New Home Theater Setup

[sathishv]

Hi All,
I am planning to build a hometheater room while finishing my basement and the best possible space i am getting is a room of 11'5" wide, 16' depth and just under 8' ceiling. I have some questions to whats the best atmos sound setup for this space:
1. Is 7.2.4 overkill for this space? If so, please suggest what configuration is best
2. There is a small bump in ceiling on left side which is 1'x1'. Does this make in-ceiling speakers for atmos not do their best? If so, does satellite mounted speakers do good ?
3. I am inclined to klipsch but confused on what model speakers would be a good set for this room in terms of power etc.,

Really appreciate any suggestions/recommendations.

 

[shadyJ]

You can do 7.2.4 in that space. However, I wouldn't put all those speakers in there at the expense of using good speakers. Make sure you are getting good front stage speakers and subs before you throw away a bunch of money for nine surround speakers. Klipsch is a pretty meh brand. They have some good products, but the dealbreaker for me would be their center speaker which is not very good. I would be looking at other brands. Monoprice Monolith THX, SVS Ultra, Paradigm Premier, KEF, Infinity Reference, all have much better center speakers.

The bump in your ceiling looks too slight to really have an adverse effect on anything in there. I wouldn't worry about that.

 

[sathishv]

Thanks very much Shady for the response.
Within the brands mentioned above, can you please suggest me models in one brand - may be svs ultra for the front stage speakers and subs?
Few more beginner questions:
1. Is it okay to have front stage speakers, subs in one brand and surround speakers in another? There are so many models in all the brands with variations that i can't completely understand the differences. Since space is small - my guess is the base level ones are good for this room. Please let me know if that is not the case.
2. I see Klipsch R-41M bookshelf speakers for sale in costco. Are they good for surround purpose (not for the ceiling).
3. Good ceiling speakers that are medium priced and good for atmos.

 

[mazersteven]

1. Is it okay to have front stage speakers, subs in one brand and surround speakers in another? There are so many models in all the brands with variations that i can't completely understand the differences.

Your main L/C/R speaker should be of the same manufacturer and same series to keep a seamless front soundstage. Your surrounds are not as critical but in my opinion I like having the same family and series of speakers all the way around that way you using the same tweeters and drivers for a totally seamless surround sound experience. And SVS or Paradigm would be an outstanding choice for a home theater system

 

[sathishv]

Thanks Mazer, that clears 2 of my questions.
Can any of you please suggest in SVS which L/C/R speakers are good and also subwoofer. I am not sure how much is good enough for the nice feel in the room

Also I didn't find In-Ceiling speakers on SVS site, please recommend good in-ceiling atmos speakers as well.

 

[mazersteven]

Thanks Mazer, that clears 2 of my questions.
Can any of you please suggest in SVS which L/C/R speakers are good and also subwoofer. I am not sure how much is good enough for the nice feel in the room

Both the SVS Ultra towers and Prime Pinnacles are outstanding speaker. The Ultra towers are a little bit more of an issue in finding the right placement where the Prime Pinnacles are a little easier. As far as your room I would recommend the PB-2000 Pro two of them if possible

The Paradigm Premier 800F are great too along with the 600C Center Channel

 

[sathishv]

So i am guessing SVS Prime Center is good to go with that combination. Please confirm.

For the surround, are Prime satellite speakers good enough? Or do i need to consider bookshelf speakers?

 

[mazersteven]

The SVS Center channel is very good and the satellite speakers will work perfectly as surrounds

 

[sathishv]

Thanks a lot Mazer. Last piece for me is suggestion on in-ceiling speakers!

 

[mazersteven]

Thanks a lot Mazer. Last piece for me is suggestion on in-ceiling speakers!

C34E Edgeless In-Ceiling Speaker - RSL Speakers

rslspeakers.com

@William Lemmerhirt you use these don't you?

 

[sathishv]

I was just browsing in the mean time and found these 2 options as well:
JBL C Series C-6ICDT
Polk Audio MC80

Not sure if any of these are good.

 

[sathishv]

@shadyJ @mazersteven can any of you please suggest if 2 atmos speakers are good for this room or 4 is recommended for good experience?

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

C34E Edgeless In-Ceiling Speaker - RSL Speakers

rslspeakers.com

@William Lemmerhirt you use these don't you?

Wow. How’d I miss this thread...lol
Yeah maz I do. I also really like them a lot. I used them as mains in my bedroom 5.1 while awaiting ceiling deployment. They have great dispersion and imaging. I love em.
Now to go back and read lol.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

@shadyJ @mazersteven can any of you please suggest if 2 atmos speakers are good for this room or 4 is recommended for good experience?

4 is always better IMO. But it will depend on how much room is behind your Lp(listening position). Still reading the thread ...

 

[mazersteven]

4 is always better IMO. But it will depend on how much room is behind your Lp(listening position). Still reading the thread ...

There you go the Atmos King has spoken

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

There you go the Atmos King has spoken

Lol. While I definitely appreciate that, it’s hardly true.

 

[sathishv]

Thank you very much for the inputs @mazersteven and @William Lemmerhirt
My main concern is the price difference of AV receivers when bumping up from 9.2 to 11.2. Its almost getting doubled unless i am not looking at right items

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Thank you very much for the inputs @mazersteven and @William Lemmerhirt
My main concern is the price difference of AV receivers when bumping up from 9.2 to 11.2. Its almost getting doubled unless i am not looking at right items

Well here’s something worth considering. As shady mentioned, it’s not worth going to 7.x.x from 5.x.x while compromising on the front end, and subs. 5.1.4 can absolutely be awesome and the rear surrounds at some point become academic. Since this is a first real go for you, I would consider not blowing my whole wad initially, but get into some good midrange gear. The aforementioned prime pinnacles are a great choice, and the PB/PC2000’s would be great for that room. Then add some prime elevations and done. That should keep upgraditis away for a long time. Great midrange system, without ruining the wallet. Imo, bargain basement shopping will leave you unsatisfied, and not interested in the long run, while going super high end will probably leave you with buyers remorse without previous experience in knowing what to expect.
FWIW, you could save a little more on subs from HSU, and use the extra money for an ultra center. Since it’s voices to work with the pinnacles I think it’s a worthy inclusion. However, staying in the SVS ecosystem can have its own benefits as well. IE: their bill of rights.
Maybe I missed, but did have any pics? I’m trying to gage the 1x1 thing and height vs ceiling Atmos speakers. The 1x1 could affect an IC installation by causing some reflective issues, but pics would be helpful.

 

[mazersteven]

I don't remember if you said what receiver you have or what reciever your looking at

Denon AVR-X3700H

9.2-channel home theater receiver with Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, Apple AirPlay® 2, and Amazon Alexa compatibility

www.crutchfield.com

Model 2220

Mono? Mini? Micro? Magnificent? Whatever that M is, this is one UNREAL little single-channel amp. 200 Watts (conservatively!) into a 3-inch chassis with balanced input stage to offer Common Mode Rejection! MANUAL See Front Panel Huge See Rear Panel Huge

outlawaudio.com

 

[sathishv]

Well here’s something worth considering. As shady mentioned, it’s not worth going to 7.x.x from 5.x.x while compromising on the front end, and subs. 5.1.4 can absolutely be awesome and the rear surrounds at some point become academic. Since this is a first real go for you, I would consider not blowing my whole wad initially, but get into some good midrange gear. The aforementioned prime pinnacles are a great choice, and the PB/PC2000’s would be great for that room. Then add some prime elevations and done. That should keep upgraditis away for a long time. Great midrange system, without ruining the wallet. Imo, bargain basement shopping will leave you unsatisfied, and not interested in the long run, while going super high end will probably leave you with buyers remorse without previous experience in knowing what to expect.
FWIW, you could save a little more on subs from HSU, and use the extra money for an ultra center. Since it’s voices to work with the pinnacles I think it’s a worthy inclusion. However, staying in the SVS ecosystem can have its own benefits as well. IE: their bill of rights.
Maybe I missed, but did have any pics? I’m trying to gage the 1x1 thing and height vs ceiling Atmos speakers. The 1x1 could affect an IC installation by causing some reflective issues, but pics would be helpful.

Thanks for the valuable suggestions @William Lemmerhirt No i did not post any pics yet, I just started finishing the basement and only framing is done so far. I am wanted to plan ahead on this so that i can have the electrician to the wiring appropriately. I will try to post some pics soon.