Gathering room set up advice

R

Ravens85

Audiophyte
Working on creating a new 5.1 set-up for my. Gathering room/family room and would love the advice from all the experts here:
  • room is quite large (21’8” X 22’6”) with not great acoustics and opens up to dining, cafe and kitchen. Ceilings are 12’ high with large sofa/seating set up. Also working on building the attached built-in to house the tv and speakers
  • TV - Samsung Qn90a 85” - already purchased
Here’s what I’m thinking for audio set up
  • Receiver - Denon x2700H
  • Fronts - ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • Center channel - ELAC debut 2.0 C5.2
  • Sub - ELAC debut 2.0 Sub3010
  • Rear in ceiling speakers - ELAC Debut IC-D61-W
  • Conditioner & surge - Panamax MR4000
  • Connected using 14 awg wiring
 

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W

Wardog555

Full Audioholic
Near ear level surrounds. Use speaker stands. Put on furniture wall mount etc. It's a crime to have the side surrounds above you when it's designed to be near ear level.

Ceiling is only for Dolby atmos and dts x.

Enjoy!
 
Last edited:
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Ear level surrounds. Use speaker stands. Put on furniture wall mount etc. It's a crime to have the side surrounds above you when it's designed to be ear level.

Ceiling is only for Dolby atmos and dts x.

Enjoy!
When using just a basic 5.1 or 7.1 etc setup its not unusual to have a recommendation of surrounds a bit above ear level, altho if you do use Atmos then you don't want them too close so there's layer separation somewhat.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
When using just a basic 5.1 or 7.1 etc setup its not unusual to have a recommendation of surrounds a bit above ear level, altho if you do use Atmos then you don't want them too close so there's layer separation somewhat.
Dolby spec for surrounds is the tweeter to be 60" from the floor. That works very well. I have done 3 AV rooms to that spec. now.
 
-Jim-

-Jim-

Audioholic General
I've never seen a Dolby 5.1 or 7.1 spec for the tweeter to be 60" from the floor. Please provide link @TLS Guy .

All of my installs (4) have the surrounds at just above ear level when seated which is about 43 inches if memory serves me here. Now if we were standing , then maybe 60" would work.

While I agree surrounds on stands or wall brackets would be preferred, I did have to compromise in our Family Room setup and used in-wall speakers near ear level when seated. The in-walls work fine for the few times we use it for Home Theater sources. The WAF was worth it when I set up the Games Room Atmos system to my liking (7.2.4).
 
-Jim-

-Jim-

Audioholic General
Working on creating a new 5.1 set-up for my. Gathering room/family room and would love the advice from all the experts here:
  • room is quite large (21’8” X 22’6”) with not great acoustics and opens up to dining, cafe and kitchen. Ceilings are 12’ high with large sofa/seating set up. Also working on building the attached built-in to house the tv and speakers
  • TV - Samsung Qn90a 85” - already purchased
Here’s what I’m thinking for audio set up
  • Receiver - Denon x2700H
  • Fronts - ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • Center channel - ELAC debut 2.0 C5.2
  • Sub - ELAC debut 2.0 Sub3010
  • Rear in ceiling speakers - ELAC Debut IC-D61-W
  • Conditioner & surge - Panamax MR4000
  • Connected using 14 awg wiring
Most folks here would advise you to move away from the Conditioner & surge device and get a whole house Surge Protection breaker installed in your main electrical panel. It's cheaper and more effective.

You may want to advise what the budget is for the Speakers as many will have alternates for you to consider - especially for the Sub.
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
There will be some compromises in that set up but you have to work with what the room offers. If the front speakers will be in the built-in make sure that any ports are front firing, like the Debut 2.0 B5.2 that you have listed. Speakers work better when moved away from the wall and onto stands but it looks like that won't be an option with the built-in.

Same with the surrounds. They work best when at or a little above ear level, but looks like you won't be able to have them on stands in the room or mounted on the walls, so that leaves the ceiling. You shouldn't do in-ceiling surrounds and ATMOS together, so I think you're best to do 5.1 with surround channels as you have planned. Some might forgo the surrounds because you don't have ideal placement, but I think in-ceiling is better than no surrounds at all. That was also a compromise I had to make with my system and I enjoy the surround effects even though they are above.

As the room is large you might want to consider a better subwoofer. The Elac sub will fill in the bass that the bookshelves can't produce but at higher volumes it may lack enough output for that big of a room, and it's only rated down to about 30Hz. That might be ok for average music listening, but for movies and music with deep content you want a sub that will go down to 20Hz. Two RSL Speedwoofers would do nicely but if dual subwoofers are not an option consider something with a 12" driver like the SVS PB-2000 Pro or something from Rhythmic or Hsu. Other options from Monoprice as well depending upon budget, style and size limitations.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Most folks here would advise you to move away from the Conditioner & surge device and get a whole house Surge Protection breaker installed in your main electrical panel. It's cheaper and more effective.

You may want to advise what the budget is for the Speakers as many will have alternates for you to consider - especially for the Sub.
I see they have changed the spec. some with the advent of Atmos. The spec. previously was one to two feet above ear level. Ear level is agreed at 36" in other words three feet. You always spec. tweeter height to the center of the tweeter. So that would put surround height to 48" to 60". However they have added the caveat now, that for Atmos the tweeter height should not be more than 1.25 times the height of the main speaker tweeters, and not more than half the height of the room. So if you have 8' ceilings and 36" main tweeters then 45" is the correct height.

The problem is that if the surrounds are too low they are obscured by the seating. So mine are 48" above the third tier. Their height is dictated by the seating on the third tier and by the right hand surround placed where it has to be, for Ethernet and other infrastructure in the equipment chase. A few inches leeway will make zero difference as long as the speakers have wide dispersion, which mine do. In a good system you should never localize to a single speaker.

It looks about right and works well.



The tweeters of the rear backs are about the same height. I have no control of that, as the rear backs are seated on the rear tier, and the tweeters are where they are, and have to be.
 
Teetertotter?

Teetertotter?

Senior Audioholic
@Ravens85 , You might want to consider the B6.2 and the C6.2, which is not that much more in your budget. If resting the speakers on the counter top, the speaker tweeters should be at ear level, for best performance, as previously mentioned.

When you have time, give us a report, Enjoy
 

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