Advice on speaker placement in a kitchen setup

[PikeoftheLake]

Hi Everyone,

Many thanks for considering my post here.

We are in the middle of a big kitchen renovation. Knocking down walls, taking everything down to the studs. I want to make sure that I have everything in I need before we put the ceiling in.

I would like to have in-celing speakers and I have opted for the following:

- Monoprice 4103 Caliber 6.5" speakers: https://www.primecables.ca/p-355355-cab-4103-caliber-ceiling-speakers-65-inch-fiber-2-way-pair-monoprice
- Monoprice back enclosures: https://www.primecables.ca/p-375696-cab-11941-abs-back-enclosure-pair-for-cab-4103-65in-ceiling-speaker-monoprice
- Aiyima A07 power amp: https://www.amazon.ca/AIYIMA-A07-TPA3255-Amplifier-Digital/dp/B08CJZGT6H

I will have the speakers running through the ceiling with cables running down to the basement where the power amp will be accessibile. I will use a bluetooth receiver at the amp and run sound from a tablet mounted to the wall in the kitchen.

I'm wondering about placement of the speakers. My original idea was just to have two speakers as follows (red circles = speakers and the blue rectangle is the dining table):

But I'm now wondering if I would be better off running 4 speakers at 4ohms per channel:

I would genuinely be interested in your feedback around the placement of these speakers. Would you recommend something different? Would you go for the two or the four speaker setup?

Many thanks for your time.

 

[TLS Guy]

For ceiling speakers two would be fine I think. However, that amp looks a very nasty piece of junk indeed, likely to blow up in the first week. That is the sort of rubbish, I run a mile from. Junk purchases always end up being the most expensive. That unit will not produce its specified power, nothing close to it.

 

[BMXTRIX]

For general background listening, I prefer a few more speakers, rather than a few less. I run two sets in my kitchen/eat in space in my home and it provides very nice coverage. I don't plate them close, like you're showing in your second photo. Instead, I would spread them out more and center them in the space. This isn't so much about proper stereo, as it is about even coverage throughout the space with decent sound. So, I'd put one on either end of the dining room table and one on either end of the island area. This will give you general 'centered' sound throughout the space.

I lean more towards picking up a main brand used amplifier off of eBay vs. cheap stuff on Amazon. Lots of decent reviews of the amp you're considering, so I'm not going to tell you not to get it, but be aware, for the money, you could likely get a Sonance 260 or 275 amplifier used. Niles and Speakercraft are other popular makes for distributed audio amps that work well and hold up for decades. I use Rotel stuff for my distributed audio. Be aware, the amp you are considering does not include a power supply it seems, so that will be an additional purchase/cost.

 

[Kingnoob]

Hi Everyone,

Many thanks for considering my post here.

We are in the middle of a big kitchen renovation. Knocking down walls, taking everything down to the studs. I want to make sure that I have everything in I need before we put the ceiling in.

I would like to have in-celing speakers and I have opted for the following:

- Monoprice 4103 Caliber 6.5" speakers: https://www.primecables.ca/p-355355-cab-4103-caliber-ceiling-speakers-65-inch-fiber-2-way-pair-monoprice
- Monoprice back enclosures: https://www.primecables.ca/p-375696-cab-11941-abs-back-enclosure-pair-for-cab-4103-65in-ceiling-speaker-monoprice
- Aiyima A07 power amp: https://www.amazon.ca/AIYIMA-A07-TPA3255-Amplifier-Digital/dp/B08CJZGT6H

I will have the speakers running through the ceiling with cables running down to the basement where the power amp will be accessibile. I will use a bluetooth receiver at the amp and run sound from a tablet mounted to the wall in the kitchen.

I'm wondering about placement of the speakers. My original idea was just to have two speakers as follows (red circles = speakers and the blue rectangle is the dining table):


View attachment 61472

But I'm now wondering if I would be better off running 4 speakers at 4ohms per channel:



View attachment 61473

I would genuinely be interested in your feedback around the placement of these speakers. Would you recommend something different? Would you go for the two or the four speaker setup?

Many thanks for your time.

4 speakers, check the receiver section for amplifiers that listed one is too low quality id imagine. You can ask them about it …

Amps, AV Pre-Pros & Receivers

This is the place to post questions, comments and observations on AV pre-pros and receivers and power amplifiers. We cover the latest in immersive surround sound (ie. Dolby Atmos, DTS:X) or HDMI 2.1 protocol.

forums.audioholics.com

 

[PikeoftheLake]

Many thanks for the feedback everyone.

- Noted about the amp!
- Noted about encouraging 4 speakers instead of 2.

Much appreciated.

 

[MrBoat]

I have some of those cheaper amps from Amzon. They work ok or better than they should at the asking price. Disposable equipment at disposable prices. No, the stated power ratings are typically bogus, but so are a lot of other brands (or superfluous, at least) claims beyond what is actually audible. Powerful enough for 4 ceiling speakers depends on other factors but for two that can otherwise get by on 20 or 30 watts, it would likely be fine. If not, put it on a desktop system and get something better if it fails to impress.

I recently got the Fosi Audio BT30D Pro and while it's no audiophile piece, it's good enough for me on most days with casual listening. But then I don't really qualify as an audiophile and am somewhat easily pleased, or at least realistic with regard to the music quality I tend to choose. The one thing about the cheap amp is it is dead silent. No hiss, pops or humming at all. I bought it as a travel amp to take with me when I visit friends/relatives or for going out of town. When I'm away from my home system, this one certainly suffices.

If you're serious about music, build an all-out system to scratch that itch, but not everything we listen to has to be so involved. In other words, we can have multiple systems and they all don't have to be winners. I have 7 different systems from vintage to current that accomplish different things at different prices. Some of the budget stuff is pleasing to listen to in it's own right.

Not to disagree with the others about buying used, there are some risks there as well but it's not a bad way to go, more often than not. I buy used as well and it has served me well mostly, but then, I only buy because I can usually repair or rebuild it if worst case happens and still come out ahead.

 

[Eppie]

Despite some of the misgivings posted, the Aiyima amps are fairly well rated for desktop use and should be fine for casual background music. Just make sure the model you are considering is rated stable into 4 ohms. According to the Amazon link it does include a 32V 5A power supply. Note that the rated power is only achieved with a 48V supply. That is typical for these class-D modular amps. They need max rated voltage for max power but it's fine to get a lower power supply as long as it's above the 24V minimum that the amp requires. At 32V you'll still have enough to drive ceiling speakers. There are also models with blue-tooth built in.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello. I am in the process of remodeling my house and have the ceilings open. My objective is to add two speakers in my kitchen ceiling and two speakers in my living room ceiling. For the kitchen, there will be a TV mounted over the fireplace. I'd like the ceiling speakers to have the ability to play sound from the TV or from Sonos (Connect:Amp?). For the living room, I already have a Beam and want the two ceiling speakers to be able to play sound from the TV or from Sonos and to also integrate with my Beam to either play TV audio or music from Sonos. I'd like each zone to be independent from one another so the sound in the kitchen doesn't necessarily need to match the sound in the living room. Can you make a recommendation for equipment based on my requirements? Note: I have not purchased the ceiling speakers or Connect:Amp yet, just the Beam in the living room.

Just don't.

Over a fireplace is a terrible place to mount a TV. First it gets too hot and the TV will have a short life. Second the TV is mounted too high. TVs mounted over a fireplace are a common bad mistake.

Next never use ceiling speakers for TV audio. It produces a horrid unpleasant effect. It is a bad waste of money because people never use them.

 

[superwofy95]

For general background listening, I prefer a few more speakers, rather than a few less. I run two sets in my kitchen/eat in space in my home and it provides very nice coverage. I don't plate them close, like you're showing in your second photo. Instead, I would spread them out more and center them in the space. This isn't so much about proper stereo, as it is about even coverage throughout the space with decent sound. So, I'd put one on either end of the dining room table and one on either end of the island area. This will give you general 'centered' sound throughout the space.

I lean more towards picking up a main brand used amplifier off of eBay vs. cheap stuff on Amazon. Lots of decent reviews of the amp you're considering, so I'm not going to tell you not to get it, but be aware, for the money, you could likely get a Sonance 260 or 275 amplifier used. Niles and Speakercraft are other popular makes for distributed audio amps that work well and hold up for decades. I use Rotel stuff for my distributed audio. Be aware, the amp you are considering Grey structure rate with labour does not include a power supply it seems, so that will be an additional purchase/cost.

Why Niles and Speakercraft are popular?