need help, all 7 speakers in ceiling + subwoofer

[TLS Guy]

I tell you what I think, is that there is a lot of better ways to spend your hard earned cash, then trying to put a multi channel AV system shoe horned into that space.

You must have a better space in the home you can utilize, surely?

 

[Pogre]

I tell you what I think, is that there is a lot of better ways to spend your hard earned cash, then trying to put a multi channel AV system shoe horned into that space.

You must have a better space in the home you can utilize, surely?

I still can't wrap my head around "I have a room I can dedicate for home theater", then hamstring the whole operation before it even gets off the ground. In my mind a home theater room shouldn't be affected by input from a significant other as to aesthetics. The whole point of having a separate room for home theater is to not worry about aesthetics and set it up as optimally as possible. Otherwise you might as well just put all this in the living room and use the "home theater room" for something else.

*Edit: I'd throw a fit about 7 speakers all in the ceiling in my living room too, for the record. I have input too!

 

[NINaudio]

I absolutely agree with every single person on here who is telling you that this is a great way to waste your money and end up with a "home theater" that you will most certainly be disappointed in.

The only way it might work with your "front 3" directly above the couch and your surrounds on the side of the couch is if you were to project the image onto the ceiling. You will have absolutely no immersion with the screen in front of you and all the sounds coming from overhead.

Seriously, do yourself a favor and find a better space for this. As someone else suggested, using the bedroom in the extra unit will probably get you a much better experience and have a lot fewer constraints.

 

[Pogre]

@DigitalDawn has talked to me about some in ceiling speakers and swears that they can replace traditional box speakers. I just didn't want to go through all the trouble of installing everything so I never tried them out, but I've always been curious.

So there could be an okay solution for you, but you have to place them in the correct locations or you're just wasting your money. Plus that room does suck too, lol.

 

[MasonSafari]

Thanks everyone again...unfortunately I have no other option , also as I have small cavity all in ceiling speakers available dont have the adjustable/ aimable tweeters so i am giving up the ceiling speakers ...for now I might just forget about sound as 90% of the time I will have to use my headset for watching anything anyway...
I might also use the existing LG Soundbar I am using for the TV just in case we need to have the sound while watching the projector and will place it on a table temporarily ...

at lest I am saving thousands and the installer/ seller wont be happy with it ...also as there wont be a point to buy the Denon 2600 AVR, what would is the best device I can have as I have , TV set Box, Foxtel, apple TC, Roku , chrome cast , Xbox so I will need a device with multiple input and also if possible with 2 outlet HDM to feed the Projector and TV ...

also is there any true Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar , the LG I have is loud but I dont like it much ?
I have seen Yamaha YSP-5600BMK2 MusicCast Soundbar, is it good?

 

[MasonSafari]

please dont laugh but I think I find a way to get something close to 5.1.2 .
it seems the biggest issue I have is for left center right speakers as I can have the sournd right and left as in wall...so to overcome the issue with center right speakers, I will get something like Klipsch RP-440D SB and when I watch movies and wants to use the speakers I I will hook up this one to AV Receiver and put it to the bench ? I know this is not ideal but hopefully I can get some souround and hopefully dolby Atmos? even I might be able to convert it to 5.1.4 with adding another 2 inceiling ? is it better than previous options? please advise ...see below :

 

[MasonSafari]

I guess everyone has given up on me

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I guess everyone has given up on me

Lol. Nope.
FWIW, I’m not sure what to advise. I’m of the opinion that you shouldn’t let GREAT be the enemy of good. Life isn’t ALL or NOTHING. Like, I can’t afford a GT3 so I’ll just drive a beetle. No....
So with that in mind, I’d rather see you try for something. But it would be more in the middle, and NOT an all IC setup. I also would not let my wife have final say, but rather something that can work for us both. That’s between you guys though, not sure what kind of work it took to get her this far! Lol.
So, I still say Atmos is out. You need A) a bed layer, and B) a height layer. Can’t have the LCR AND heights on the same plane. So, one Avenue I MIGHT look at is a pair of bookshelf speakers mounted ON the wall(not in) as LR, and use phantom center mode with a pair of surrounds. So basically 4.1. Not ideal, but reading your use case, your not after the performance you’d get from a dedicated room, and realistically, you won’t be able get it either. Plus, you mentioned a lot of headphones, and guests once in a while. Another I might consider is actually LCR on the face of the header. Like this...

Unless that’s HVAC. Then possibly in those same positions, I’d mount BS speakers from the ceiling in some Omni mounts. Maybe like these

Might not be wide approved, but...maybe.
You asked about wireless SVS subs too. They don’t have a “wireless sub” but do have a wireless adapter. So that could work. Alls I gots for now...

 

[MasonSafari]

Thanks William
Unfortunately as the ceiling is low , the on ceiling also is not an option...
but with what I suggested the L C R and the right and left in wall ceiling wont be in the level of the 2 inceiling so I should be able to get the Dolby atmos ?

 

[MasonSafari]

I just saw Focal Dome Flax Atmos 5.1.2 Pack... do you think this package might be a possibility for me ?

Dôme Flax 5.1.2 Pack

<h2>5.1.2 HOME CINEMA SYSTEM COMPATIBLE WITH DOLBY ATMOS^®</h2><p>Dôme Flax, the flagship of Focal’s Home Cinema range, is now available as a 5.1.2 pack to provide you with the ultimate experience in terms of 3D sound. Enjoy the ultra-realistic

country.focal.com

 

[BMXTRIX]

Look, if this is the space, then this is the space. I wish people would stop giving you crap about what you are working with, and just be helpful in providing suggestions, options, and solutions.

I certainly feel that if you have a soffit near the screen, that putting in-wall speakers, or on-wall speakers facing the seating position is better than in-ceiling speakers facing (mostly) downward. That said, I've used the Monoprice in-ceiling speakers with angled drivers, and they do a good job of directing audio more towards the listening position than normal in-ceiling speakers with drivers facing straight down.

I like the idea of you using in-wall speakers for the surrounds, and look at one of the several speaker position guides on the main Audioholics website to get a good idea for best location.

I'm not sure I would add any ceiling speakers for Atmos, but it isn't the end of the world if you do or don't. That's up to you.

I would say, that I wouldn't go overboard on getting 'great', or much better than 'good' in-wall/ceiling speakers. You have to drop $500+ typically to get quality in-ceiling/wall speakers that have a real bump up from sub $80 in-wall speakers. Using $50 8" or 6" 2-way (or 3-way) speakers isn't the wrong way to go here.

Your subwoofer selection should be completely separate from your speaker selection and should be very carefully considered. Wireless options for subwoofers are out there and can be added to almost any subwoofer on the market. So, get a GOOD subwoofer, regardless of the speaker choice. It will help fill in the low end and add a solid presence to the room. This can't be said enough: Subwoofer selection is completely separate from speaker selection, and most reputable speaker companies are not reputable subwoofer companies, and often, vice-versa.

Since nobody else asked, what is the recommendation for a screen and a projector? Since those can be big-ticket items that cost as much, or more, than the speakers, it would be good to know your plan there. Specifics are good. IME, a tab-tensioned motorized screen is the only way to go. If you aren't going to spend the money on a good tab-tensioned screen, then get a inexpensive manual screen. It will save you a lot of money and provide the same results as a more expensive motorized screen.
How far are you sitting from this screen? (eyes to screen?)
Typically you want about 10" of diagonal for each foot of viewing distance.
What make/model of projector are you considering?
In a VERY poor white room with white ceilings and a light floor, using a really high contrast projector is pretty pointless. Instead, consider one that is mid-contrast and has the proper placement flexibility for you. The Epson 3200 (USA) would be my recommendation in that room. Decent contrast, 4K support (faux-K), a good lens, and great placement flexibility.

 

[panteragstk]

I've sort of avoided commenting, but I agree with @BMXTRIX that we should just try to help.

One way is that a mod would be kind to put this in the Beginner forum instead of the HTPC section. That threw me off and OP would probably get a lot more responses if this was in the right place.

As for speakers, if you can do as many in-walls as possible, do it. I did and am very happy.

I also did an all in-ceiling 5.0 in my living room and while it's fine, it's not awful either. It can actually sound shockingly good for what it is.

For you, in wall surrounds are possible, so do it.

Having three in-ceiling in front does OK, but you HAVE to have speakers that angle toward the seating position. If you don't, it will sound weird.

I wouldn't bother with Atmos since you aren't able to have speakers in the proper positions up front, you'd really just be adding extra speakers because you can. It COULD help anchor the front with the base surrounds, but that's purely a guess.

As for projector, @BMXTRIX is correct, get a light cannon. You want something that can put a lot of light on your screen so you can actually see the picture in all its detail.

That room is pretty much as tricky as it gets, but you can get something you'll be happy with.

As others have stated, don't skimp on the sub.

 

[Trebdp83]

I can’t remember if those Klipsch and Triad options were given to him because there was not enough room for angled speakers of greater depth.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I just saw Focal Dome Flax Atmos 5.1.2 Pack... do you think this package might be a possibility for me ?

Dôme Flax 5.1.2 Pack

<h2>5.1.2 HOME CINEMA SYSTEM COMPATIBLE WITH DOLBY ATMOS^®</h2><p>Dôme Flax, the flagship of Focal’s Home Cinema range, is now available as a 5.1.2 pack to provide you with the ultimate experience in terms of 3D sound. Enjoy the ultra-realistic

country.focal.com

I kinda like these. Focal makes quality speakers. These will probably sound nice, but will not have a lot of output(loudness). Seems like that’s a reasonable omission all things considered. That’s actually kind of what I had in mind. I didn’t really shop the catalog but I wonder if you can get that sans sub, and IC Atmos speakers. Like I said before, I don’t want great to be the enemy of good, but I have to say again, I would abandon Atmos. There’s no harm in installing the speakers and AVR for it, but the Atmos part of Atmos just wont be delivered the way it’s supposed to be. Again, you can’t have the height layer on the same plane as the bed layer. So IMO, 5.1 will be what you should do. Fwiw, there’s nothing wrong with that, and I don’t think 5.1.2 installed as you’re hoping will sound better than 5.1 anyway. I still think you can do something here, but should be limited to 5.1.

 

[Pogre]

Look, if this is the space, then this is the space. I wish people would stop giving you crap about what you are working with, and just be helpful in providing suggestions, options, and solutions.

I certainly feel that if you have a soffit near the screen, that putting in-wall speakers, or on-wall speakers facing the seating position is better than in-ceiling speakers facing (mostly) downward. That said, I've used the Monoprice in-ceiling speakers with angled drivers, and they do a good job of directing audio more towards the listening position than normal in-ceiling speakers with drivers facing straight down.

Pretty sure he said there isn't enough depth for those type of speakers...

Thanks everyone again...unfortunately I have no other option , also as I have small cavity all in ceiling speakers available dont have the adjustable/ aimable tweeters so i am giving up the ceiling speakers ...

I suggested the same thing and even pinged @DigitalDawn, who I believe is a Triad dealer...

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I can’t remember if those Klipsch and Triad options were given to him because there was not enough room for angled speakers of greater depth.

Yeah probably from the installer.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Pretty sure he said there isn't enough depth for those type of speakers...

I suggested the same thing and even pinged @DigitalDawn, who I believe is a Triad dealer...

I liked the triad suggestion as well. Wonder if DD has any connection to Australia.

 

[Pogre]

I liked the triad suggestion as well. Wonder if DD has any connection to Australia.

I missed Australia. Even if not DD could probably offer some guidance, being familiar with the product.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I missed Australia. Even if not DD could probably offer some guidance, being familiar with the product.

Yessir!

 

[DigitalDawn]

Thanks Pogre. I didn't chime in because Triad doesn't offer a 45 degree angled speaker that will work with the depth constraints mentioned earlier.