Looking to do a 5.1.2 setup for a home theatre

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chipotleaway

Audiophyte
I know very little about this stuff, am not an audiophile but would like to make sure I'm not spending money in the wrong way.

I am currently working with a 55" OLED TV and a PS4 to play blu-ray media. I am not sure if it is recommended to upgrade to a dedicated blu-ray player.
This system will be for movies and very little music listening.

To get Dolby Atmos, I am looking to add this system:

And this receiver:

Dimensions and placement rough in shown in images (dims in inches).

Any recommendations on things I'm missing? Looking at a $2000 budget, but can go over if there are holes in my setup. Thanks!
 

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AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
Can't install in-ceiling speakers?

Those upward-firing Atmos speakers aren't very good even when compared to the cheapest in-ceiling speakers for Atmos sound.
 
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chipotleaway

Audiophyte
I can do in ceiling speakers if it makes that much of a difference, just didn't want to if it was only a marginal gain. I cannot do in wall speakers at the rear (it is concrete)
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Audioholic Jedi
I can do in ceiling speakers if it makes that much of a difference, just didn't want to if it was only a marginal gain. I cannot do in wall speakers at the rear (it is concrete)
Upward firing speakers are a waste of time and worse then not having them.

You could consider buying fewer better speakers and adding speakers over time. Fewer better speakers always bests more poorer ones.

Two or three good speakers up front and a sub is a very good way to start. If possible you should listen to speakers, if you can first. In my opinion there are far more lousy speakers, than good ones.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
Go to Best Buy and listen to Klipsch speakers if you have not already. If you love how they sound, then get the Klipsch + in-ceiling for Atmos.

Don’t buy those upward-firing Atmos.
 
W

Wardog555

Full Audioholic
1. Get the seating off the walls.
2. Atmos on the ceiling is the only viable option.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
How far off the walls? As you can see by the space, there isn't a ton to work with, but I could possibly do like 12" away?
If there is no room, then seat against the wall is fine- don’t worry about it.
 
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Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
From the photo, your room dimensions appear to be similar to mine. Moving the couch further in is not always practical. I have small bookshelves in the same rear location as you have pictured and they work nicely. Try and keep the tweeters near ear level when seated and as far back as possible (surrounds should be slightly behind you).

You can probably get away with a single pair of in-ceiling ATMOS speakers. I have mine installed slightly ahead of the main seating position. If you can get angled baffles, aim the speakers at the main seating position.

I would also recommend listening to some speakers first. That's the most important piece in putting a system together. Klipsch do have a particular sound. As mentioned above, don't afraid to get a better set of front three speakers first and add the rears and ATMOS later. That was the approach I took and I have a much better system for it. Depends on how particular you are about the sound and whether you are making a long term investment or just wanting to do the whole 5.1.2 setup in one go. You can always check here for opinions on your speaker options.
 
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chipotleaway

Audiophyte
I think I plan on just getting the full ATMOS system now as a set and forget thing. I have too many hobbies to be fiddling with it too much lol!

New plan as follows after listening to Polks and Klipsch.
Fronts: Polk audio monitor XT70
Center: Monitor XT35
Rears: Monitor XT20
Ceiling: RC80i
Sub: XT12
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
I think I plan on just getting the full ATMOS system now as a set and forget thing. I have too many hobbies to be fiddling with it too much lol!

New plan as follows after listening to Polks and Klipsch.
Fronts: Polk audio monitor XT70
Center: Monitor XT35
Rears: Monitor XT20
Ceiling: RC80i
Sub: XT12
Probably decent for the money. I think you will be pretty happy.

Next question: will you stop coming to audio forums and just enjoy the system? Or will you be coming back to audio forums? :D
 
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chipotleaway

Audiophyte
I'm sure I'll be back, just got young kids so have to cut my time where I would have previously liked to tinker. I built a boominator from the diyaudio forum years back and would likely be interested in building my own speaker cabinets again but for now I just want something more than a soundbar for movies.

But now that I'm sitting on it... would $2000 in a pair of towers give me a better experience than spending $2000 on an entire 5.1.2 system? Like the wharfedale evo4.4 or similar. And how does mixing and matching brands work down the line should I upgrade with ceilings and rears in a couple of years?
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
I'm sure I'll be back, just got young kids so have to cut my time where I would have previously liked to tinker. I built a boominator from the diyaudio forum years back and would likely be interested in building my own speaker cabinets again but for now I just want something more than a soundbar for movies.

But now that I'm sitting on it... would $2000 in a pair of towers give me a better experience than spending $2000 on an entire 5.1.2 system? Like the wharfedale evo4.4 or similar. And how does mixing and matching brands work down the line should I upgrade with ceilings and rears in a couple of years?
Personally I would do a lot more research and buy “The System” that could be your main system for the next 10-20 YR.
 
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Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
I'm sure I'll be back, just got young kids so have to cut my time where I would have previously liked to tinker. I built a boominator from the diyaudio forum years back and would likely be interested in building my own speaker cabinets again but for now I just want something more than a soundbar for movies.

But now that I'm sitting on it... would $2000 in a pair of towers give me a better experience than spending $2000 on an entire 5.1.2 system? Like the wharfedale evo4.4 or similar. And how does mixing and matching brands work down the line should I upgrade with ceilings and rears in a couple of years?
That opens a whole other can of worms. :D At the $2000 - $2500 price point you can get some pretty decent towers. I could list a bunch on the Crutchfield website:
https://www.crutchfield.com/g_12000/Floor-standing-Speakers.html?fa=1&pg=2#&price=750-2500

I input $750 to $2500 because some are priced per speaker and others per pair. If you just want something for the next few years to entertain the kids, the 5.1.2 system will do the trick. If you are thinking longer term and want 10 years or more out of the system (speakers can last longer) then I would agree with AcuDefTechGuy and do more research and build the system in stages. Front 3 speakers are the most important. You may find that you can get away with no center speaker unless people will be sitting off to the side often.

I'm not that familiar with the Evo4.4. Subjective reviews give them a "laid back" sound so the AMT tweeter may have a softer sound than the ring radiator in the Polk R700. That's a matter of personal preference. If you're considering $2k for main speakers I would also consider the Polk R700, Paradigm Premier 800F or KEF Q7 Meta. The Polk in particular goes pretty deep without a subwoofer. Most will recommend that you don't skimp on the sub so I would get advice here for a decent sub given a certain budget but avoid the cheap $250 Klipsch subs. A good sub can have a big impact in movies. The Evo 4.4 is rated down 42Hz and the R700 down to 38Hz and if set close to the wall you will get added bass due to room gain. That's good for music and general TV viewing. The sub will give you those deep movie sound effects that are in the LFE channel.

As to mixing brands, try and stay with the same for the front 3. Ideally you want something with similar tonality for the rears, so matching rears are nice if you can afford it but going with a different brand can be fine as long as the frequency response is similar so that rear dialogue does not sound off. ATMOS and subwoofer can be whatever you like. I built my system with the front 3 first and a sub. Then added rears and later ATMOS speakers. My one mistake was getting a cheap sub to start. It only lasted a couple of years before acting up. I then joined the forums here and was told to replace it with something much better. I have no regrets paying extra for the SVS SB2000 Pro that I currently own. The improvement was very noticeable.

Any way, sorry to ramble on. ;) Take your time and do your homework. Lots of options out there.
 
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