# New home theater - questions



## bogaert-y (Sep 15, 2012)

Good day everyone,

we are building a new house and offcourse want to integrate a home theater
system directly since this is much easier then when it's finished.

We went to an specialised shop and they proposed a system with KEF speakers and Yamaha amp.

- 4 x Kef Ci160CR for left/right front and left/right rear
- 1 x Kef T301c as center speaker
- 1 x Kef T2 sub

this driven by a Yamaha Avantage RX-A820.

This all looks nice but we have a couple of questions where a sales person will allways 
say yes it works no problem but in the end...

1. The Ci160CR's are ceiling built in speakers is this a good option vs the traditional "stand alone" speakers.
Since the sound comes from "above" and not from in front or from behind, also every speakers has a sound dispersal pattern H & V in degrees so how will this work then because the sound is directed towards the floor...

2. Are there better price/quality alternatives for Kef?

3. The speakers are basicly from 2 different product ranges is this a good idea?

4. What are the opinions about the Yamaha amp? I see a lot of nice adverts and reviews but are they all true.


Thanks allready for your input!

best regards,

Yannick 
Belgium.


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## J&D (Apr 11, 2008)

I have had experience with a couple of theaters that used in ceiling speakers as this was the only option. If it is and you do not have a choice it can work but this is far from optimal. If you are building this room out from scratch this should be something you can avoid. My first choice is always using conventional non-in wall speakers as this opens up the options to the greatest extent so the speakers can be optimal for the space. 

Some idea of your planned room size, type of display, seating distance is always helpful in making a recommendation.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

I agree if you can use a good tower speaker or bookshelf speaker then I think you will be much more impressed with the sound. Your building from scratch so I think you can have more options to use what you would get more performance out of then something that is cosmetically better in your room. I would rather have performance myself....:bigsmile:


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## bogaert-y (Sep 15, 2012)

J&D: For room size it's about 15ft x 13ft, with a seating distance of about 11 - 12f.
Display is a Samsung D8000 which we allready have.

tcarcio: Indeed we would rather go for performance offcourse then something cosmeticly ok, which cost 
a lot of money as well when there are perhaps better options...

Thanks for a reccomendation


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Well going on the cost of the Kefs you could look at something like the Arx speakers for just a little more. 
http://click.infospace.com/ClickHan...3&mid=9&hash=5AAB79C09FEE121715EB360D6F7134FE


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

If there is no limitation that in-walls/ ceilings must be used, your best performance is going to come from towers / bookshelfs as was stated above. If the WAF won't allow for that, PSB in wall / ceiling speakers are what I have been recommending - they make a great speaker and DMC electronics is selling them for 50% off right now.

Do you have a budget in mind?


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## bogaert-y (Sep 15, 2012)

We have decided not to go for in ceiling / wall speakers and use a bookshelf / mounting speaker.

Budget is around 2.5k$ for the speaker system.

An additional question, the electrician is starting with the wiring next week so we need to tell 
him where the cables need to go:
- is there any recommandation in regards to the cable used
- what is the ideal hight to put the speakers if you are sitting in the couch?

thanks allready!


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

bogaert-y said:


> We have decided not to go for in ceiling / wall speakers and use a bookshelf / mounting speaker.
> 
> Budget is around 2.5k$ for the speaker system.
> 
> ...


I would check Monoprice - great prices on speaker wiring. I used 12 AWG, but I have seen people use anywhere between 12 and 16 AWG.

The front array should have the tweeter at your ear level - your surrounds should be roughly 1-2 feet above your ear level.

I am not sure what you have available to you there, but I personally like PSB, Emp Tek, and Salk speakers. If you have the time, I highly recommend listening to a few different speakers to get a feel for what you like. Last I saw, my speaker journey thread was 30 pages, but if you want some feedback on what I had a chance to hear and what my impressions were, there is a link in my sig.

And, above all, enjoy the search!


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## lanayapiper (Oct 6, 2012)

bogaert-y said:


> We have decided not to go for in ceiling / wall speakers and use a bookshelf / mounting speaker.
> 
> Budget is around 2.5k$ for the speaker system.
> 
> ...


The cable to be used should be of electronics standard to avoid electricity shortage and for sound clarity (remember, too thin wires may cause sound distortion). If you prefer wire concealment, then tell your electrician as well. 

Proper speaker placements should be observed too for the best sound quality experience. What are your measurements? Can you give the dimensions of the room?


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