Speaker Placement in Open Room

[emperorcow]

So we just purchased a new home and I've been working on figuring out where to place my speakers in a large open greatroom. There are several built-in cabinets for the TV and AV equipment, including walk-in access to the back through a closet, which is great! What I'm not sure about is where to place all of the speakers in this room. I took a few pictures for reference to my thoughts below, but wanted to see what others thought and what would make sense. I have a 5.1.2 system right now but I'm looking to upgrade to 7.1.2 at some point in the future. I already have all of the speakers and equipment, so I'd like to reuse everything I can. Sadly, I don't have an option to put a theater in another room, this is where it is going to have to fit.

As you can see in the pics, I have a TV in the right place in the built-in and the couch in place. I think my two free-standing mains may work where they are currently at, but they will be a fair distance apart. Beyond this, I'm not sure where the best positions would be for the surrounds and center, as well as the subwoofer. Perhaps the center hangs above the cabinet and the surrounds hang down from the ceiling? I have a fair amount of lee-way from the S/O on this, but it must look "nice."

I would appreciate any wisdom others have to offer on how I can make this work, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[everettT]

What are the mains and center?

 

[shadyJ]

What are the mains and center?

They looks like Infinity Primus speakers to me.

To the OP, I would just try to stick as closely as possible to Dolby's recommended placement for Atmos system. Read through this guide to see placement guidelines.

The present location for your center speaker is not great. Try to get that under or over the TV if possible.

 

[lovinthehd]

That's the center on the mantel or in the shelf above the tv? At first I thought there was no center...

 

[TLS Guy]

As is so often the case, we get rooms totally unsuited to AV. I will be honest, in a room like that you have to pick a cozy area and put in a 2.1 or 3.1 system and forget all about the rest. Just get the best quality you can afford and you will be happier. All the rest will be a quality spoiler and not an improvement.

Really good 2.1 and 3.1 systems can be very satisfying and more rewarding than bad multichannel.

From what I see here a lot of members on here, if not most, would be better off with just 2.1 or 3.1. As I say often, two really good speakers blow five, seven or 11 poor speakers right out of the water.

Bottom line, far too many engage in systems with too many speakers before getting the left and right mains sorted out. In fact for really rewarding listening, two good speakers is all you really need.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Tough room there for sure. Anytime we’ve been home shopping, a high priority is a living room that’s home-theater friendly. We would have passed on this one.

The front L/R placement isn’t ideal, but it’ll obviously have to do because there is no other option.
I’d put the center channel in the right-side cubby above the TV, so it’ll be better centered between the L/R speakers. Put the gear in the lower cabinet with an IR repeater system and exhaust system to the closet for the heat.

I’d get some brackets to hang the surround speakers on the back wall, angled down at the seating (right-speaker location shown in the attached picture). I’ve done this in the past and it worked great, although it would be best to slide the couch forward at least a couple more feet. Might switch the speakers out to something in white for a nicer look. If “looks nice” is the over-riding priority, then go with in-ceiling speakers just above the location shown.

I don’t see a 7.1 system as an option. That requires two speakers to the sides of the seating location, as well as two behind it. You don’t have any side-location options – unless you want to hang them from the ceiling (ugh).

Likewise, Atmos looks like a non-starter with that ceiling, unless you want surface-mounted speakers hanging from the ceiling (I sure wouldn’t). One thing’s for sure, 7.1 + Atmos with side and overhead speakers hanging from the ceiling is not a good combination.

The sub is a lost cause. Subs don’t do well in huge rooms like this with no place to corner-load to maximize output and extension. Just pick a place that looks nice.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[emperorcow]

Sounds good, you are correct that the mains are Infinity P363s and the center is a PC351. Aside from the mains, everything else is just sitting somewhere around the boxes that were not in the picture. Our last place had almost a perfect setup for audio in the living room, and all of the gear was built up around that. This one... was certainly a compromise!

I appreciate everyone's input (and how quick it was too!), going to try out a few things based on this today and see how it goes. Thanks a bunch!

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Picture added to my previous post - sorry for forgetting it.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[2channel lover]

I'm going to echo a few earlier posts.

Overview...like you recognize and many have said, the room is not ideal for AV. Actually you can make a better LCR set up by reconfiguring the upper shelf, and moving the CC to the same cabinet the TV is in and possibly get it below or above the TV.

7.1...scrap this thought altogether. I don't see the space to make this work. If you want to continue with 5.1 you can go with surrounds on wall/ceiling brackets angled at the sofa.

IMHO...unfortunately, your room is going to make a 5.1 system a little challenging let alone 5.1.2, or 7.1 or 7.1.2. I would focus on getting the 5.1 setup accomplished and revisit Atmos after you've had some time with your system...these will likely be speaker top mounted anyway so no rush to add them.