Speaker Placement?

[Firefighter520]

So here is my room and dimensions. I am using in-wall as my surrounds and in-ceiling as my rear surrounds. Ceilings are 8' high, and center recliners will be set 14' back (instead of 11', as the pic shows) from wall mounted 65" Vizio tv. Where should my surrounds and rear surrounds be cut in? How high above "sitting ear level" should my surrounds be mounted? How far back over head should my in-ceiling rear surrounds be?

 

[shadyJ]

In a narrow room like that, I think it would make a lot more sense to use the in-ceiling speakers as the side surrounds and the in-walls as rears. If you place the sides where they are usually recommended to go, you will have some listeners sitting right next to a speaker, and that would be distracting. Also, if the in-ceiling speakers can not be aimed, they will either be projecting sound straight down onto no one, or down right on top of the listening position which probably won't sound like what the rears surrounds are supposed to.

If you just can not use the in-walls for the rear-surrounds, I would place them high up where they won't be directly into someones ear. If you have to use the in-ceilings a rears, I would place them just a bit behind the rear seats, maybe a foot or two. If you place them too far back, they won't be heard at all. It's not optimal, but it could still sound fine. Here is a diagram which can be used as a general guideline for 7.1 placement:

Definitely don't use this diagram as a hard rule for subwoofer placement.

 

[Firefighter520]

Would a 5.1 setup work better for this space? With the surrounds on stands.

 

[shadyJ]

I think so. You could also get wall mounts, like these videosecu side-clamping mounts, they will do the trick nicely.

 

[Firefighter520]

Thanks again ShadyJ, the wall mounts would be perfect! If I did the 5.1 system with the wall mounts would I mount my sourrounds behind the chairs, on the wall, above ear level?

 

[shadyJ]

Mount them above ear level and behind the seats, so they are aimed at the listening position from behind. I see the my link to the videosecu mounts didn't take, here is the link, those are very good mounts, they are rebadged AM40 mounts, they are the same as the Pinpoints but cost less.