Layout in new house

[darien87]

Hey folks,

We're moving into a new (to us) house in a few weeks and would like some advice on laying out the system. Our first house was new construction so I got to set up and pre-wire the system how I wanted it. With this one I'll have to see of I can use the crawl space to get to the areas where I want to have the speakers.

So here's a pic of the living room with the current owners furniture in it, (This will all be replaced with our stuff when we move in). I'm going to put the TV on the wall next to the sliding glass door where that little table with the photos on it is now and have the couch facing the TV perpindicular to probably about where that window next to the fireplace is.

Here's a shot from the front door looking into the living room. So like I said the couch will be facing the wall a few feet in front of the white railing. I'll be putting the surrounds on stands behind the couch.

This is a view from the corner where the TV will be facing out into the living room. I'm hoping that I can get to that little "step" below the railing and put speaker plates there for the surrounds.

My main question is where to put the subs? In my current system I have the 12" Rythmik sub against the left wall about 6' away from the TV. As in the pic below. This is an old pic by the way. My new fronts are bookshelves on stands.

The 15" CSS sub is kind of diagonal from it in the corner of a small wall on the right side behind the couch as in the pic below.

I wanted to re-create this layout since what I've read is that it is best when you are using 2 subs to have them diagonally from each other but at this new house that will put the big sub pretty much in the middle of the living room. I'm not opposed to it but I don't know if it will be in the way. In the new house I'm thinking of putting the Rythmik sub in the front left corner of the room with the left front on a speaker stand a couple of feet in front of the sub. I'm toying with the idea of the CSS sub also on the left wall in the back corner behind the couch. Is this a bad layout?

 

[j_garcia]

Moving again? Closer now or further? lol. I'd put it where you get the widest spread of the speakers relative to the listening position.

 

[darien87]

Moving to Morgan Hill so a little bit closer. Couldn't afford anything we liked in SJ.

So you're saying front left and back right for the subs, the way they currently are? Or maybe I'll try the big sub up front and the smaller one in the back. That way at least there isn't a huge box in the middle of the living room.

 

[darien87]

Attached a PDF drawing of the proposed layout to give you a better idea. I'm just wondering which sub would be better placed up front, the big one or the little one?

 

[j_garcia]

Kind of won't really know until you hear what the room does. That room looks pretty open.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

I’d stack both subs in the corner. I think the diagonal recommendation really only works in symmetrical shoe-box-shaped rooms anyway.

By the way, it’s usually not a good idea to use non-matching subs. Overall performance is “dumbed down” to the capability of the lesser sub, as you can see with this thread, supported with in-room measurements.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[j_garcia]

That's why he didn't collocate the subs - because they aren't the same. Agreed on not using dissimilar subs, but he can tweak placement and levels to achieve something that works. I've done it a couple of times with radically different subs in my setups before (while auditioning).

 

[darien87]

I'd say 75% of the time I just use the Rythmik sub. I really only turn on the CSS sub when I'm watching a blockbuster with crazy sound.