# Lighting up speakers



## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Couldnt find a home theater lighting section, so figured this would be the place...

I have a rope light behind my projector screen housing, it looks really good but its not enough ambient lighting in such a dark room as my brown living room. Id like to illuminate the back of my four wall-mounted speakers that make up my left and right front channels...suggestions on how best to go about it? Id like them to be small (theyll be invisible while seated) , cheap and powered with standard 110 wall outlets. Id also like to be able to adjust their intensity to get the lighting level exactly right. Ill happily mount them on the backs of the speakers, but Im not sure what type of lighting assemblies I should start looking at.

Heres pics of the mounted speakers, back and front:



















This is an old shot of my old speakers, but gives you a good idea of the lighting im going for behind the speakers:


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Maybe try "Puck" style lights like alot of folks use under there kitchen cabinets i think those would look nice.:T


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

I can’t tell from your post what your objective is. Is it to get more ambient lighting in the room, or something to highlight (call attention to) the speakers? If it’s the latter, back lighting is not the way to do it.


Regards,
Wayne


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Im good with both accenting the speakers and ambient lighting, but ultimately Im going for ambient lighting. If you dont suggest backlighting, what would you suggest? Im looking at all options here...


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## nholmes1 (Oct 7, 2010)

If you are putting any light behind the display it should be a biased light and as close to the d6500 standard otherwise you are tinting your displays picture.


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

TypeA said:


> Im good with both accenting the speakers and ambient lighting, but ultimately Im going for ambient lighting. If you dont suggest backlighting, what would you suggest? Im looking at all options here...


Have you ever seen TV interviews where they conceal the identity of the person on the screen? They always use backlighting, which keeps the subject in the dark. So obviously that’s not the way to go for accenting or calling attention to the speakers. For that you want a light with a narrow focus (“spread”) that’s only a bit brighter than the ambient light. It’s much more effective if the source of the light can be hidden as much as possible, like in a deep can.

Regards,
Wayne


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## Trick McKaha (Oct 7, 2009)

A little bit of ambient light coming from behind a projection screen would improve perceived contrast in the picture. I had never thought of the need to have your ambient light colored at the 6500 standard, but it makes perfect sense. You won't want them too bright so under the counter light pucks might be best, as mentioned above. The LED kind if the color temp isn't too off.

Looking at your photos, though, seems lights coming off the back of your speakers could hit the front of your screen, at least maybe after reflecting off the side wall. For sure, you won't want to wash out your picture, so you might want to make sure that doesn't happen.


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## nholmes1 (Oct 7, 2010)

Bias lighting will improve perceived contrast as long as light isn't being reflected onto the screen which it appears would be the case. There are few bias lighting devices out there that adhere to d6500.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Thanks so much for all the input. 

Issue one so far is finding the right color of light. Both led and fluorescent are too white (tried some night lights from wm) so I need something that will splash and spread nicely on brown walls and with a more gold warmth of light like the rope light mounted on the back of the projector screen housing produces (see pic above). So am I looking for incandescent? Tis the time year, do they still make incandescent christmas lights? Do they still make incandescent rope lights? My rope is about 10-15 years old (tho was in storage for a long time unused) 

Issue two is installing on the _back wall_ behind the screen rather than installing (and thus hiding) on the backs of the wall-mounted speakers. This add-on lighting will NOT be on during movies but Id like to avoid screen splash just in case I do want it on. I also think installing on the end wall, rather than on the backs of the speakers, will better isolate the light to the end of the room. This is ambient mood lighting, but I also want more illumination at the end of the room. Again, perhaps christmas lights would be the best way to hide in the much more obvious location like the back wall. I can hide the new lighting with the curtains (also still a work in progress) to a certain degree, but at least I wont be running brown power cords up my wall alongside the speaker wire if I avoid installing on the backs of the speakers...

Any thoughts???


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## nholmes1 (Oct 7, 2010)

http://www.cinemaquestinc.com/ideal_lume.htm 

Christmas lights create hotspots when used, you would be better off with rope lighting.


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## heart_sniper27 (Feb 24, 2011)

but I see the problem with that is light being reflected on the screen


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

The light won't be a problem if it's not too bright and behind the display.
And actually having a light source behind the display helps to reduce eye fatigue.


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

I know a lot of people use the Ikea Dioder lights behind flatscreen displays, and you could take a look at them. A friend of mine uses them behind his Panasonic plasma and the effect is nice, though I can't speak to the colour accuracy.


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