# Any recommendations for my 5.1 setup?



## kevinmuff (Aug 22, 2014)

Equipment: 
-Yamaha RX-V 677 A/V Receiver 
-KEF Q700 Tower Speakers 
-KEF Q600 Center Channel Speaker 
-KEF Q100 Bookshelf Rear Speakers 
-JL Audio E110 10" Subwoofer 

To start off, I have the overall feeling that my system is quite large for the room that I have it in, but I wanted a good system that would last and I wouldn't have to replace anytime soon. I just purchased the system and am actually still waiting for the Q700's on order. I have everything ran with 14gauge wire. 

I drew a rough picture of the room, red things are speakers and blue is my tv. I'll have to get some pictures ones I have everything set up. The room has one of those ledges that goes around the entire thing, and that's what my rears will be sitting on, and they unfortunately sit above your head. The picture I have right now is of the room before I purchased the house (realtor pics).

But here is my concern, I feel like the viewing distance of the room is small, and that my couch is too close to the wall on the back (it's directly on the wall) where id actually like it to be out a bit with the rears sitting behind me. The sub also states it doesn't want your couch to be directly on the back either, it should be in the middle of the room. But for now the couch placement cannot change. 

Does anyone have any obvious concerns with my setup? Or any recommendations? I'll get some pictures up as soon as I can.


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## kevinmuff (Aug 22, 2014)

Miss post.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

Your concerns are well founded and correct in addition to the lack of symmetry with one side being open. Ideally IF you must stay in that nook, turn it 90 degrees so the TV is on the window wall and the couch is where the open right wall is now. That will fix a variety of issues.


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## kevinmuff (Aug 22, 2014)

Thank you. Yes I would ideally like to do that, and eventually will I think. But id want to drywall the window in and stuff first I think, so that would be a project for another day. With the way my couch is on the back wall, what do you think the best way to use my rears would be? Should I get mounts for them and aim them down or something?


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

It's a bit unorthodox, but if you can pull the couch forward a little bit, you can lay them on their backs firing up from behind the couch. Not optimal but it's the easiest and still they're behind you. Plus if you're going to redo things later, it saves you tearing into things to run wires at this point that wouldn't be used later.


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## Lumen (May 17, 2014)

bpape said:


> Your concerns are well founded and correct in addition to the lack of symmetry with one side being open. Ideally IF you must stay in that nook, turn it 90 degrees so the TV is on the window wall and the couch is where the open right wall is now. That will fix a variety of issues.


Many of us face similar floor plans, myself included. I was given the same advice by an ASC Tube Trap consultant. If you decide to give the long wall setup a go, create an artificial boundary around the speaker which sits at the open end, thus creating some semblance of symmetry.

If your surrounds must sit on the shelf, nudge them far enough forward so as not to bounce sound off of them. Even let them overhang the edge a bit. Be sure to anchor them. Alternately, use sturdy wall-mount brackets to give you a little more freedom in placement. Above the head is not ideal, but with swivel mount brackets, the surrounds can be pointed into the corners to reflect/diffuse their sound, which is what they were intended for. I'm forced to use this configuration, but it works seamlessly when properly set up.


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## Andre (Feb 15, 2010)

In you case I would probably try to pull the couch out just enough that you can have the 100s on stands aiming upward, the stand should be high enough that the front of the speaker is the same height as the couch back frame (probably easy enough to make out of plywood and cover it with fabric it would look like a sofa table). Next to resolve one of 700s being open to the and one not you can put a partition like one of the changing blinds, to create the same reflective surface and the other speaker is seeing. Other then that a few curtains to control light and all so be decent


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## kevinmuff (Aug 22, 2014)

Here is a picture of the finished room. Once again, my main concern is my rears. But I think they are placed the best they can be right now.


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

If I were splitting hairs, or that were my space, I'd get the surround up a little higher, and as stated above, get them on some kind of articulating mount. Otherwise, they seem ok. I would however get that tv down closer to eye level, and closer to your LCR. I would think off screen pans would be quite distracting, plus a neck ache lol. Not to mention, I think dialogue would be distracting that far from the screen.


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## kevinmuff (Aug 22, 2014)

willis7469 said:


> If I were splitting hairs, or that were my space, I'd get the surround up a little higher, and as stated above, get them on some kind of articulating mount. Otherwise, they seem ok. I would however get that tv down closer to eye level, and closer to your LCR. I would think off screen pans would be quite distracting, plus a neck ache lol. Not to mention, I think dialogue would be distracting that far from the screen.


Mounting the speakers higher up and angling them down would be a better setup is what your saying, right? That's kinda what I figure too. I've never really thought of the tv being high as a bad thing, but I guess it would make sense to bring it down as much as I can. 

I'll be getting a bigger tv soon, and should be able to mount it lower too. So that should be good.


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

kevinmuff said:


> Mounting the speakers higher up and angling them down would be a better setup is what your saying, right? That's kinda what I figure too. I've never really thought of the tv being high as a bad thing, but I guess it would make sense to bring it down as much as I can. I'll be getting a bigger tv soon, and should be able to mount it lower too. So that should be good.


Yep. That is what I'm sayin. Every situation is different, and I'm only giving suggestions, but I'm following many established guidelines, and personal experience. Ymmv. As far as the tv goes, I feel like it's a preference thing, but I also think performance can suffer if the speakers are not placed in a way that utilizes how soundtracks are designed to be played back. I do like your setup, but I feel like if someone were talking off screen to one side, it would be obvious that his/her voice would seem to come from somewhere other than where they are. Maybe just picking nits, but I've heard this before and once you do... Sounds like when you hang your new display this will be addressed
Fwiw, these are my surrounds.(angled slightly farther forward than normal. Always testing!) I went from 5.2 to 7.3, otherwise the surrounds would be more like 90 deg.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

If this were one of my installs , I'd have the TV lower and have the CC mounted directly under it... Ideally same heigth across the top of all front speakers... 

As for the rears .... any chance of trading them in for some good in-walls ?

Otherwise I agree with the idea of turning the setup 90 degrees to the left. This however presents a problem of the air space between the glass and any false wall you build in front of it...mainly condensation and how to present that false wall outside of the window ? If it were me I would just install a dark set of louvered blinds with a dark curtain in front of that so no light leakage... It could also be a floor to ceiling dark curtain that would have a "theater" effect... just my 2cents


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## cwc329719738 (Apr 28, 2014)

Your neck pain? TV suggested that the height of 600mm, let your eyes and it is in a horizontal line.


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