5

500red

Audiophyte
Hey Guys im new to home audio coming from car audio its a big jump but same concept im doing all in ceiling speaker 6.5 Elura im looking for the best av receiver that i could afford lol but ive been looking at yamaha rx a8a and the sony str az7000es i will post pic of my room but im doing 2 rooms 7.1 and 4 outside speaker
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
I'd start with why in hell would you use only in-ceiling speakers? :) There are many avrs suited to your use....so far.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Hey Guys im new to home audio coming from car audio its a big jump but same concept im doing all in ceiling speaker 6.5 Elura im looking for the best av receiver that i could afford lol but ive been looking at yamaha rx a8a and the sony str az7000es i will post pic of my room but im doing 2 rooms 7.1 and 4 outside speaker
Well your first mistake is to go for an in ceiling system. Ceiling systems are for background music and just for the inceiling height speakers in an Atmos system

A ceiling system might be acceptable as zone 2 background system.

Audio and video is now joined at the hip. So if you are using it with a receiver you will want an AV system. A ceiling speaker system for AV is worse than using the TV speakers.

I have to stress you are making a giant miss step right at the start. Just start again before you spend any money.
 
5

500red

Audiophyte
I'd start with why in hell would you use only in-ceiling speakers? :) There are many avrs suited to your use....so far.
As of right now that all I wanted to use I will eventually add In wall speaker buy 1st I want to get started with my in ceiling setup 1st I really didn't want the tower speaker
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
As of right now that all I wanted to use I will eventually add In wall speaker buy 1st I want to get started with my in ceiling setup 1st I really didn't want the tower speaker
In ceiling only is just about the worst way to go with surround setups.....all in-walls for the bed layer and then ceilings for atmos makes mores sense....
 
5

500red

Audiophyte
Well your first mistake is to go for an in ceiling system. Ceiling systems are for background music and just for the inceiling height speakers in an Atmos system

A ceiling system might be acceptable as zone 2 background system.

Audio and video is now joined at the hip. So if you are using it with a receiver you will want an AV system. A ceiling speaker system for AV is worse than using the TV speakers.

I have to stress you are making a giant miss step right at the start. Just start again before you spend any money.
Thanks for your opinion but I'm in it now to get the best sound possible I feel I should be ok with my in ceiling setup
 
5

500red

Audiophyte
Thanks guys for your opinion but I think u guys are mis judging the overhead setup up if I need to add more speaker or change location the real question is yamaha rx a8a denon av 8500ha or sony str az7000es which amp have u guys own or used b4
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Thanks guys for your opinion but I think u guys are mis judging the overhead setup up if I need to add more speaker or change location the real question is yamaha rx a8a denon av 8500ha or sony str az7000es which amp have u guys own or used b4
Still not sure what you're asking....but each of these are better judged by their features/capabilities. A site like this might help: https://www.zkelectronics.com/
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Thanks guys for your opinion but I think u guys are mis judging the overhead setup up if I need to add more speaker or change location the real question is yamaha rx a8a denon av 8500ha or sony str az7000es which amp have u guys own or used b4
I don't think it will make any difference what you pick. You are in for total disappointment. You can not make an in ceiling speaker system like that sound in any way good. At best they create the ambience of a shopping mall.

In walls can be successful, but they are difficult to engineer. There is way more bad product out there than good in that category.

One thing I can be certain of, creating a ceiling in wall 7.1 system is a total waste of time money and effort. If you are planning to use it associated with TV viewing or moving watching you are in fantasyland. It will just be more dreadful than you can imagine. That is money you might as well burn or flush straight down the drain. It will be more than useless, and in fact a totally negative experience.

I have 70 years of experience in this field and I'm giving you honest advice and warning you not to waste effort and your hard earned cash.
 
D

dolynick

Full Audioholic
I get what you're trying to do but you have gotten some decent feedback here. While I could see doing 5.1.2 with in-ceiling for height and surrounds, I do think that the others are right that in-ceiling for fronts and center is not likely to be great. You should at least consider doing in-wall (or on-wall) for fronts and center on the front wall.

As for your receiver list... Those are all flagship models if I'm not mistaken. They're all going to do well. They'll probably all sound fairly similar too, aside from room EQ. I agree that you should probably make the decision on features - particularly if you want Dirac (the Denon), or a more flexible PEQ option (Yamaha). The Sony's processing is supposedly a bit more of a wizard with non-standard speaker layouts - so it might be what you're looking for.

If it was me, buying for myself, I'd probably go for the Yamaha, followed by the Denon. But my use case would not be yours.
 
T

Trebdp83

Audioholic Spartan
Thanks guys for your opinion but I think u guys are mis judging the overhead setup up if I need to add more speaker or change location the real question is yamaha rx a8a denon av 8500ha or sony str az7000es which amp have u guys own or used b4
Forget the placement of speakers in the Main Zone for a moment. You mentioned four outdoor speakers. Are these four speakers in one area, Zone 2, or in two different outdoor areas, Zone 2 and Zone 3. The Denon X8500H, Sony AZ7000ES and Yamaha RX A8A handle Zone 2 and Zone 3 in very specific ways. Will there be an external amp for use with the outdoor speakers or will the chosen receiver be expected to handle power for it all?
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
From a 20 yr drywall guy, please don't do this. Ceiling patches make my neck hurt.
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
Thanks for your opinion but I'm in it now to get the best sound possible I feel I should be ok with my in ceiling setup
First, you are asking guys with years of real world experience for advice, and then calling their expertise 'an opinion'. It's not. That's incredibly rude and dismissive of not only their experience, but the facts that go along with it. Since you're a car guy, it would be like someone saying they want to only put speakers in the engine compartment and trunk, nothing IN the car. You tell them that wouldn't work, it would sound bad, and they 'thank you for your opinion'. It's clearly NOT an opinion, is the reality of the situation.

So, you CAN do all ceiling speakers, but go in knowing this isn't how you will ever get the 'best' sound. As a former Sonance dealer, I like their speakers, but I absolutely didn't find them to be worth the money spent on them and coming way down in price actually delivered very similar results. Spending a lot on in ceiling speakers is a good way to spend a lot of money, but not a great way to get incredible sound. Similar with other major brands. It's a pretty standard speaker, without a proper backbox, and pretty standard materials. What in the world makes it cost so much?

If I was looking for in-ceiling only, I would lean towards models with a built-in back box, and some significant directionality to get the audio pointed out towards the listeners. Something like these for the front three maybe...

I might go smaller and more generic for the rear two speakers.

You can't bounce between a properly setup in-ceiling 5.1 system to a 5.1.4 system and repurpose the in ceilings for Atmos without pulling everything out, patching, and relocating everything. The locations for 5.1 surround and the .4 for Atmos is completely different.

This IS your choice, but it would be helpful to understand that while you can do this, that you won't be getting the same quality you could get with decent in-wall speakers or some decent bookshelf speakers in the room. Which is fine, but you need to be respectful of the information given, not dismissive.

I use in-ceiling speakers in several rooms for audio playback to improve upon the audio from my TV. I wouldn't say it's great audio, but the speakers are a massive improvement over the TV speakers, which was my goal. They also work well for background music when I'm listening and working around the home.
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=34198
These worked well for my needs, and were a reasonable price point with solid quality.

Any room I had with a TV where I could manage in-wall speakers to go with a TV, these were my go-to speakers to massively improve upon the TV audio...

I've used those speakers behind projection screens and in surround systems as well, with clients who were very happy as they didn't want any floor standing speakers at all.

All I can say for placement, is that I leaned towards getting the front speakers even spaced, and wide in the room for better imaging. Center channel was always on center. Surround speakers need to be properly placed in the room as well.

I always used at least 14 gauge cabling for all my work.
 
5

500red

Audiophyte
No I took in all advice giving and I listen and I didn't disrespect no one by no mean possible
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
question is yamaha rx a8a denon av 8500ha or sony str az7000es.
Most people will go for either Denon/Marantz or Yamaha.


Yamaha - largest audio company in the world - big muscle, big money for R&D and support, 5 YR warranty. Best WiFi Remote app in the world. Not the best auto-Room EQ.

Denon/Marantz - probably most popular. Audyssey XT32 is among the best auto-Room EQ. Can also get DIRAC Live if you want with Denon/Marantz.

Sony - least favorite.

Anthem - small company compared to Yamaha, Denon/Marantz/ Sony.

But everyone has their personal favorites.
 
Last edited:
F

Focus SE

Junior Audioholic
From a 20 yr drywall guy, please don't do this. Ceiling patches make my neck hurt.
Hopefully you don't work in my area because you're about to hate me. I just finished a basement rough in at my son's house. Next step is the electrical layout. Basically, one big 1600 square foot party room. He has zero interest in hifi critical listening at all. (I have failed as a parent) The goal is back ground music with decent clear sound with reasonably good bass and sound projection in a party room, that's it. Our initial plan is 16 in ceiling speakers in four zones. (electrically at most 2 zones on or off.) We've divided the space into four areas. Pool table, tennis table, poker table, and sitting area and a bar. 4 speakers in each main area. I'm probably a year or more before speaker installation we are just a couple of weekend hacks having fun doing a project together. I am guessing I am going to have a hard time finding a speaker to meet these needs. I would assume most are designed to be atmos now and not main drivers.
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
Hopefully you don't work in my area because you're about to hate me. I just finished a basement rough in at my son's house. Next step is the electrical layout. Basically, one big 1600 square foot party room. He has zero interest in hifi critical listening at all. (I have failed as a parent) The goal is back ground music with decent clear sound with reasonably good bass and sound projection in a party room, that's it. Our initial plan is 16 in ceiling speakers in four zones. (electrically at most 2 zones on or off.) We've divided the space into four areas. Pool table, tennis table, poker table, and sitting area and a bar. 4 speakers in each main area. I'm probably a year or more before speaker installation we are just a couple of weekend hacks having fun doing a project together. I am guessing I am going to have a hard time finding a speaker to meet these needs. I would assume most are designed to be atmos now and not main drivers.
Yep, I'd pretty much have to float that whole ceiling and retexture it unless I could talk the homeowner into heavy curtains and only recessed can lights so that the light of day, or any other source would never touch it. I'm half kidding, really, except about the heavy curtains and can lights.

OTOH, I would rather just get a handful of those JBL Flip 6's and place them about the room. That way, if someone was so inclined, they could pick up a pair of them and do a nearfield stereo session anywhere in that room. No need for wiring, nada, and you could do the whole thing from a phone.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
I am guessing I am going to have a hard time finding a speaker to meet these needs. I would assume most are designed to be atmos now and not main drivers.
Not really. FWIW, atmos overhead locations get full range signals, just like surrounds. So just make sure the speakers have good specs, and made by a good speaker company, should be good. Nice that you guys can do that together.
 
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