Looking for help in orienting speaker layout to this room

[mxw031]

Hi there, I recently purchased a new home and am looking for help with suggestions for how to set up my audio/video system. It is still pretty early on, we literally just moved in and are doing a lot of cleaning/remodeling so the place is a mess but I'm looking for help just so I can start to plan things. Generally we really love the house, it is kind of small but perfect for us. The living room is cozy with vaulted ceilings but I am struggling to decide how to set up my system due to it kind of having an odd layout. We stuck the tv in the corner on an old cabinet for now but it obviously sucks to actually use it at that angle.

A lot of our stuff is old hand-me-down items so I am wanting to get some newer things specifically for this space (couch, tv, etc.).

My system is a pair of Canton Chrono 70 towers and an RSL Speedwoofer 10inch sub and an older Denon AVR. I plan to get a new receiver and tv at some point but not sure yet what kind or how big. I primarily use my speakers for listening to music but it would be nice to pair to tv for movies at some point though it is not my priority.

I could not fit my images in this post as I was told they are too large, I uploaded them here: https://postimg.cc/gallery/5QQXcFq

So the living room is kind of laid out in a long fashion, extending into the kitchen or "dining area". The dimensions of the room are 13.5' by 18'. The wall the door is in is 13.5' and then it is 18' long to the entryway into the dining room (where the ceiling flattens out). The fireplace is nice but is throwing me for a loop regarding how to set up my speakers.

So far my ideas have been...get a new cabinet for my AVR, place a tower on each side and have them in the living room in front of the window sending sound the "long way" across the living room. This is kind of appealing because it would send music toward kitchen area which would be nice when I am cooking etc. I thought if I did this then I could get a section or L-shaped couch. Not sure about the tv, I could put it on the same wall, or have considered removing the mantle and mounting it into the fireplace but I really don't know how to do that yet so would have to do some planning.

I could also if mounting the tv to the fireplace set my speakers up on either side of the fireplace also but I'm wondering if this would create a limited listening area by directing it across the narrow width of the room. I'm also unsure if I did this where I would put my AVR and how I would manage all of the cables. The fireplace is mainly what is throwing me off in how to go about orienting the room and my system.

I plan to put the sub wherever it sounds best. I am open to any and all suggestions or perspectives about how to outfit this space. If more information would be helpful then I'd be happy to provide it. Currently my speakers are not set up and I am missing my music so may just set them up preliminarily while I plan how I might want things permanently.

I appreciate any advice or perspective anyone can offer, thanks!

 

[lovinthehd]

FWIW if using a pc just right click on your image file and go to edit, takes it to Paint with a resizing function, I usually use 30-35%

Generally I avoid fireplaces and tvs/audio gear together They definitely can get in the way. I generally prefer setting up audio gear/display at the short end of a room. Might as well hook up the avr/speakers/sub now with the tv where it is now while you figure things out. Might look into cable raceways for hiding wiring....

No particular ideas for you otherwise, tho (yet)

 

[mxw031]

FWIW if using a pc just right click on your image file and go to edit, takes it to Paint with a resizing function, I usually use 30-35%

Generally I avoid fireplaces and tvs/audio gear together They definitely can get in the way. I generally prefer setting up audio gear/display at the short end of a room. Might as well hook up the avr/speakers/sub now with the tv where it is now while you figure things out. Might look into cable raceways for hiding wiring....

No particular ideas for you otherwise, tho (yet)

Thank you for the tip about resizing the image, I assumed I would have to somehow make a smaller file size but will trying resizing it next time.

The fireplace is a gas fireplace mostly for aesthetics, it doesn't really put off heat and we don't intend to use it anyway. But I do feel like it would be a real challenge for me to try to mount into the fireplace and run a speaker on each side, mostly because I wouldn't know how to manage the cables and where to put the receiver.

I will take your advice and go ahead and set up in the corner or along the short wall and see if that gives me any new ideas or inspiration.

 

[lovinthehd]

Thank you for the tip about resizing the image, I assumed I would have to somehow make a smaller file size but will trying resizing it next time.

The fireplace is a gas fireplace mostly for aesthetics, it doesn't really put off heat and we don't intend to use it anyway. But I do feel like it would be a real challenge for me to try to mount into the fireplace and run a speaker on each side, mostly because I wouldn't know how to manage the cables and where to put the receiver.

I will take your advice and go ahead and set up in the corner or along the short wall and see if that gives me any new ideas or inspiration.

Many mount the tv above the fireplace but I wouldn't consider that myself, I don't want to look up like that would require. The avr could go well off to the side, speakers and cable wouldn't be horrible to deal with particularly....but the tv does need to be between the speakers....

 

[-Jim-]

Like @lovinthehd I'm not a huge fan of placing TVs above the Fireplace, but in situations like yours it's really the only practical solution - especially with all those windows.

But I'd recommend getting a Fireplace TV Mount (bracket) that pulls down. (Just type that into your search engine as there's lots around from Amazon, Monoprice, Walmart, NewEgg, etc.) And if you want to go to more of a Home Theater setup, make sure it comes with a shelf /bracket that can hold a center speaker. If you want to go all in, powered Mounts are available (and substantially more cost). It is possible with some of these brackets to mount them above the Mantle, but of course that limits how far down you can get them. Some people only pull down the TV when watching movies, sports, etc., for longer periods, and leave it "up" when not in use. (Good for WAF!)

It appears your TV is about a ~55 inch (?). It also appears to be a bit high on that stand. Try to set the TV to the correct height if possible. Most brackets will allow you to angle the TV down a bit. Then you can put your Canton Chrono 70 towers on the outside of both windows. Do the subwoofer crawl to figure out where it should go.

We have a North Bayou F400 hydraulic mono shock TV mount in our Family room setup. It's not above a Fireplace but my wife & I like it when we are in the kitchen and can raise it up and swivel it towards the Kitchen to watch when eating, cooking, etc. It only move a bit over 12 inches, which won't be enough for your application. The ability to swivel is a definite bonus if you want to watch it from another seating location or at a counter. (We liked it so much we bought another for the Games Room 55 inch TV but retired it there when we went to a 75 QLED Samsung.)

I'd get the TV sorted before moving onto other system upgrades. (If you want sound in the Kitchen add some decent wireless speakers there hooked up to your Denon?)

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Eppie]

How often do you plan on using the fireplace? Heat from the fireplace will shorten the life of the TV, so a TV over a usable fireplace is generally a bad idea unless it is the only option. The receiver would go to one side, so you would be concerned with running one speaker wire to the other side, which can go under an area rug or inside a rubber cable cover. For the TV, you can run wires inside a cable channel that can be mounted in the corners.

If you don't mind covering the one window on the far side, you can use black out blinds and set the TV on a console with hopefully enough room for the tower speakers on either side. That is going to give a narrow sound stage. The speakers on either side of the fire place (beyond the windows) will give a very wide sound stage, but that is a matter of preference. I would avoid placing the TV over the fireplace if possible. An L-shaped sofa will bracket the fireplace for warmth and still allow a couple of seats to face the TV in front of the window.

With the speakers on the short wall you can probably forgo using a center channel speaker as the speakers will provide a phantom center at that distance. If over the fireplace, you would likely want a center channel speaker with the L+R so far apart, but where would you place one? Between the TV and mantel? The other issue I see is that the TV would be quite high relative to your seating position. Having to lean your head back to watch a TV that high could cause neck strain over time. A TV on a console would be at the right viewing height with the correct stand.

For surround speakers, you likely will not be able to get wires into the vaulted ceiling without a lot of effort. You could run wires on the floor and use a couple of small bookshelf speakers on stands on either side of the couch for surround L+R. If you have basement access running cables down from the wall into the basement can be another way to reach other locations, say if you wanted surrounds mounted an a wall.

 

[dolynick]

Maybe I missed it somewhere in your post, but what is on the wall opposite of the fireplace? IE if you turned the couch around?

I can see why the fireplace is throwing you off. I honestly can't think of much that would make me happy as a solution there either.

 

[Eppie]

Maybe I missed it somewhere in your post, but what is on the wall opposite of the fireplace? IE if you turned the couch around?

I can see why the fireplace is throwing you off. I honestly can't think of much that would make me happy as a solution there either.

I think the two options for the TV are either above the fireplace or in front of the window to the right of the doorway (a little left of the TV's current position in the left corner). The window faces towards the kitchen on the opposite end. So option 2 is at 90 degrees to the fireplace wall.

 

[dolynick]

I think the two options for the TV are either above the fireplace or in front of the window to the right of the doorway (a little left of the TV's current position in the left corner). The window faces towards the kitchen on the opposite end. So option 2 is at 90 degrees to the fireplace wall.

I'd guess so, but I didn't think it would hurt to ask or suggest thinking about it from the other way either.

 

[Wardog555]

Tv cabinet In front of the fireplace is realistically the only solution I can think of in this room.
Or take time and money to renovate and demolish the fireplace entirely and while you at it. Remove those windows on that same wall.
Having too many windows causes problems such as watching dark Content at day time. You can't see the details in the image.
Then also tv and speaker layout problems.

Is there another room in the building you could use for home theater?

It's always annoying when people ask for layout ideas then only show pictures of part of the room. We need to see the entire room and or floor plan of the entire building to see if there's any options to consider.

 

[mxw031]

I hope this is helpful.

Just wanted to say your reply was definitely helpful and has given me some thought! I am looking at fireplace mounts, the main drawback for them for me is that I feel like they will stick out from the wall a lot when they are fully up or retracted. I don't watch a ton of tv so might find this annoying but was thinking maybe I could build a nice box surrounding the tv on the wall for when it is retracted. I may consider this option but for now will likely set up along the shorter wall in front of the window while I consider my options.

 

[mxw031]

It's always annoying when people ask for layout ideas then only show pictures of part of the room. We need to see the entire room and or floor plan of the entire building to see if there's any options to consider.

Sorry, I can understand that frustration but this is literally the only room this would work in. It is a small house (1250 square feet) with three small bedrooms and only one living area. I probably posted too early but am still in the process of cleaning the space and getting everything moved in. I figured it could help me to start getting ideas sooner than later.

 

[mxw031]

Maybe I missed it somewhere in your post, but what is on the wall opposite of the fireplace? IE if you turned the couch around?

I can see why the fireplace is throwing you off. I honestly can't think of much that would make me happy as a solution there either.

The wall opposite the fireplace is just an open wall, but the door in the photograph is the front door so doesn't present much opportunity to have a setup on that wall. It is also not a huge room so the back of the couch would be right in front of the fireplace if I did that. We feel lucky to have even ended up able to buy this little house but it's definitely not the greatest setup for a system.

 

[mxw031]

How often do you plan on using the fireplace? Heat from the fireplace will shorten the life of the TV, so a TV over a usable fireplace is generally a bad idea unless it is the only option. The receiver would go to one side, so you would be concerned with running one speaker wire to the other side, which can go under an area rug or inside a rubber cable cover. For the TV, you can run wires inside a cable channel that can be mounted in the corners.

If you don't mind covering the one window on the far side, you can use black out blinds and set the TV on a console with hopefully enough room for the tower speakers on either side. That is going to give a narrow sound stage. The speakers on either side of the fire place (beyond the windows) will give a very wide sound stage, but that is a matter of preference. I would avoid placing the TV over the fireplace if possible. An L-shaped sofa will bracket the fireplace for warmth and still allow a couple of seats to face the TV in front of the window.

Thank you for the thorough reply. I do think that, at least for now, setting up in front of the far window is my best and least invasive option. I think an L-shaped sofa as you say is a good compromise here. After reading people's opinions here and elsewhere I'm thinking I will go this route for now and then make considerations for over the fireplace in the future if I decide to down the road.

The fireplace is a gas fireplace and does not put off much heat, it is mostly for aesthetic purposes and we don't really intend to use it much. I do think if mounting the tv on the fireplace it would come with a host of other problems. It would definitely be too high as you mentioned, I think I'd have to remove the mantle and have the tv where the mantle is and with a drop down bracket.

It just seems like it would be really cluttered and an eyesore if I put it above the fireplace, although maybe if I had a professional to consult about mounting it and organizing cable then it could be done in a tasteful way.

 

[Wardog555]

Sorry, I can understand that frustration but this is literally the only room this would work in. It is a small house (1250 square feet) with three small bedrooms and only one living area. I probably posted too early but am still in the process of cleaning the space and getting everything moved in. I figured it could help me to start getting ideas sooner than later.

My optimal home theater is in my bedroom.
There's nothing stopping you from considering this option.
People often neglect choosing this option as they have the inappropriate belief that a living room is the only place for a tv. It's not. And rarely is it ever good. I'd watch movies in my living room if it was setup mote optimally.
Leave the living room for basic useage like news and reality tv.

If you want to watch movies and tv shows with surround sound. You'd want to take this hobby more seriously. this would mean tv cabinet In front of the fireplace or demolish the fireplace.


Here's the only two resources needed for speaker placement.

https://www.dolby.com/siteassets/technologies/dolby-atmos/atmos-installation-guidelines-121318_r3.1.pdf

Salesforce

dolby.my.salesforce.com

If you ask me whether it's worth taking the time and effort, even spending some money to make the layout optimal. I'm going to say overwhelming yes.

Have a good