Cabin speaker setup suggestions

[Aiml3ss]

Hello all,

We have a new cabin and need to have speakers mounted throughout it. Since it is an A arc, the cabin is pretty big height wise which is where I would wire the speaker wire and mount speakers.

I've been doing some research on wall mountable speakers but I still don't have one speaker in mind. I've been looking at the Totem Dreamcatchers since the can be mounted but I feel like those are too big and won't angle enough downward.

I've looked at the NHT SuperZero but since they are so cheap I don't know if they are good or not.

So my question is, what speaker would work great if it had to be mounted high up and aim somewhat down? Also could I buy just any speaker mount that would universally work with all speakers?

Thanks

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello all,

We have a new cabin and need to have speakers mounted throughout it. Since it is an A arc, the cabin is pretty big height wise which is where I would wire the speaker wire and mount speakers.

I've been doing some research on wall mountable speakers but I still don't have one speaker in mind. I've been looking at the Totem Dreamcatchers since the can be mounted but I feel like those are too big and won't angle enough downward.

I've looked at the NHT SuperZero but since they are so cheap I don't know if they are good or not.

So my question is, what speaker would work great if it had to be mounted high up and aim somewhat down? Also could I buy just any speaker mount that would universally work with all speakers?

Thanks

It sounds like a really bad plan to me. Why do you want to mount everything in the 'gods"?

The other issue: - Where is this cabin? Is it in a cold weather area, and if so will it be closed up and not heated in the winter?

 

[highfigh]

Hello all,

We have a new cabin and need to have speakers mounted throughout it. Since it is an A arc, the cabin is pretty big height wise which is where I would wire the speaker wire and mount speakers.

I've been doing some research on wall mountable speakers but I still don't have one speaker in mind. I've been looking at the Totem Dreamcatchers since the can be mounted but I feel like those are too big and won't angle enough downward.

I've looked at the NHT SuperZero but since they are so cheap I don't know if they are good or not.

So my question is, what speaker would work great if it had to be mounted high up and aim somewhat down? Also could I buy just any speaker mount that would universally work with all speakers?

Thanks

What level of sound quality do you want? Can you post diagrams or photos of the place? If it's post & beam, you have options. If it's wide open, it will be more tricky. Near Audio and some other manufacturers make pendant speakers for applications like yours.

 

[Aiml3ss]

It sounds like a really bad plan to me. Why do you want to mount everything in the 'gods"?

The other issue: - Where is this cabin? Is it in a cold weather area, and if so will it be closed up and not heated in the winter?

I may have over exaggerated how high it is. I would say maybe 8-10 feet is where a corner is.

Yes, its in northern Minnesota. It will be heated in the winter.

I've checked out the Monitor Audio R90HD and R180HD speakers. They look nice, are small and can be mounted quite easily.

I don't need AMAZING sound quality. Just something that sounds decent when its turned up. I know this setup won't even come close to what I have at my house, but we just need something for background music and such.

I'll have to get the exact dimensions and sketch it up for you guys.

 

[TLS Guy]

I may have over exaggerated how high it is. I would say maybe 8-10 feet is where a corner is.

Yes, its in northern Minnesota. It will be heated in the winter.

I've checked out the Monitor Audio R90HD and R180HD speakers. They look nice, are small and can be mounted quite easily.

I don't need AMAZING sound quality. Just something that sounds decent when its turned up. I know this setup won't even come close to what I have at my house, but we just need something for background music and such.

I'll have to get the exact dimensions and sketch it up for you guys.

Where in Northern Minnesota? I'm on Benedict Lake between Walker and Laporte?

I thought you had those very high cathedral ceilings. Still you want to keep the speakers away from the ceiling, I would keep them three to four feet below the ceiling at least.

Also you really want to keep them as close to the listening area as possible, so they do not play loud.

There is a strong lake etiquette in Minnesota Lakes country.

If the cabin is not air conditioned and the windows will be open and the neighbors in ear shot, they don't want to hear your sound system. People come here to hear Loon music and other birds, not stereos.

My place is air conditioned and the windows are closed. I make sure the neighbors do not hear music emanating from this place.

We do not allow any visitors to use outdoor radios here at all. There is no sound system in the boat except the marine band radio, which is kept tuned to the emergency channel in case their is need to assist.

If any boats turn up on this lake and music is audible from shore, one of us will put to sea and give a polite redirect.

Minnesota Lakes country is a peaceful place and most cabin owners want to keep it that way.

Those speakers should be fine by the way.

 

[Aiml3ss]

Where in Northern Minnesota? I'm on Benedict Lake between Walker and Laporte?

I thought you had those very high cathedral ceilings. Still you want to keep the speakers away from the ceiling, I would keep them three to four feet below the ceiling at least.

Also you really want to keep them as close to the listening area as possible, so they do not play loud.

There is a strong lake etiquette in Minnesota Lakes country.

If the cabin is not air conditioned and the windows will be open and the neighbors in ear shot, they don't want to hear your sound system. People come here to hear Loon music and other birds, not stereos.

My place is air conditioned and the windows are closed. I make sure the neighbors do not hear music emanating from this place.

We do not allow any visitors to use outdoor radios here at all. There is no sound system in the boat except the marine band radio, which is kept tuned to the emergency channel in case their is need to assist.

If any boats turn up on this lake and music is audible from shore, one of us will put to sea and give a polite redirect.

Minnesota Lakes country is a peaceful place and most cabin owners want to keep it that way.

Those speakers should be fine by the way.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm in the Cross lake area which I guess isn't exactly 'northern' MN. Its sounds completely opposite to where your cabin is; lots of noise and social goings.

Can't seem to find where to buy those speakers online, seems like Monitor Audio doesn't have any internet venders. I'll have to watch Audiogon.

I plan on getting a multi-zone receiver so I can have people play their music in the basement, while other people play what they want on the main floor.

Any recommendations?

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm in the Cross lake area which I guess isn't exactly 'northern' MN. Its sounds completely opposite to where your cabin is; lots of noise and social goings.

Can't seem to find where to buy those speakers online, seems like Monitor Audio doesn't have any internet venders. I'll have to watch Audiogon.

I plan on getting a multi-zone receiver so I can have people play their music in the basement, while other people play what they want on the main floor.

Any recommendations?

Cross Lake is not that far from here. If that is a noisy lake I'm glad I'm not on it. I bet things will quieten down now Denny Hecker is in clink.

If this system is audio only and you want a whole house type of system, a receiver my not be the best way to go. You probably would be better off with a dedicated distribution system controllable from the point of listening via key pad. Receivers are not really designed for your application, but they can be pressed into service. However bear on mind only analog sources usually can be sent to the zone 2 output and not digital ones. Also you will have to watch impedance issues carefully. People frequently blow speakers up by connecting too many speakers. Also remember A & B speakers are fed from the same amps. So by running A & B speaker concurrently it is easy to blow the receiver.

 

[Aiml3ss]

Very true. I am however, very jealous of his cabin; its phenomenal!

I found the dimensions for that room and it is 22 x 24. I'm wondering if the speakers mentioned above are going to be to small and sound 'thin'. Hmm.

Bah I love looking for new speakers but it is so hard to choose. So many choices

I now have been looking at the martin logons motion 4's. Those are bigger then the NHT's and R90. I need something that will sound full and spread throughout that room while being wall mounted.

 

[TLS Guy]

Very true. I am however, very jealous of his cabin; its phenomenal!

I found the dimensions for that room and it is 22 x 24. I'm wondering if the speakers mentioned above are going to be to small and sound 'thin'. Hmm.

Bah I love looking for new speakers but it is so hard to choose. So many choices

I now have been looking at the martin logons motion 4's. Those are bigger then the NHT's and R90. I need something that will sound full and spread throughout that room while being wall mounted.

That is a big space. Pictures really would be helpful. That space seems too big to get the results you want with bracket mounted speakers.

Could you use some in walls?

 

[AVRat]

I’ll throw the Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 450 into the mix. They can handle some decent power pushing them: http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Technology-StudioMonitor-Speakers-Black/dp/B000UW07MO

The Denon 3310 and up/later can do 2-channel PCM digital audio, not via HDMI though.
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR4310CI-7-1-Channel-Multi-Zone-Connectivity/dp/B002AKKFQC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1294719088&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/OMNIMOUNT-30-0-Universal-Stainless-Mounting/dp/B00009W5X2

 

[AVRat]

This should have read:

The Denon 3310 and up/later can do 2-channel PCM digital audio to the other zones, not via HDMI though.

 

[Aiml3ss]

I’ll throw the Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 450 into the mix. They can handle some decent power pushing them: http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Technology-StudioMonitor-Speakers-Black/dp/B000UW07MO

The Denon 3310 and up/later can do 2-channel PCM digital audio, not via HDMI though.
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR4310CI-7-1-Channel-Multi-Zone-Connectivity/dp/B002AKKFQC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1294719088&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/OMNIMOUNT-30-0-Universal-Stainless-Mounting/dp/B00009W5X2

Thanks for the reply.

How do those Definitive speakers compare to the Mortin Logan and the monitor audios above?

Those wall mounts are PERFECT!

Oh what exactly should I look for in a receiver besides multi-zone compatibility? That Denon has some pretty cool features but will I ever use them?