Need Some Advice

[JohnA]

Hi everyone...I need some suggestions. The attached image is a rough layout of my living room; it is 14' wide by 13' deep with a 7' ceiling. The opening on the left is roughly 7-1/2', it opens up into the entry. I need some advice on the surrounds...I'm going to be using In-walls (yes I know that In-walls don't sound that good, but it would only be for movies, and there is not much room) the question is "Should I use direct radiating or di/bi-poles?" Would di/bi-poles be a waste in such a small room? They would be placed on the Left and Right walls in line with the listening position.

Thanks

 

[markw]

John, a few questions...

I'm assuming the listening area (couch) is on the bottom of the diagram, correct?

Next, when you say "in wall", do you mean in hte wall behind the couch, or in the wall (and that little wing on the left) alongside the couch?

 

[jaxvon]

Is it a possiblity to go with wall-mounted speakers, or is the WAF negating that...I was just thinking of Axiom's highly regarded QS4 or QS8 surrounds, which are quadrapolar (OOOOHHHHH).

 

[JohnA]

Thanks for the replies,

MarkW: The In-Walls would be placed in the side walls to the left and right of the couch, not behind it (windows)

Jaxvon: I have some bookshelf speakers right now but the problem is having these "boxes" sticking 6"+ off the wall, there really is not enough room for wall mounting...so the only viable choice is to use In-walls. Looks have some part in it as well.

 

[markw]

Well, given your situation...

...I'd think about mounting speakers pretty high up in the rear corners on a shelf or some kinda mount, facing towards the middle of the room favoring the rear, preferably facing slightly downwards. ...works for me.

 

[JohnA]

The thing is the size of the speakers...if there were good sounding "cube" type speakers then I would go with those, but I'm limited on space and don't need 7" x 9" x 12" speakers being an eye sore.

 

[jaxvon]

Another comment on the Axioms...

You can get custom finishes (like white, among other pretty colors and finishes). Plus, the QS4 is pretty small and cam be mounted right on the wall with the included bracket.

Here's a pic of MrNomas' room with the Axiom surrounds. Sorry if you just CAN'T do this, but then again, it's always good to fully investigate your options.

 

[JohnA]

Thanks Jaxvon for the tip. While the size of the Axiom's would probably work...the cost is holding me back...at $400 a pair I might be better off bulding my own.

 

[AVRat]

Actually, quality in-walls sound great. I have two pair of Paradigm in-ceiling CS-60Rs ($200) and am continually amazed at the quality of sound that these relatively inexpensive speakers put out.

How much is in the piggy bank? You're looking at about $300 for a decent pair, assuming your looking to the rectangular as opposed to round speaker format. Bi-poles would be prefered if you can find any that meet your budget. Otherwise, the mono-poles sound just fine.

Have you checked the walls for stud locations for actual pacement options?

What's the rest of your system comprised of?

 

[JohnA]

Actually, quality in-walls sound great. I have two pair of Paradigm in-ceiling CS-60Rs ($200) and am continually amazed at the quality of sound that these relatively inexpensive speakers put out.

How much is in the piggy bank? You're looking at about $300 for a decent pair, assuming your looking to the rectangular as opposed to round speaker format. Bi-poles would be prefered if you can find any that meet your budget. Otherwise, the mono-poles sound just fine.

Have you checked the walls for stud locations for actual pacement options?

What's the rest of your system comprised of?

Well my piggy bank is next to nil right now, but I have connections. I was looking at the MTX HT520BDP which is a bi/di-pole.

I'm not worried about stud locations, I can move them if need be.

My current system can be found here:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10670

 

[Ethan Winer]

John,

> The attached image is a rough layout of my living room; it is 14' wide by 13' deep with a 7' ceiling. <

The best way to set up in that room is rotate everything clockwise 90 degrees, with the main loudspeakers on the right side of the drawing facing to the left. That will improve your bass response enormously, and also solve the problem of where to put surround speakers.

--Ethan

 

[JohnA]

John,

> The attached image is a rough layout of my living room; it is 14' wide by 13' deep with a 7' ceiling. <

The best way to set up in that room is rotate everything clockwise 90 degrees, with the main loudspeakers on the right side of the drawing facing to the left. That will improve your bass response enormously, and also solve the problem of where to put surround speakers.

--Ethan

Ok..but it isn't going to happen...the only way for this room to function is in the current layout. Thanks for the idea though.

 

[AVRat]

I think those bi-poles will work nicely. I checked the specs on the mono-poles, not as good. If you can get them under $200 great, otherwise you might look at Polk Audio RC55i mono-poles.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-kXqLjrkwSf8/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=12600&I=107RC55I