# Home Theatre/Music for Lounge



## DaveB (Aug 31, 2011)

I have a living space that is not ideally suited for the perfect home cinema setup.
As most family lounge areas it is a multipurpose area and compromise is required.
In addition to keep the practicality and decor/style of the room floor speakers have been ruled out (young children also!).
I have been considering ceiling speakers as they are unobtrusive and inaccessible.
Due the the screen position etc. (I have attached a room layout to show this) it leaves me with the issue of where and how many speakers to place considering a 3.1 or 5.1 system for cinema/music/gaming use.
My initial ideas (attached) are a conventional placement, but note the display position, and something more unconventional at odds with the room but right with the display. Will these work?
I am a keen DIYer and can tackle most jobs but reaching a conclusion so I can start with some confidence is eluding me.
Hence I call for your advice.
I look for cost effectiveness working on a budget of £1-£2k including amp/receiver.
My existing display/games consoles are HDMI.
Bose/Speakercraft/KEF are familiar products that reading others feedback offer varying effectiveness at being directional from manually to motorised presets, this property being something I probably need?

Look forward to your replies!

Dave


----------



## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

There are some advancements in technology such as Audyssey and similar auto calliration tools that will help with the imaging if you find that you have to place speakers in odd positions. Ideally you would want to setup in a traditional configuration, but your room layout is not "un-doable" for a 5.1 setup.

Do you have a budget in mind?


----------



## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Sorry, I missed the budget line.


----------



## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

By 'ceiling speakers,' are you referring to in-ceiling speakers or bookshelf speakers mounted to the ceiling?...
I would recommend bookshelf speakers mounted to the ceiling, instead of in-ceiling speakers. In-ceiling speakers can have good sound quality but they would cost quite a bit more than good bookshelf speakers.

On speaker placement I would put the Left speaker above the left side of the tv, and the Right speaker above the right side of the tv, and the center speaker centered over the tv. I understand that with the tv in the corner of the room, there wouldn't be much distance between each speaker, but I believe this is the only proper set-up. My parents tv is in the same situation and that's how I set it up for them, it's better than having the speakers not lined up with the tv.


----------



## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

On wall speakers would be better than In-wall, which would be better than In ceiling...at least for your fronts. Keeping the tweeters as close as possible to ear level will keep the sound image seem like it's coming from the TV not the ceiling.


----------

