Help,my popcorn machine is collecting dust!

[FirstReflection]

One more thing

The Ascend HTM-200 SE speakers will work really nicely with the Emotiva XRS-4.1 bi-pole surround speakers , which are on sale right now for $225 for the pair.

So here's a possible speaker system:

1 Pair Ascend Acoustics HTM-200 SE
1 Ascend Acoustcs HTM-200 SE Center

(There's a small discount for buying them together)

Price for the Front three speakers comes to $428 + $36 shipping

1 Pair Emotiva XRS-4.1 bi-pole surround speakers

On sale price is $224.10 w/ free shipping

1 HSU Research STF-2 subwoofer

On sale price is $319 + $43 shipping

So total price for all 5 speakers and subwoofer is: $1050.10! (And that includes shipping )

Match up that speaker system with a great refurbished Denon receiver from accessories4less.com and you'll be all set! Either the AVR-1712 or AVR-1912 would make a great choice for you. The 1912 adds a whole bunch of network connection options, including Apple AirPlay. So if those features are important to you, the 1912 for $330 is a terrific choice. If you don't care about AirPlay or connecting your receiver to the internet for internet radio and Pandora and such, then the 1712 is simply tremendous at only $240!

So you'd have up'd your budget from $1000 max to around $1300-$1400 (depending on your receiver choice). But, boy oh boy, that's one heck of a good system! Honestly, that's a system I'd be proud to own myself - and I'm at the point in my home theater life where I'm looking at speakers that cost $3000 EACH these days Of course, I'm also crazy (although not nearly as crazy as some folks around here!)

If you're wanting speakers that can be positioned close to the wall or actually mounted on the wall, or even placed in an entertainment unit or a bookshelf or something, then you really really cannot do better than the Ascend HTM-200 speakers. I'm really thinking those will turn out to be the best choice for you, and they're really good. The Emotiva bi-poles are a nice match in overall sound quality, easy to mount on the side walls or put on a stand on either side of your seats, and they'll give you that nice, diffuse surround field that you'd get in a full sized movie theater. The HSU STF-2 is an easy choice and a real treat that's really going to bring the FEEL of a movie theater into your home! And the Denon 1712 is a steal at the refurbished price, while the 1912 is also very affordable if you want AirPlay and internet connectivity to your receiver.

Man, match that all up with a 50" Panasonic TC-P50ST50 plasma? You're looking at a total system price of under $2500. And it's a tremendous system. Like, a GIGANTIC leap up in quality over any HTiB. That's definitely a system you'd be showing off to your friends

Truly, I hope you go with this setup. I'm excited over it That should tell you something. If I'd started out with a system like that? I'd have saved tens of thousands of dollars by now. That's not an exaggeration. It would have been that system, and then a massively more expensive upgrade without really needing any steps in between - except for maybe some larger TVs along the way

 

[BusterBrown]

One more thing

The Ascend HTM-200 SE speakers will work really nicely with the Emotiva XRS-4.1 bi-pole surround speakers , which are on sale right now for $225 for the pair.

So here's a possible speaker system:

1 Pair Ascend Acoustics HTM-200 SE
1 Ascend Acoustcs HTM-200 SE Center

(There's a small discount for buying them together)

Price for the Front three speakers comes to $428 + $36 shipping

1 Pair Emotiva XRS-4.1 bi-pole surround speakers

On sale price is $224.10 w/ free shipping

1 HSU Research STF-2 subwoofer

On sale price is $319 + $43 shipping

So total price for all 5 speakers and subwoofer is: $1050.10! (And that includes shipping )

Match up that speaker system with a great refurbished Denon receiver from accessories4less.com and you'll be all set! Either the AVR-1712 or AVR-1912 would make a great choice for you. The 1912 adds a whole bunch of network connection options, including Apple AirPlay. So if those features are important to you, the 1912 for $330 is a terrific choice. If you don't care about AirPlay or connecting your receiver to the internet for internet radio and Pandora and such, then the 1712 is simply tremendous at only $240!

So you'd have up'd your budget from $1000 max to around $1300-$1400 (depending on your receiver choice). But, boy oh boy, that's one heck of a good system! Honestly, that's a system I'd be proud to own myself - and I'm at the point in my home theater life where I'm looking at speakers that cost $3000 EACH these days Of course, I'm also crazy (although not nearly as crazy as some folks around here!)

If you're wanting speakers that can be positioned close to the wall or actually mounted on the wall, or even placed in an entertainment unit or a bookshelf or something, then you really really cannot do better than the Ascend HTM-200 speakers. I'm really thinking those will turn out to be the best choice for you, and they're really good. The Emotiva bi-poles are a nice match in overall sound quality, easy to mount on the side walls or put on a stand on either side of your seats, and they'll give you that nice, diffuse surround field that you'd get in a full sized movie theater. The HSU STF-2 is an easy choice and a real treat that's really going to bring the FEEL of a movie theater into your home! And the Denon 1712 is a steal at the refurbished price, while the 1912 is also very affordable if you want AirPlay and internet connectivity to your receiver.

Man, match that all up with a 50" Panasonic TC-P50ST50 plasma? You're looking at a total system price of under $2500. And it's a tremendous system. Like, a GIGANTIC leap up in quality over any HTiB. That's definitely a system you'd be showing off to your friends

Truly, I hope you go with this setup. I'm excited over it That should tell you something. If I'd started out with a system like that? I'd have saved tens of thousands of dollars by now. That's not an exaggeration. It would have been that system, and then a massively more expensive upgrade without really needing any steps in between - except for maybe some larger TVs along the way

Yes, Yes, Yes I am going with this setup I have been reading about these speakers all afternoon. Now I just have to choose either the 1712 or the 1912. And the TC-P50ST50 looks to be a go also. I think I am excited about this setup as you are! I am about to order the HSU sub. from their website. On the speakers I am guessing to order them from links you posted? On the Ascend Acoustics HTM 200 SE center, that is the same as the other two? The same as the front L and R just using it as the center?

 

[BusterBrown]

Ok, I am in checkout with the HSU STF 2 and its saying that if I order this 20ft of subwoofer interconnect I can get it for only 10.00. Do I need it? Its 20ft. I am thinking thats a bit long if the sub is going to sitting under the TV.

Ok never mind, I went ahead and got it.

 

[BusterBrown]

WhooHoo !! Just ordered my HSU STF-2 sub and the Emotiva XRS-4.1 bi pole surround speakers. I am on my way. Now I just have to work 4 more Saturdays to buy the other speakers and the AVR.

 

[FirstReflection]

Holy cow! Awesome! Congrats!!!



I don't know if you saw the thread I made:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/beginners-audiophytes/80742-$2500-complete-system-any-newbie-should-buy-take-advantage-summer.html

I got so jazzed when this full system came out to such an attractive price that I wanted to share it with everyone! So you might end up with a few other people having an identical setup as yours! lol

I put all the links in that thread there, so you can refer to it if you need to

I mention Monoprice for all of your cable and wire needs in that thread too

 

[BusterBrown]

Holy cow! Awesome! Congrats!!!



I don't know if you saw the thread I made:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/beginners-audiophytes/80742-$2500-complete-system-any-newbie-should-buy-take-advantage-summer.html

I got so jazzed when this full system came out to such an attractive price that I wanted to share it with everyone! So you might end up with a few other people having an identical setup as yours! lol

I put all the links in that thread there, so you can refer to it if you need to

I mention Monoprice for all of your cable and wire needs in that thread too

FirstReflection, I can't thank you enough. The info and links you and the other guys have come up with is really good. And making a newbie thread is awesome!!! For someone like me trying to decipher all kinds of setups of which speakers with which sub. Figuring out what AVR, wire length and speaker placement it can get mind boggling real fast. Bravo to you!!

 

[FirstReflection]

For ordering the Ascend HTM-200 SE speakers, just go to the HTM-200 SE page at Ascendacoustics.com . You can add the default pair to your cart, then click the drop down menu where the pair is listed and you'll see the HTM-200 SE Center as the other option. Once you have both the pair and the center in your cart, it will automatically show the package discount and the shipping

Personally, I think the Denon AVR-1712 is the better choice in this case. For one thing, you actually get a better version of Audyssey auto-setup/room EQ. It's a bit weird, but the 1712 got Audyssey MultEQ XT while the 1912 took a step down to just regular MultEQ. The difference is that MultEQ XT plots many many more data points than just regular MultEQ. More data points means a more accurate approximation of the actual sound. It's a higher sampling rate, in other words. And MultEQ XT works very well, especially in the bass, which is where good EQ is the most worth while

The 1912 is really all about adding the network and AirPlay features. But at $90 more than the 1712, you could just take that $90 savings and buy an AppleTV or some other network streamer, like a Roku or a Boxee Box or something. So I think the 1712 is the better way to go, to be honest.

You were very wise to buy the on sale items first! I'm not exactly sure how long those sale prices are on for The Denon AVR-1712 should be next. I'm pretty sure accessories4less has a lot of stock, but they are technically "refurbished" units, so it's not an endless supply. Best to grab one while they're definitely still in stock The Ascend HTM-200 SE will definitely still be available later, and the package discount is standard. So no worries in waiting on those for a few weeks

I did link to Abt.com for the Panasonic TC-P50ST50. They are a fully authorized Panasonic dealer and they're offering the lowest price online. It's not a huge savings since places like Amazon are charging $1200, but with free shipping. But hey, even $32.50 in savings is something, right? That'll buy your speaker wire from Monoprice. So you get a full manufacturer's warranty and a slightly lower price from Abt. Seems like the obvious choice to me.

You're gonna LOVE this setup! I'm so happy that you went for this package! Please please be sure to come back and give us your impressions and some pics if you can! And if you have any questions about setting it all up, don't hesitate to ask! You've got great gear, it only makes sense to set it up as optimally as possible so that you get the most out of it, right? Things like Audyssey certainly help, but you should never completely rely on an auto-setup program. It isn't magic, just software So I hope you'll be just as eager to get everything placed and connected and calibrated as you've been in buying the gear! Honestly, setting everything can be a lot of fun! So I hope that's the way you'll look at it. Some folks find it a hassle and just want it all to be "plug and play". I can understand that, but I promise you, if you're willing to just take a day, be a bit patient, go through the setup, and deal with a little bit of trial and error, you can get a whole lot more out of these great components than the person who just slaps it all together without any care and doesn't optimize at all. Trust me, the time spent on setup and calibration is SO worthwhile, and it also helps to make you much more familiar and educated about your gear. So think of it as a "bonding" experience also. It'll make it that much easier to fall in love with your TV and speakers

 

[BusterBrown]

Holy cow! Awesome! Congrats!!!



I don't know if you saw the thread I made:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/beginners-audiophytes/80742-$2500-complete-system-any-newbie-should-buy-take-advantage-summer.html

I got so jazzed when this full system came out to such an attractive price that I wanted to share it with everyone! So you might end up with a few other people having an identical setup as yours! lol

I put all the links in that thread there, so you can refer to it if you need to

I mention Monoprice for all of your cable and wire needs in that thread too

Dude this is AWESOME! Brovo to you.

 

[BusterBrown]

Ok, things have moved faster than I thought they might on the HT system. I have now ordered all the speakers and the AVR (1712). I had a TV fund other than working on Sat. And my wife has surprised me with 300.00 Dollars that she had rat holed from a work bonus. She was saving it for our anniversey (18yrs yesterday). Awesome, so we decided to buy the Denon AVR with that. Thanks sweetheart! And I used my TV money to buy the 3 Ascend Acoustics. And the money I made last sat. just over 200 that I will get on my check this fri. went to get the Emotiva XRS-4.1's. And I have about 25.00 left over to start my new TV fund. WhooHoo!

 

[BusterBrown]

For ordering the Ascend HTM-200 SE speakers, just go to the HTM-200 SE page at Ascendacoustics.com . You can add the default pair to your cart, then click the drop down menu where the pair is listed and you'll see the HTM-200 SE Center as the other option. Once you have both the pair and the center in your cart, it will automatically show the package discount and the shipping

Personally, I think the Denon AVR-1712 is the better choice in this case. For one thing, you actually get a better version of Audyssey auto-setup/room EQ. It's a bit weird, but the 1712 got Audyssey MultEQ XT while the 1912 took a step down to just regular MultEQ. The difference is that MultEQ XT plots many many more data points than just regular MultEQ. More data points means a more accurate approximation of the actual sound. It's a higher sampling rate, in other words. And MultEQ XT works very well, especially in the bass, which is where good EQ is the most worth while

The 1912 is really all about adding the network and AirPlay features. But at $90 more than the 1712, you could just take that $90 savings and buy an AppleTV or some other network streamer, like a Roku or a Boxee Box or something. So I think the 1712 is the better way to go, to be honest.

You were very wise to buy the on sale items first! I'm not exactly sure how long those sale prices are on for The Denon AVR-1712 should be next. I'm pretty sure accessories4less has a lot of stock, but they are technically "refurbished" units, so it's not an endless supply. Best to grab one while they're definitely still in stock The Ascend HTM-200 SE will definitely still be available later, and the package discount is standard. So no worries in waiting on those for a few weeks

I did link to Abt.com for the Panasonic TC-P50ST50. They are a fully authorized Panasonic dealer and they're offering the lowest price online. It's not a huge savings since places like Amazon are charging $1200, but with free shipping. But hey, even $32.50 in savings is something, right? That'll buy your speaker wire from Monoprice. So you get a full manufacturer's warranty and a slightly lower price from Abt. Seems like the obvious choice to me.

You're gonna LOVE this setup! I'm so happy that you went for this package! Please please be sure to come back and give us your impressions and some pics if you can! And if you have any questions about setting it all up, don't hesitate to ask! You've got great gear, it only makes sense to set it up as optimally as possible so that you get the most out of it, right? Things like Audyssey certainly help, but you should never completely rely on an auto-setup program. It isn't magic, just software So I hope you'll be just as eager to get everything placed and connected and calibrated as you've been in buying the gear! Honestly, setting everything can be a lot of fun! So I hope that's the way you'll look at it. Some folks find it a hassle and just want it all to be "plug and play". I can understand that, but I promise you, if you're willing to just take a day, be a bit patient, go through the setup, and deal with a little bit of trial and error, you can get a whole lot more out of these great components than the person who just slaps it all together without any care and doesn't optimize at all. Trust me, the time spent on setup and calibration is SO worthwhile, and it also helps to make you much more familiar and educated about your gear. So think of it as a "bonding" experience also. It'll make it that much easier to fall in love with your TV and speakers

Hey I cannot wait to have this system setup. I will definitely come back and post some feedback on how it sounds. On the set up I am not saying I could set it up myself but I always read the manuals(a little bit OCD)and would want it set up correctly. So will definitely have some questions. Oh and thanks for the info on the Ascend website. I eventually figured it out.

 

[FirstReflection]

Wow! Congrats!!!



And many happy returns on your anniversary as well 18 years. That's awesome. Here's to the next 18 and another 18 after that!

I think it's great that you went for the full audio system before the TV Most people focus so much on the TV that they wind up giving the audio short shrift. Personally, I think audio is just as important to the movie and TV experience. Often more important, actually. I mean, how many times have you listened to a TV show playing in the background without really looking at the screen the whole time vs. watching the screen, but with no sound playing? See? Sound's more important!

But seriously, the TC-P50ST50 will still be available in a month or so when you've got the money for it saved up. And the price one the TV is only ever going to go down. The audio prices, on the other hand, are sale prices, so those will go back up fairly soon!

In fact, I don't know if you've seen that other thread I linked to, but someone pointed out to me that the Emotiva XRS-4.1 bi-pole surrounds are now "unavailable"! So you literally must have got one of the last remaining pairs! That's good timing. I know one other person who got in touch with me and said they ordered the same system based on that thread I wrote So you've got a "twin" out there somewhere - lol I wonder if I had a hand in making the XRS-4.1 sell out though. Kinda cool if I did, actually

Reading the manuals is a very good idea! Not nearly enough people do that. If you like, most of the manuals are available online, so it wouldn't be a bad idea at all to go download them and read up while you're waiting for your deliveries! The AVR-1712 especially has a lot of features, so it would be a very good idea indeed to read ahead and familiarize yourself with its options and controls before it arrives. You can get the AVR-1712 manual here.

One tip I'll give you right away that you won't find in any manual: read my post here that was in reply to someone asking about why the volume readout on the front display of the receiver is in negative numbers. The bit I wrote about Audyssey might be helpful to you. And read through the Dolby and THX websites too. Lots of great info on setting up your system.

I'm excited! I really hope you're gonna love this system. I'm pretty darn sure you will. Once you hear it in action, I don't think there's going to be any confusion about where the extra bit of money went to in terms of performance vs. a HTiB

Enjoy!

 

[BusterBrown]

Thanks for the Congrats! On the planning to get what first, I was just going to get what I could pay for. To end up getting the TV last is kinda funny because I was going to try and get that first. As we are remodeling the living room (almost done) the old TV is gone and not coming back. For now we just have a small one upstairs. My original TV fund was only 550.00 so I went ahead and got everything for the money I had right now. It definitely worked out good on the sales and being able to get some of the last XRS 4.1 surrounds.

And about those Emotiva XRS 4.1 surrounds. At work today my wife calls and said that a box was delivered. That was quick. The first box. When I got home I opened them up and they look awesome! I am thinking that my 'twin' will have the same reaction about them as I did. Its also pretty cool that someone else might have the same setup.

Again thank you for the info, links and tips. I really appreciate the time you have taken to gather all of this information and post it for me and others. It is a huge help.

As for 'having' to spend the extra money to get this system when my starting price range was 500 to 1000. Thats quite alright, That was just my price range for the speakers and the AVR. Again being a newbie I thought 550 would be plenty for a 'Good' TV to watch movies. HaHa what was I thinking. To that I must say I am very fortunate to have a job that allows me to work extra on Saturdays. Although now its going to be a lot more than 4 Sat. lol.

 

[FirstReflection]

Well you're most welcome!

All of the companies you're buying from have good service and ship quickly (at least in my experience). So you should definitely have the whole sound system in house by next week! That's going to be a very fun week for you, I think

That is funny that you'll be using a small TV for the time being. But in the grand scheme of things, another month or so isn't all that long It IS great that you can make some extra cash at your job by working Saturdays. I think you'll look back on it and know it was well worth the few extra weekends to put this audio system together and get the larger 50" plasma!

There are TVs available for your original $550 budget, especially at the smaller screen size you were considering at first. But much like spending a bit more to get a significantly better audio system, I think you'll be very happy with your choice to go with the larger, better television.

We only live once, right? So why not get the best products that we can afford and really enjoy our time with them instead of skimping and always wondering, "what if?" There isn't a single cent of "wasted" money in these purchases. So it might be a few extra Saturdays and a bit more money up front. But once you have it all together? That's going to be a real treat that you can enjoy for years and years to come!

Congrats again and I'm sure we'll talk again next week if not sooner! Oh, and what's the situation going to be with your speaker wire? Are you just going to extend down from your top corners where you ran the wires in the walls already? Or it might be a good idea to order some more speaker wire now so that you can connect all the speakers when they arrive. We'll have to work out your speaker placement, cause it would be a shame to stuff them into the top corners. If you like, maybe you could post some pics of your room. We could figure out your best placement options and then you'll be all set once everything arrives!

 

[slipperybidness]

Thanks for the Congrats! On the planning to get what first, I was just going to get what I could pay for. To end up getting the TV last is kinda funny because I was going to try and get that first. As we are remodeling the living room (almost done) the old TV is gone and not coming back. For now we just have a small one upstairs. My original TV fund was only 550.00 so I went ahead and got everything for the money I had right now. It definitely worked out good on the sales and being able to get some of the last XRS 4.1 surrounds.

And about those Emotiva XRS 4.1 surrounds. At work today my wife calls and said that a box was delivered. That was quick. The first box. When I got home I opened them up and they look awesome! I am thinking that my 'twin' will have the same reaction about them as I did. Its also pretty cool that someone else might have the same setup.

Again thank you for the info, links and tips. I really appreciate the time you have taken to gather all of this information and post it for me and others. It is a huge help.

As for 'having' to spend the extra money to get this system when my starting price range was 500 to 1000. Thats quite alright, That was just my price range for the speakers and the AVR. Again being a newbie I thought 550 would be plenty for a 'Good' TV to watch movies. HaHa what was I thinking. To that I must say I am very fortunate to have a job that allows me to work extra on Saturdays. Although now its going to be a lot more than 4 Sat. lol.

Yeah, Emo is quick in the shipping. I've always had my order in about 2-3 days from the time a placed it. I even had the Fedex guy call me when I was out running errands and he tried to deliver. I was able to meet him a few blocks away to collect my prize.

Yeah, I usually measure my large purchases by how much OT I will have to put in to cover it. I gauge how much time I will enjoy the product against how long I have to work for it. $ is a moot point, it's just the trade off of my time to the reward.

 

[BusterBrown]

Well you're most welcome!

All of the companies you're buying from have good service and ship quickly (at least in my experience). So you should definitely have the whole sound system in house by next week! That's going to be a very fun week for you, I think

That is funny that you'll be using a small TV for the time being. But in the grand scheme of things, another month or so isn't all that long It IS great that you can make some extra cash at your job by working Saturdays. I think you'll look back on it and know it was well worth the few extra weekends to put this audio system together and get the larger 50" plasma!

There are TVs available for your original $550 budget, especially at the smaller screen size you were considering at first. But much like spending a bit more to get a significantly better audio system, I think you'll be very happy with your choice to go with the larger, better television.

We only live once, right? So why not get the best products that we can afford and really enjoy our time with them instead of skimping and always wondering, "what if?" There isn't a single cent of "wasted" money in these purchases. So it might be a few extra Saturdays and a bit more money up front. But once you have it all together? That's going to be a real treat that you can enjoy for years and years to come!

Congrats again and I'm sure we'll talk again next week if not sooner! Oh, and what's the situation going to be with your speaker wire? Are you just going to extend down from your top corners where you ran the wires in the walls already? Or it might be a good idea to order some more speaker wire now so that you can connect all the speakers when they arrive. We'll have to work out your speaker placement, cause it would be a shame to stuff them into the top corners. If you like, maybe you could post some pics of your room. We could figure out your best placement options and then you'll be all set once everything arrives!

Ha Ha, I am definitely a 'what if' thinker. On the wires, I'll be reading up on the Dolby and THX stuff and taking measurements and see what I can come up with. On the picture taking and posting I was wondering if this forum has an iphone app? On another forum that I am on has one and its really nice. Very convenient when you are on the go. I used the search engine here and googled it but came up with nothing. Do you know? If not mabe we should start a thread to politic for one.

 

[BusterBrown]

Yeah, Emo is quick in the shipping. I've always had my order in about 2-3 days from the time a placed it. I even had the Fedex guy call me when I was out running errands and he tried to deliver. I was able to meet him a few blocks away to collect my prize.

Yeah, I usually measure my large purchases by how much OT I will have to put in to cover it. I gauge how much time I will enjoy the product against how long I have to work for it. $ is a moot point, it's just the trade off of my time to the reward.

Yes, pretty quick. And this is coming from a UPS driver lol. Its funny because I live in the sticks behind a gate with five other famlies but he got it to the lady that lives outside our gate as he does not have the code. I have never recieved any order before this one that was shipped in the past through (RPS) which is now FedEx ground. They lost a 600.00 set of golf clubs and some other stuff. This FedEx guy must be a pretty good driver.

Both UPS and FedX use centrally located Hubs in Tenn./Ky to ensure quick del. times throughout the US. They also have logistical companies that wharehouse other companies goods near the hubs which allows some really quick del. Not sure if Emotiva stuff is wharehoused at a Fedx hub as they are in Franklin Tn. But it was still quick.

Ha Ha, yep I try and pay for all of my extra goodies with OT money. I must really want this system because I hate working on saturdays.

 

[BusterBrown]

Ok everyone posting again with some more questions. I have been real busy and was out of town this past weekend. Ok first, is there a website for TV stands that anyone recommends? Alright on to speaker placement. Dolby says not to place the sub in a corner. HSU says to place it in a corner. ???

On the F/R and surround placement I have been told and reading that they must be at ear level. THX says 2 feet or higher than the listener. I am leaning towards the THX idea.

Below should be some pictures of my livingroom (15x15) My plan was to have the F L/R above the front door (L) and in the corner (R). The surrouds on the back wall in the top corners. Measurements to the center listening position would be FL 9ft FR 12ft Back left surround 7ft BRS 9ft. From the TV to listener is 9 to 10 ft.

The floor is actually vinyl laminate not actual wood. On all but the wall with the front door (which would be to the left of the listener) has sheet rock over the old wood paneling. Not sure if that would help acoustically. ??

Another question, can I tilt all the speakers down torwards the central listening position? Would this compensate for not having them at ear level. On this point and the length of front L/R to the listener, the website for the HTM 200's says that these speakers are "capable of filling large rooms with effortless sound". Would a few more feet away for the listener really matter??

 

[FirstReflection]

Yikes! That IS a challenging room in terms of proper setup!

OK, is your mind completely set on the layout? Or are you (hopefully) willing to consider a different layout?

Don't take this the wrong way, but the layout that you described is...well...it's really not good Also, was the plan to put the TV in the corner where the computer is in the photo right now?

Honestly, the very best way that I could help you is if you could provide an overhead diagram. It doesn't even need to be perfectly to scale. You could just whip something up in MS Paint if you have to But any sort of overhead diagram with accurate measurements would be ideal. I could then create a few layout ideas to show you that might work a lot better. For the measurements, I'd need the perimeter of the room, of course, plus accurate measurements for the locations of the doors and windows.

In terms of what would be ideal, if you look at the THX and Dolby suggestions, you can see that you'd have your seat. Dead ahead of you would be the TV and the Center speaker. The Front L & R speakers would be on either side of the TV. All three of those Front speakers (the Left, Center and Right) would be positioned so that the tweeters are as close to seated ear level as possible. If they are above or below seated ear level, you would want to tilt the speakers so that they are aiming downward or upward, respectively, so as to have the tweeters aiming straight at your seated ear height.

If you are mostly concerned with multi-channel music, then the typical advice is to have the surround speakers (the 4th & 5th speakers) at ear level as well. But for movies and TV, you'd want to follow the THX guidelines and have the surround speakers 2-3 feet above your head when you're sitting down. So the surround speakers should be up high. But they should be directly to either side of your seat, not in the upper rear corners. And the Front L & R speakers should definitely not be in the upper corners if you can avoid it! While you CAN aim them downwards, that should be a "last resort" placement.

And if the plan was to put the TV in that corner where the computer is right now, that is also far less than ideal in terms of display placement.

So I'm hoping you are open to changing the layout. Like I say, if you can provide me with an overhead diagram that gives accurate measurements for the perimeter of the room and the locations of the doors and windows, I can whip up some plans for you

I would also need to know what your seating is going to be. Are you planning to use a typical 3-seat sofa? Or are you planning on a sectional? Recliner chairs? Regardless, let me know what you plan to use in terms of seating so that I can incorporate the size of the seats into the plans.

HTMarket.com has a nice selection of A/V furniture at reasonable prices, but they are not the absolute cheapest out there. They're a great place to browse and get ideas though. If you spot something that you like on their site, you can always do a Google Product search to see if you can find a lower price on that item elsewhere

Honestly though, I really think we need to nail down a better layout and placement plan before you fully decide on what furniture to buy. The placement might allow for a larger TV, or demand a certain size limitation. We've gotta get that layout sorted first, because the plan right now is far less than ideal, and it'd be really nice if you could improve the placement plan before settling on everything else

As for the subwoofer, there's really no telling where the very best placement will be until the rest of the layout is nailed down. Putting a subwoofer in a corner means more boundary reinforcement, which is just a fancy way of saying that the sound will bounce off of the walls and sound louder because the reflected sound will be stronger That can sometimes lead to "boomy"-sounding bass though, or create problems with cancellations at the seat. So a corner is not always the best spot. The "rule of thirds" tends to work well, which brings the subwoofer out of the corner and puts it 1/3rd of the room's width from one side wall and 2/3rds of the room's width from the opposite side wall. And sometimes, the best spot is right in the middle of the front wall - as THX suggests. These are all just VERY generalized suggestions though. No hard and fast rules here! So it really all comes down to the final layout and then just experimenting to find the very best spot for the subwoofer in your particular room and layout. That is why we suggest using the "subwoofer crawl" instead. But we can get to that later.

For now, let's sort out your layout!

 

[BusterBrown]

ok here is a drawing I did. Not the best but I am going to go with it. One thing to note is that in the future window 4 that has the window A/C will be a doorway to an office. Hopefully soon but may take up to a year befor that happens. If we get the office done the computer will go in there. I think we might be stuck with this layout. On the speakers I guess I could just extend the speaker wires and bring them down to watch movies and then put them back in the corners when just watching tv and what not as you had suggested befor. For the sofa I was thinking of an L shape mabe a 3 seater and we are not sure if we will get a recliner, wife says no I am saying yes.

 

[FirstReflection]

Awesome. Thank you for the diagram. That helps tremendously!

I'm afraid I have to go in for a bit of minor surgery tomorrow and I can't whip up a more detailed, to scale drawing for you at the moment. But I basically see only one good way to layout your theater in that room. At least, this is the way I would lay out my theater if that were my room

Make the wall that has Windows 2 & 3 your "front" wall. You can center the TV stand with the TV and all three front speakers on it between windows 2 & 3. Just get an oversized TV stand so that you have room on eithe side of the TV for the Front L & R speakers, or you could use a TV stand that basically perfectly fits the TV (around 48" wide) and then put the Front L & R speakers on speaker stand. You'd want stands that are about 30" tall for the HTM-200SE.

If you are worried about partially covering windows 2 & 3 with the TV, my suggestion would be to actually hand a curtain that goes across that entire wall. If you or your wife would still like to be able to have light coming in through windows 2 & 3, you could make the curtain essentially 3 parts so that you can draw them open to reveal windows 2 & 3, but still have the option to close the curtains so that you just have a clean, solid curtain look that covers that whole wall. I've done that before and had a curtain across the entire front wall behind the TV. It looks great! Trust me. Depending on the curtain you pick, it can even lend the room a real "theater" feel. There's just something about having a big curtain up front that makes it feel more like a theater

The couch would now go between the front door and the fireplace. This would allow you to have a nicely centered view of the TV, and give you pretty close to ideal placement of the front three speakers relative to the seating. With the dimensions that you've given, you could actually have the very back of the couch basically even with the right hand side of the front door. In other words, when you are coming into the house, you could open the front door, you'd have a clear path straight ahead of you to the fireplace, and the couch would be just to your right as you enter. It wouldn't block any walkways, and it should give you roughly about 8.5 or 9 feet from the TV to your head if you position the couch this way. If you stick with the plan for a 50" plasma, you could actually put the couch even closer to the TV and give the front door even more clearance.

You'd want to keep at least 2.5 feet clear on either side of the couch as a walkway. That should be no problem at all. I would highly recommend that you stick with just a regular 3 seat couch in this case, not a sectional or one of those 3 seat couches where one side is a chaise lounge (the "L" shaped type that you described). Instead, just stick with a nice, regular 3 seat couch and either an ottoman or a coffee table in front of it. I'd go for a convertible ottoman myself so that you can put your feet up, but also have the option to turn the ottoman into a coffee table whenever you'd like to.

So yeah, coming in from the kitchen, you would see the back of the couch, the fireplace on your left, the front door on your right, and the TV straight ahead of you in front of windows 2 & 3 with a nice, wall-to-wall curtain covering that front wall. If you really want the "L" shaped couch, you'd want the long, chaise lounge side to be on the right hand side of the couch. That way, you'd leave window 4 with better access for your future plans to convert that to a door to the computer room in the future

You'd have at least a good 6 feet behind the couch, which is nice. It would allow you to leave the computer where it is for the time being, the fireplace is not blocked by anything, and the front door and stairway will still have good clearance and an open walkway. You can get ideal placement of your front 3 speakers.

Just forget about the speaker wire that you've installed in the corners beside windows 2 & 3. You can have all of your A/V related gear up front in your new TV stand and just run the speaker wire and subwoofer cable straight from the Denon A/V receiver to your front 3 speakers and subwoofer. Heck, maybe one day you'll want to add "height" channels, and you can use the top corner speaker wire for that I wouldn't worry about it though. I know you went to the effort of installing that speaker wire up there, but it's honestly better left unused. It's just in the wrong spot

On the other hand, the speaker wire runs that you've made to the position over the front door and in the corner above the computer might come in handy. You could use those for your surround speakers. Ideally, you would have the surround speakers directly to either side of your couch, so that would put them basically on the side walls in the space between the fireplace and window 4 and the space between the front door and window 1. Those would be the ideal positions for the surround speakers in this setup. And again, with the Denon A/V receiver in the TV stand in its new position in front of windows 2 & 3, there's really no need to worry about in-wall speaker wire. You can easily run speaker wire along the perimeter of your floor, coming out the back of the TV stand, running to the left and right across the wall with windows 2 & 3, coming back along the side walls with windows 1 and 4, and then just run it up the wall to your surround speakers in their ideal positions on the side walls directly to the sides of the couch. If you can't stand the idea of having that speaker wire running up the wall - or in the future, when window 4 becomes a doorway, you can no longer run the speaker wire along the floor - you can just use some paintable flat wire from Axiom Audio or FlatWire and totally hide that short wire run. The flat speaker wire is a bit expensive, but the best way to use it is to just run regular speaker wire that blends into your baseboard as far as you can, and then just transition to the flat speaker wire for any section that has to run up the wall. That keeps the cost down and it looks great!

So that's the way to lay out your room, IMO. That is certainly the way I would do it myself

Hope that helps!

And I'll try to create a drawing for you once I'm out of the hospital tomorrow. Hopefully, you'll be willing to forget all about the speaker wire that you already ran to the corners of the room. I think you're really being held back by wanting to make use of those. They're just not in the right spots at all! So maybe just imagine they're not there at all. Forget about them, and you'll be better off