Advice needed - in-ceiling 5.1 vs soundbar simplicity

[d0ggy]

Moving to a new Lennar home soon. Great room prewired for 5-speaker surround sound like photos attached (this is from the model, not our home).

I'm hoping to build a "tingle up your back" system in this room...
...but I'm subject to a few limitations by my beautiful wife, which are:
- it needs to be simple to control.
- either in-ceiling or a soundbar.

As much as I'd like to plant 2 def tech towers on each side of the fireplace and a center on the hearth, that ain't happenin'.

So... in your esteemed opinion, are there any soundbars worth looking into for this space or are components absolutely the way to go as long as it's wired for it?

(5.1 is fine with me because I don't have much content that would push beyond that. Mostly TV, music, streaming services, ripped video files and the occasional blue-ray.)

If you answer is "absolutely component, dummy!", which speaker brands would you suggest that wouldn't involve cutting manhole-sized holes in the ceiling?

Very interested in your feedback and advice. Can't find many audio/video places left in Southern Cal, and the people at Magnolia/Best Buy are NOT helpful.

 

[TLS Guy]

Moving to a new Lennar home soon. Great room prewired for 5-speaker surround sound like photos attached (this is from the model, not our home).

I'm hoping to build a "tingle up your back" system in this room...
...but I'm subject to a few limitations by my beautiful wife, which are:
- it needs to be simple to control.
- either in-ceiling or a soundbar.

As much as I'd like to plant 2 def tech towers on each side of the fireplace and a center on the hearth, that ain't happenin'.

So... in your esteemed opinion, are there any soundbars worth looking into for this space or are components absolutely the way to go as long as it's wired for it?

(5.1 is fine with me because I don't have much content that would push beyond that. Mostly TV, music, streaming services, ripped video files and the occasional blue-ray.)

If you answer is "absolutely component, dummy!", which speaker brands would you suggest that wouldn't involve cutting manhole-sized holes in the ceiling?

Very interested in your feedback and advice. Can't find many audio/video places left in Southern Cal, and the people at Magnolia/Best Buy are NOT helpful.

 

[TLS Guy]

Lets be quite clear from the start. You will not get a "tingle up your spine" system with either of your two options.

We get these requests to defy physics frequently. These are post concerning systems with a stake driven right through the heart of them from the start.

Of your two options the ceiling speaker option is by far the worst. That is not the way to do home HT, except to use ceiling speakers for surround and or ATMOS.

A good sound bar is your best option of the two, but will not be spine tingling.

Next you have made the common, but fatal mistake, of having the TV screen above the fireplace, which is a worst case location. It is too high and too hot above a fireplace.

If you want a decent system you have to totally rethink this.

 

[d0ggy]

Lets be quite clear from the start. You will not get a "tingle up your spine" system with either of your two options.

We get these requests to defy physics frequently. These are post concerning systems with a stake driven right through the heart of them from the start.

Of your two options the ceiling speaker option is by far the worst. That is not the way to do home HT, except to use ceiling speakers for surround and or ATMOS.

A good sound bar is your best option of the two, but will not be spine tingling.

Next you have made the common, but fatal mistake, of having the TV screen above the fireplace, which is a worst case location. It is too high and too hot above a fireplace.

If you want a decent system you have to totally rethink this.

Crap. I was afraid of that.

 

[shkumar4963]

Lets be quite clear from the start. You will not get a "tingle up your spine" system with either of your two options.

We get these requests to defy physics frequently. These are post concerning systems with a stake driven right through the heart of them from the start.

Of your two options the ceiling speaker option is by far the worst. That is not the way to do home HT, except to use ceiling speakers for surround and or ATMOS.

A good sound bar is your best option of the two, but will not be spine tingling.

Next you have made the common, but fatal mistake, of having the TV screen above the fireplace, which is a worst case location. It is too high and too hot above a fireplace.

If you want a decent system you have to totally rethink this.

Totally agree with your assessment and advice. Except (there is always an except haha) the TV above fireplace will NOT get hot if the fireplace is gas fired fireplace. I have been using this
set up for the last 15 years and my TV never got hot. See pic. Below.

Yes, agree that the TV is too high for comfortable viewing but that is a personal preference. In fact high TV is better if you want to lie down with your significant other to watch a movie at night.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Crap. I was afraid of that.

TLS Guy doesn’t sugarcoat anything.

Hurts like a biotch, doesn’t it?

 

[shkumar4963]

TLS Guy doesn’t sugarcoat anything.

Hurts like a biotch, doesn’t it?

Better be honest than kind and be sorry later on.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Better be honest than kind and be sorry later on.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Yeah, you need a dedicated room.