House renovation: Help with 3.1(.2) vs 5.1(.2) vs soundbar

[TheNoob1]

Hi all, I'm renovating our new house where we have a pretty 'special' area where we'll place the TV (LG 65 SK8500). It's a family room in the middle of the house, 3 stairs above the living room, and 6 stairs below the bedrooms. Notice there are three levels of ceilings in that area. I'm attaching some photos and the floor plan. We're spending lots of money on silly decorative stuff the wife insists on, but at least it gives me an excuse for spending a nice amount on home cinema. I also need to make decisions now, while it's still easy to crack up the walls open and move cables around.

I always dreamt of 5.1, but then I realized there won't be room for rear speakers, and even the side speakers might be too close. I then thought of buying a soundbar such as Sonos arc + sub or Yamaha ysp 2700 based on recommendations I saw. But now I saw some discussions regarding 3.1(.2) separates vs soundbar which really got me confused. I watch Netflix and my LG supports Atmos so I'd like an Atmos support if that's possible for my space as well (is it really that good?..). I also feel like moving wires around is old-fashioned so I tend to prefer wifi/ethernet based system but it's not a must.

What do you think will give the best experience? In the case of 3.1, I can place the center below the TV (on a shelf in a cabin), and the sides can either be bookshelf speakers on the cabin sides (the cabin is 2 meters long), or they can be wall mounted on the wall and the pillar. I thought that atmos speakers could be mounted on the lower/upper ceiling above the tv/sofa respectively. I'm a real noob so let me know if I'm missing something.

 

[jadamedske]

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[-Jim-]

This looks like a real challenge with the tight spaces, lack of walls, hard surfaces, weird ceilings, etc. If you wanted 5.1.2 it is doable, but the wiring will be fun.

My first pass would be to go in walls for the L&R surrounds as your real estate almost forces you (and the WAF is easier!) The RR under the 2nd (?) "floating" stair, and the LR in the hallway straight across from it (hopefully at the same height). Try to keep your sofa forward away from the wall a bit. The Atmos speakers should be as per page 27 in this Dolby Atmos Installation Guide (in ceiling speakers).

The sub may work under the floating stairs, but you may need to go wireless and do the subwoofer crawl to see where the best location is.

Another thought is to start with 4.1.2 with a "phantom" center. I have HSU CCB-8s across the front and they would work well in that application. So far, separate speakers with a HT Receiver will sound better than a soundbar. What sort of Budget are you looking at?

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Wardog555]

Best solution for maximum audio quality and immersion. Av receiver with speakers is a must!
There will be speaker wires going to all speakers and a separate rca cable to go to the subwoofer.

Ensure you have the correct angles. Have a look at the Dolby atmos for home theater guidelines pdf.

Also ensure that the base level speakers are somewhere in the range or 1.2 to 1.5 meters high off the floor.

Dolby atmos is worth it as I use it myself and enjoy it more than a standard 5.1 mix. You need to have ceiling based speakers for the most accurate Dolby atmos experience possible.

Eliminate soundbars if you deeply care about audio quality.

 

[LsaissLai]

Modern sound panels can be installed even in small rooms. You don't need prominent speakers to get good, loud sound. I have a 5.1 soundboard installed in my home, which is entirely satisfactory. I don't save money when I buy household goods. I want my wife and my children to feel comfortable at home. My wife loves flowers, so I bought some garden screens here https://www.luxuryscreens.co.uk to enclose her flowers from our dog. The garden screens look very classy.