. Actually depending on your room size and listening requirements/demands you can get away with using all SuperSat 3s and be quite happy (and save a bunch of money). I did not demo the all SuperSat 3 set up but the tech said its sonically very similar to the 50 except you loose a bit on the low end but that should not matter much if you have a decent subwoofer.

http://www.goldenear.com/products/supercinema-systems

 

[NewHTbuyer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by nsdc16  /t/1421939/need-recommendation-5-1-...d-sound-speakers-for-media-room#post_22252652


A dumb question: When looking for speakers nominal impedance: 4,6 or 8 ohms, is higher impedance better? Also, what's the minimum power rating I should look for in speaker for a media room of 11x14 size.

Also, I have read here on forums that sensitivity is another important factor when deciding your speaker. Is higher sensitivity db better?

The sensitivity rating tells you how loud a speaker will play (I believe at 1 meter with 1 watt, but that may not be right). Anyway, the higher the rating, the louder it will play with the same amount of power. For HT use, try to get as high a sensitivity rating as possible, all other things being equal like price and sound quality. (90 sensitivity or above is probably good, unless you like it really loud).


The Ohm rating is for resistance. Most speakers are 8 ohm and most amps are rated wpc into 8 ohms. A speaker with a lower rating, like 4 ohms, will require more current, and thus a better (read: more expensive) amp. Most modern AVRs are set up to drive 8 ohm speakers and do not do so well with 4 ohm, so try to stick with 8 ohm if possible.


I am confused about the speaker placement. You said the L/R next to the screen and the center below it, but then you said all at 6 feet. In general, the front three should have the tweeters at ear level when seated and the L/R surrounds should be to the sides where you sit or just a bit behind you and about 2 feet above your head. Most people compromise and put the center above or below the screen or TV unless it is a screen that is acoustically transparent. I prefer below becaue it is closer to ear level.

http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/surround-sound-speaker-set-up/

 

[nsdc16]



Quote:
Originally Posted by NewHTbuyer  /t/1421939/need-recommendation-5-1-...d-sound-speakers-for-media-room#post_22253293


The sensitivity rating tells you how loud a speaker will play (I believe at 1 meter with 1 watt, but that may not be right). Anyway, the higher the rating, the louder it will play with the same amount of power. For HT use, try to get as high a sensitivity rating as possible, all other things being equal like price and sound quality. (90 sensitivity or above is probably good, unless you like it really loud).

The Ohm rating is for resistance. Most speakers are 8 ohm and most amps are rated wpc into 8 ohms. A speaker with a lower rating, like 4 ohms, will require more current, and thus a better (read: more expensive) amp. Most modern AVRs are set up to drive 8 ohm speakers and do not do so well with 4 ohm, so try to stick with 8 ohm if possible.

I am confused about the speaker placement. You said the L/R next to the screen and the center below it, but then you said all at 6 feet. In general, the front three should have the tweeters at ear level when seated and the L/R surrounds should be to the sides where you sit or just a bit behind you and about 2 feet above your head. Most people compromise and put the center above or below the screen or TV unless it is a screen that is acoustically transparent. I prefer below becaue it is closer to ear level.
http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/surround-sound-speaker-set-up/

thanks for the response. thats was really helpful. By bad about speaker placement, what I meant was, the front L/R will be on either side of the screen will be at a height of 6 ft above the floor. The center speaker would be only couple of fts above the floor and just below the screen.

 

[ack_bk]

I am afraid your speaker placement is less than ideal. If it were me, I would get an accoustically transparent screen (you can go DIY using this material for around $300 depending on screen size, or get a frame and screen for around 400-500 though Jamestown (he uses SeymourAV Center Stage XD material):

http://www.jamestownhometheaterscreen.com/


You can buy the material directly from SeymourAV and and follow their in-depth DIY instructions to build your own frame.


This gives you four big advantages:

1. Aesthetics. Your speakers are behind the screen and are not seen.

2. Allows you to use a matching vertical center speaker vs a horizontal speaker that is not as ideal, especially for off-axis listening:
http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/vertical-vs-horizontal-speaker-designs

3. This solution offers you optimal speaker placement. You can place all your tweeters at ear level and at optimal distance. Placing speakers too high or too low is a compromise and this solution eliminates it. The sound is coming directly at you from beind the screen so you get an excellent soundstage and imaging, and very clear dialogue.

4. Having the speaeker in the wall eliminates one reflection point, as opposed to having to place speakers too close to walls which can result in poor sound.


If you want to go this route, I have a number of in-wall speakers I can recommend to you in your budget.


Example of the speakers in the wall:

Then behind the screen:

 

[Mike Garrett]



Quote:
Originally Posted by NewHTbuyer  /t/1421939/need-recommendation-5-1-...d-sound-speakers-for-media-room#post_22253293


The sensitivity rating tells you how loud a speaker will play (I believe at 1 meter with 1 watt, but that may not be right). Anyway, the higher the rating, the louder it will play with the same amount of power. For HT use, try to get as high a sensitivity rating as possible, all other things being equal like price and sound quality. (90 sensitivity or above is probably good, unless you like it really loud).

The Ohm rating is for resistance. Most speakers are 8 ohm and most amps are rated wpc into 8 ohms. A speaker with a lower rating, like 4 ohms, will require more current, and thus a better (read: more expensive) amp. Most modern AVRs are set up to drive 8 ohm speakers and do not do so well with 4 ohm, so try to stick with 8 ohm if possible.

I am confused about the speaker placement. You said the L/R next to the screen and the center below it, but then you said all at 6 feet. In general, the front three should have the tweeters at ear level when seated and the L/R surrounds should be to the sides where you sit or just a bit behind you and about 2 feet above your head. Most people compromise and put the center above or below the screen or TV unless it is a screen that is acoustically transparent. I prefer below becaue it is closer to ear level.
http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/surround-sound-speaker-set-up/

Sensitivity ratings from manufacturers can be very confusing. As an example all of the examples below can actually have the same sensitivity:


90 db 1W/2.83 volts, 4 ohm speaker in room

86 db 1W/2.83 volts, 4 ohm speaker anaerobic

87 db 1W/1M, 4 ohm speaker in room

83 db 1W/1M, 4 ohm speaker anaerobic

84 db 1W/1M, 8 ohm speaker in room

81 db 1W/1M, 8 ohm speaker anaerobic


So we have sensitivity ratings from 81 to 90 and yet they are all the same. I could keep going, but you should see that without knowing all the facts, a sensitivity number means next to nothing.

 

[NewHTbuyer]



Quote:
Originally Posted by AV Science Sales 5  /t/1421939/need-recommendation-5-1-...d-sound-speakers-for-media-room#post_22254160


Sensitivity ratings from manufacturers can be very confusing. As an example all of the examples below can actually have the same sensitivity:

90 db 1W/2.83 volts, 4 ohm speaker in room

86 db 1W/2.83 volts, 4 ohm speaker anaerobic

87 db 1W/1M, 4 ohm speaker in room

83 db 1W/1M, 4 ohm speaker anaerobic

84 db 1W/1M, 8 ohm speaker in room

81 db 1W/1M, 8 ohm speaker anaerobic

So we have sensitivity ratings from 81 to 90 and yet they are all the same. I could keep going, but you should see that without knowing all the facts, a sensitivity number means next to nothing.

Hehe..you must be in medicine or biomed...I think you meant "anechoic" not "anaerobic".


Thanks for clarifying. Always good to learn more about measurements.

 

[neo_ny]

I know this is an old thread but I am curious which speakers did you end up getting?