[jplyons]

I've purchased the Onkyo TX-SR674 receiver along with the Onkyo SKS-HT540 speaker system. The previous owner of my home had a 5.1 surround setup and he left the mounting brackets for me. I was planning to mount the front speakers in the ceiling but as you can see they are too big for this.


This is the setup that I was forced into... Speaker Arrangement


How much will this configuration affect my surround experience?

 

[kirknelson]

I wouldn't feel "forced" into putting your speakers where existing mounts are located.


Your "surround experience" will be greatly diminished by having your surround speakers in the front of the room.

 

[Tulpa]

You can get mounts that will extend far enough that they'll hold the speakers away from the ceiling. Putting them in the front corners kind of defeats the purpose of surround sound. Every other speaker looks pretty well placed, so give the sides their due.

 

[jplyons]

Well I was hoping the difference wouldnt be that great. I am not looking forward to patching the holes in the ceiling and rerunning all those cables.

 

[sivadselim]

The diagram you posted is for a 7 channel setup, not 5 channel. The surround left and right speakers are not properly placed in the diagram.


What setup are you going to use; 5 channel or 7 channel?

 

[jplyons]

I am going with a 7 channel setup.


In the living room there is a tray ceiling. The front two mounts are inside the tray and the tray ends about where the love seat is. I will just mount the 2 surround speakers in that location. Could i just splice into the preexisting wires to avoid running down the wall?

 

[Tulpa]

You could splice, but I ran into interference issues with one of my speakers that way. I replaced it with one whole piece and it went away.

 

[louthewiz]

Look at the pictures below to get a better idea on a proper setup.

 

[Dennis Erskine]

That original layout is certainly not proper for a 5.1 or 7.1 system. It actually looks like a configuration used in the 1980's for the Yamaha DSP-1 and some later Yamaha's that incorporated front effects channels.

 

[trekguy]



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


You could splice, but I ran into interference issues with one of my speakers that way. I replaced it with one whole piece and it went away.

Splice without fear!


Speaker circuits are virtually immune to RFI and power line noise (not necessarily to the EMI pulse of a nuclear device). Splicing speaker wires is done all the time. You can solder and tape/shrink tube or use butt splice compression connectors or wire nuts to ensure a solid mechanical and electrical connection. Just make sure that the bare wire is clean by cutting back the insulation to bright copper or scraping the wires before connecting. A real fanatic might dip the connection in anti-oxidation paste

A bad splice might be a source of noise if it allows intermittent contact.