# Finally moving into a House...



## Trekari (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, I haven't posted around here in ages, but this is the place to go for knowledgeable answers, so I'm back!

I'm finally moving out of a condo I've lived in for 12 years and into a pre-built house. The basement is going to be my new playpen, and I was hoping to get some advice on placement and setup.

Here are two photos of the basement theater area - note that they are wide-angled, so it appears MUCH larger than it is. Actual room dimensions are 17' wide and 11.5' front-to-back.



















Using floorplanner.com, I've come up with a basic layout that I think best fits my components for a 7.2 system. Currently I have a 42" television, but I hope to replace it with a 60" in a few years time.










I am planning on using this to hold my components on the wall to the left of the Front Left speaker.

In lieu of making lots of holes in the walls, I was thinking of using these to run along the baseboards for the mains and right surround, and the 'left' side of the air conditioning duct to get to the back surround speakers. 



Question #1) Does this seem like a layout that is flawed from the beginning, or is it a decent place to start?
Question #2) I was planning on painting the front wall neutral grey. The carpet is not something that I can change at this time...any ideas on what the other two walls should be so the whole thing doesn't look ridiculous? Should I only paint a tv-sized area grey instead? (Obviously larger than my actual tv, but not the whole wall...)
Question #3) My surround speakers are the same as my center - AV123 X-CS. They are each 33lbs, and I'm having a rough time finding something they can be wall-mounted with. The Omnimount shelves can handle 30lbs....but I'm very concerned about the fudge-factor.

The closest item I've found that fits my desires is this  but it claims to require stud-mounting. Does anyone have input on this conundrum? Would toggle-bolts work instead of studs? The X-CS is 17" deep x 20" wide if I lay them flat instead of vertically.

Any other options for wall-mounting speakers of such size/weight without going to Home Depot and making ghetto  shelves with L-brackets?

Appreciate any and all responses, especially as someone who mostly lurks around here.

-Jason


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

The rears are a bit close together IMO.

The room will be less predictable due to the 2 different depths left and right. Overall orientation, not really seeing anything that would be better assuming that duct is across what will be the front of the room. Before finalizing everything, I would at least set up the 2 subs and tweak the actual front to back seating position and check with REW. 

The surface mount conduit should be fine for the low level wiring.

For the wall, why not do something like a dark chocolate brown? That would work well with the existing color scheme and still give very good video contrast.

On the brackets, I wouldn't trust speakers just setting on those regardless of whether they'll hold the weight. Here is a set that will hold the weight at max - http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Metal-Speaker-Mount-Bracket/dp/B004DLRNFC

If you cheat a little, you can cut a hole in the drywall. Run a screw partially into a piece of 1x4. Wiggle it through the hole. Pull back on the screw and then run 2-4 screws through the drywall into the 1x4 that is now behind the drywall. Remove the center screw. That will give you good points to screw the mounts into and spread the weight out over a much larger area.

Bryan


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## Trekari (Jan 3, 2008)

Hadn't considered earth tones. I was thinking neutral grey for behind the tv, if not that entire front wall, and then charcoal or something for the left wall. I've never had the option of painting ANYTHING before, so this is all new territory!

As for the speakers, they do not have any mounting plates on them and I'd rather not drill holes into them. If not for purely aesthetic reasons, then for the reason that I don't know what the innards look like and any errant drilling could be catastrophic!

I know my 1/4 dimension null zones are a bit rough, given the open back right side (and I guess, the hallway to the back left also). I don't think the folks would go for the idea of actually walling off the room entirely...but one can dream.


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## Trekari (Jan 3, 2008)

Could I get this thread moved to here please? http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/system-setup-connection/

Seems more appropriate and I may get more input.

New options shown below. Only able to go with Rear Surrounds OR if I purchased a new receiver: Front High OR Wides.










I should add that my ceiling is only 7.5' high. The long HVAC vent runs front-to-back almost directly above the sweet spot, but offset to the left.

For wall-mounting the components, I've been looking at http://www.amazon.com/OmniMount-Tria-Shelf-System-Black/dp/B000RT8CM2/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_cart_2

Does anyone have other suggestions? The Tria cannot support the receiver I have due to size *and* weight issues, but I also cannot afford to go much beyond $100 for the component mounting. The entire basement (re-wiring speakers, and paint) needs to be kept under $400.

Thanks


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## Justy (10 mo ago)

Trekari said:


> Well, I haven't posted around here in ages, but this is the place to go for knowledgeable answers, so I'm back!
> 
> I'm finally moving out of a condo I've lived in for 12 years and into a pre-built house. The basement is going to be my new playpen, and I was hoping to get some advice on placement and setup.
> 
> ...


I think that if you also have a possibility to consult with professional designers regarding your stuff and ideas. Personally, when I was looking for quincy movers and finally found them -- Movers in Quincy MA | Moving Company in Quincy -- they recommended me to call a professional designer and discuss with him my plans so I would not lose my opportunity to create something unique.


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