# Advice on Surround Sound config for a Home Theater



## chitra0828 (Mar 6, 2013)

I know it's the usual question, but I am an audio novice who wants to create the right surround sound experience for my family to enjoy movies/sports etc and also music in our new home that we are constructing. It's very exciting, but i dont have the budget to hire an AV firm, and was anyway advised that it is best for me to figure it out for myself, also more enjoyable LOL.

Room dimensions:

The Family room is 16 x 26' so lovely space. The TV would sit on the 16' wall. But the complication is that there are 2 door ways on either side of the central wall space. So effectively we really only have an 8' wall space on which the TV, Center channel and (if we had) wall Front R/L speakers will be placed. We currently have a 50" TV. We might upgrade to a 60" TV. I checked with the architect and we only have about 10-11" above the door top to the ceiling if we want to place the front R/L speakers above the doors.

Now we will be sitting 14' away from the TV. Why? because there is a fireplace in the way on the long wall. So we sit 14' away, and the TV wall is 8' wide. Now since we had planned to use the surround sound system for both movies/sports AND for music listening (concerts etc) we were a bit worried because the sound stage created wtih speakers 7' apart didnt feel right if we were sitting 14' away.

Now in visiting a local audio the dealer gave some really valuable advice and i am hoping someone can advise whether they agree or not with it. The dealer suggested that given the room constraints we separate music listening from sports/movie watching. He suggested we use a center channel in wall (below TV) + R/L CEILING front speakers and then rear speakers so that we can place the front speakers at the optimal 14' apart locations. BUT they would be in the ceiling so one is losing the ear-level component. However, in video watching, his view was that the sound separation is more important than having at ear level, esp becasue the center channel is at the right height. Then he suggested getting a pair of nice floor speakers with integrated amplifier for the Den/Library where we can set the speakers at teh right distance apart to have quiet music listening time for the concerts etc.

We were really attracted to this idea. BUt wanted a second opinion. Anyone have any thoughts? ideas? if you agree that ceiling speakers (he advised make sure they are either enclosed or blocked off with some backing), any suggestions on what would be the best choice?

Thx so much!!

Chitra


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## WooferHound (Dec 8, 2010)

My opinion is that the speakers need to be pointed directly at your listening position for the clearest and best sound. I also think that the front Left/Right speakers should be just a little wider than the TV screen and not any higher than the screen.


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## chitra0828 (Mar 6, 2013)

Wooferhound: Then you don't think the audio guy's idea is worth pursuing? We're not wedded to anything, but we had thought that if we are sitting 14' away from the TV then the speakers shd be at 11-14'away from each other. In this current instance, the speakers WOULD be 7' away while the TV is 55.5" wide, so it is wider apart from each other than the TV. Also if we had wall speakers they would definitely be at ear level. But you don't think that the audio wouldn't be separated enough for us to discern say the sound of the truck v. whatever else is happening in the action flick we're watching? Also when we actually listening to say concert music, will the fact that they are narrowly apart v. our listening position, wouldn't hurt? Thx for taking the time to answer. Best chitra


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

My approach would be a simple setup that prioritizes the kind of listening that is most important to me. I would have a single 5.1 surround system focusing on music listening, spaced apart for a wider soundstage and positioned for best imaging, and would put up with that spacing for movies and for sports. I am not a fan of in-ceiling speakers, except perhaps as surrounds, never for the main left and right.


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## chitra0828 (Mar 6, 2013)

Hey AudiocRaver: I completely agree, but given the family room layout, it's impossible for me to optimize the speaker system for music listening seems to be the issue right? If i am sitting 14' feet away, then ideally my R/L front speakers shd be about 12' apart i think, and at ear level. But I can't get them 12' feet apart because of the doorways which are critical for the flow of the house. So that's why i'm trying to separate the music listening (i can set up nicely for that in the library) from the visual experience of movies/sports and asking if the ceiling speakers (front right/left) would work well enough. You are pretty categorical that you'd never recommend front right/left as ceiling right? Any thoughts? and thx for taking the time to respond.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

chitra0828 said:


> So that's why i'm trying to separate the music listening (i can set up nicely for that in the library)


Gotcha, I missed that before. Good plan.



chitra0828 said:


> ...asking if the ceiling speakers (front right/left) would work well enough. You are pretty categorical that you'd never recommend front right/left as ceiling right?...


Two things make me hesitate.

The sound coming from your left, center, and right speakers contains a lot of critical and very directional information. Having the left and right main speakers in the ceiling and the center below the screen has that sound coming from drastically different heights, and that could be annoying. Experienced HTS people around here complain about having left and right speakers even with the screen and the center speaker below the screen, finding that much of a difference in height to be distracting. A ceiling/below-screen setup causes a big vertical swing as sound transitions from side to center to side. That could be really hard to overlook.

The other thing is the probable drastic mismatch in sound character between in-ceiling L/R and the in-wall center. As WooferHound said, being close to on-axis is critical for high quality sound from your front three speakers. The in-ceiling left and right speakers are likely to have a more laid back, dissipated delivery, so the transition from side to center to side will sound even more unnatural.



chitra0828 said:


> The dealer suggested,,,in video watching, his view was that the sound separation is more important than having at ear level, esp becasue the center channel is at the right height.


Agreeing with your audio dealer to a point, the height and sound character issues seem hard to get past, especially for movies, not quite so much for sports.

There are bookshelf-sized speakers that sound really good for home theater and are very small if you go with a smaller two-way and a nice subwoofer taking over below 80 Hz. Think in terms of a 6" x 10" x 6" deep speaker for left, center, and right. Now they are matched, and perhaps small enough you can find a way to position them within your room constraints. Make sure they are front-ported so they can be located close to or against a wall. And think about them all at or close to the same height. You would get used to having all three of those speakers above the screen level, which is not considered optimum, much easier than having them at drastically different heights, in my opinion.

A small speaker like that gives you mounting options, including on-wall, possibly even suspended an inch or so below ceiling and directed at the listening position. You may find yourself coming up with other options.

Working in the real world, we find ourselves juggling priorities. Aesthetics are always a concern, too. You seem to want to get the best sound that you can while working with the constraints of your room. Those are my best suggestions, but I will admit that I have a tendency to prioritize good sound over visual aesthetics.

Best of luck.


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## chitra0828 (Mar 6, 2013)

Sorry to bother you, but i have a few follow ups:

1. What 6" x 10" x 6" right/left would you suggest? 
2. Are those what is called satellite speakers? And it sounds like i would have to do them above the top line of the TV at say 7' apart? 
3. If you had to choose between these satellite speakers and in wall R/L speakers that are flush with the bottom of the TV a la the Polk 265RTs on either side of a center channel. Which would you choose? I know you're not keen on in wall at all, but if you had to choose between in wall that are flush with TV and satellite speakers a la the ones you describe, which would you suggest?

Thx so much!! Chitra


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## chitra0828 (Mar 6, 2013)

Also, does anyone have an opinion of the Proficient series of speakers. It's what the AV consultants mention as the ones they use for systems they design. Thx chitra


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Take a look at the Axiom M2 and M3 series speakers, or the M22 if you have more space to work with. They have on-wall versions with good specs, small size, fairly efficient and able to handle enough power to fill your room nicely. They go down to 80 Hz and below, you would you want a good subwoofer to take over below that. I favor speakers and surrounds that go down to at least 80 Hz. It is pretty widely accepted that below 80 Hz the subwoofer can be located wherever it works best for your room without certain sounds seeming to come from the wrong direction.

These are not satellite speakers but serious front speakers made to work with a subwoofer, with very flat response down to 80 Hz. They are small and thin enough to give you a lot of flexibility for finding the best sounding location for your room. I would go on-wall before in-wall because then you have some flexibility for finding the best location and angle for your room and listening position. They could even be slightly off-wall if necessary, to allow for optimal angling, using a suitable mounting bracket. They have dome tweeters so they could be oriented vertically or horizontally and still have good high-frequency dispersion - to the perfectionist, the horizontal position for these speakers is not considered ideal for imaging, but in practical terms for your room and listening distance, you would never hear the difference. You could go with five of these for your front and surround speakers plus subwoofer. From what I can see, they are small enough to give you the flexibility you need, yet are serious performers. They have received excellent reviews, as have other Axiom products, including some on Home Theater Shack.

Axiom is a solid company, they give a 30 day in-home trial, I have heard nothing bad about them.

Anyway, those are a few thoughts, I hope they are helpful, and of course whatever you decide we will be interested in hearing what you implement and how well it works out for you. All the best.


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## James_Taylor (Jan 9, 2013)

I agree with you all that quality sound system can boost the sound quality of your home theatre system. But suppose you have a branded sound system yet you are not able to enjoy clear sound quality. What can be the reason? Poor signaling system which is responsible for both quality picture and sound clarity. For good broadcasting signal, install a digital antenna and see the difference.


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## chitra0828 (Mar 6, 2013)

how does it work? here we have to sign a contract with a cable or satellite TV co and get the feed via a fiber or some such line to the house...


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## sdurani (Oct 28, 2010)

chitra0828 said:


> The TV would sit on the 16' wall. But the complication is that there are 2 door ways on either side of the central wall space. So effectively we really only have an 8' wall space on which the TV, Center channel and (if we had) wall Front R/L speakers will be placed.


If only 8' is left from the 16' wall due to the 2 doors, is each door 4' wide? Those would be huge doors. Is there wall space on the other side of the doors? 

Is there any way to sit closer to the screen wall? With your 14' seating distance and 50" TV, you have a viewing angle of less than 15° (for reference, SMPTE recommends a 30° viewing angle and THX recommends a 36° viewing angle). 

Finally, any pics or diagram of the room? Easier to make suggestions with a visual reference.


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## dsime42 (Mar 4, 2011)

RE: " the doorways which are critical for the flow of the house"

Just a quick question about the location of the monitor.

You family room has a 16' wall, in which there are two doorways that are critical to the FLOW of the house (?) and you are putting the screen between the doors? Or are the doors next to each other and the monitor is to one side?

Perhaps a different wall would be a better choice? 
It, sort of, sounds like you are shoehorning your HT into an existing location but then you said it was a new house and that your architect told you what clearance you had above the doors. (Did he say that you could put a speaker there or just that was the clearance, some doors have bracing above them so even if there is "room" you can't use it)

The idea of separate HT and music systems sounds interesting as long as you can build the two systems without having to make too many "choices".


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