In need of some surround placement advice please.

[JJWalker]

Hello All,

So my speaker build project is officially on hold due to the fact that we just moved half way across the country. I swore whatever house we bought would have a space for me to build a dedicated theater... Well reality set in and we couldn't afford it so I am back to setting it up in our living room. The issue is that the layout of the room is a little odd with storage closets and window placement etc.

So based on the layout there was only one wall that made sense for the television, LCR and the sub. However, the back wall where the primary seating is located is a bit narrow and not ideal for my surrounds. Please see the attached photo.

The room measures 12.5 ft wide and15.5 ft long. As you can see in the photo, the couch is centered and on one side we have the end table which I am told needs to stay. After these two items are in place there is not enough room for my surround speaker stands. The stand closest to the exit door is close enough that if the door were fully opened it would knock into the stand. The stand on the opposite side cannot be properly positioned due to the immovable end table.

So, I have considered wall mounting instead of using stands. On the side opposite the entrance door this is quite possible but on the side closest to the door this is simply not possible without drastically offsetting it. And unfortunately even if I were to wall mount the one side it still wouldnt solve the problem because once the couch was moved the footrest wouldn't open because of the other couch. And in case you were wondering the other couch can't be moved without getting too close to the sub...

My system currently consists of:

Klipsch R28-F (front L and R)
Klipsch RP440c (center)
Klipsch R-15m (surrounds)

Is there possibly a simple solution I am overlooking?

Would in wall speakers directly to the left and right of the couch on the back wall work? Can in wall speakers be installed in exterior walls?

Would I be better adding height to my surrounds? If so the only option is right at the ceiling as to clear the entrance door which has 8" of clearance before the door trim so I would need different surrounds.

Any thoughts you can provide would be greatly appreciated. If suggesting different speakers I would love if they would match well with the rest. Or if you could suggest any DIY speakers that would be fine too because as stated above I've been tempted to build some diysg speakers soon.

Thank you in advance for everything. I am sorry it is a long read, I wanted to provide as much detail as I thought you may need.

JJ

 

[JJWalker]

Oh, also the speaker stands currently serve as stands for misc stuff because I don't want to risk any damage to them. also, the lamp is temporary until I build a floorstanding lamp.

Again thank you for your thoughts!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Hi JJ. That’s a tough room but not impossible. If that were my room, I might try to wall mount at the(very general) locations I marked in your photo. Use good articulating mounts that would allow you to aim the speakers toward the LP. And yes height is good. Usually between 5-6’ off the floor. Then install a good door stop on the floor. That should keep the door and left rear speaker from making contact. What I can’t tell, is if that would restrict the door swing too much. You could go closer to the window to alleviate that.
You can mount in walls in exterior walls, but I’d be careful not to compress the insulation. Especially if your in the cold(like me). The thing I don’t like about in walls on the back wall, is you can’t aim them at the LP. Lots of systems are setup that way, but for me that’s a deal breaker.

 

[JJWalker]

Hey William,

Thanks for the response. You are correct though that wall mounting the speaker on the back wall on the exterior door side of the room will definitely restrict the door clearance. Even if we were to mount it close to the window the depth of the speaker would still impede door clearance significantly. This is of course if we didn't replace the speakers with a different model.

I was afraid of the in wall mounts for the same reason... they will not at all be pointed at the listening position.

I am still at step one, don't know what to do here.

What do you think of getting klipsch r-14 surrounds but in would have to put them at the ceiling.

Thanks again,

JJ

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

JJ thanks for the pic btw. Very helpful. I wish I could stand in the room as that makes things much easier, but...
Anyway, going to the ceiling can be effective, although as you know it will be compromised a little. I assume you’re thinking of being able to have the door swing under the left surround? Sounds like that might be the simplest solution for you. However personally, if it were my room, I would still consider the back wall with a door stop on the floor. Since the corner behind the door is not at 90deg I don’t think that would be a prob.(for me). I would also consider making more of a case for moving the end table slightly forward, and use the speaker stands, although I would still mount a door stop to the floor. In either case the left surround, and door stop could be easily removed if you needed to open the door for whatever reason.
I just saw klipsch has a new shallow on wall that may be interesting and work on the back wall, even if you angled them toward the LP.
Probably not much help, but those ideas are what I would do and try for in my room. It is your room, and maybe the ceiling is your best option, for you. And of course that’s the point lol.