picky wife + vaulted ceilings... am i doomed?

[ertx]

New house meant new TV... new TV meant upgrading speaker system... or maybe not. The wife is really picky about looks and speakers that are too loud. Combine this with limited layout, and I'm not sure what options are available to (finally) move on from a vizio soundbar that's 10 years old.

I've got what I think is a great start with a Sony DN1080 receiver and the SB-1000. The wife prefers in-ceiling speakers, but I know their limitations. Would the Monoprice Ambers or Calibers work with vaulted ceilings?

I thought I hit a compromise going with the Jamo 803 home theater set up, but she really doesn't care for the size of those.

Any other budget friendly set ups to consider?

 

[Wardog555]

https://www.dolby.com/siteassets/technologies/dolby-atmos/atmos-installation-guidelines-121318_r3.1.pdf

It looks that your base level speakers are way too high. And the tv aswell. Really hope it's not above a fireplace.

If you will struggle than I will suggest finding another room that you can have the most optimal setup.

What a wife wants and how surround sound is designed are two completely different things.

 

[lovinthehd]

Well, divorce isn't generally budget friendly..... j/k.... sort of. I can't imagine settling for a soundbar let alone a poor compromise like in-ceiling speakers (well, except for Atmos or speakers intended to be on the ceiling). The vaulted ceilings I've had you couldn't put speakers in (just roof on top of timbers), does your construction allow the installation as well as wiring in the ceiling? The stereo image would be screwed up IMO in any case. Those 803s are smaller than I'd want in a large room.....

Hope you can keep your avr/sub! Like wardog mentions, do you have a spare room/office that can be your media room or is the goal more to share tv/movies with the wife the way she expects to hear things?

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

It’s hard to tell scale in the pics. But I think your proposal is ok. I would probably make them a little closer together, but would need some actual dimensions to say for sure.

I do agree that the bed layer looks way to high. You need to have separation between the two layers to really be successful. They should be at, or just above ear height. Some go as much as a foot above seated ear height to clear listeners heads.

 

[j_garcia]

Worst spot in the room is in the corners. The height will be ok, but move them toward the centerline of the room about 2-3 ft. I'd keep them on the walls not on the ceiling.

Vaulted ceilings are good for sound IMO, they diffuse reflections a bit. Not quite as good for bass though, since you need more subwoofage to fill the space. I have a 20ft vaulted ceiling and it works very well.

 

[ertx]

Well, divorce isn't generally budget friendly..... j/k.... sort of. I can't imagine settling for a soundbar let alone a poor compromise like in-ceiling speakers (well, except for Atmos or speakers intended to be on the ceiling). The vaulted ceilings I've had you couldn't put speakers in (just roof on top of timbers), does your construction allow the installation as well as wiring in the ceiling? The stereo image would be screwed up IMO in any case. Those 803s are smaller than I'd want in a large room.....

Hope you can keep your avr/sub! Like wardog mentions, do you have a spare room/office that can be your media room or is the goal more to share tv/movies with the wife the way she expects to hear things?

I've drafted up the papers... jk.

The TV is above the fireplace, and that's a battle I won't revist. And yes, it's high.

I have ample space above the room to wire, or even put up back boxes (I've read where some of y'all have done that) if it helps, for ceiling speakers.

Thanks for the details @William Lemmerhirt ... tho to clarify, I'm limited to ONLY ceiling or bookshelf speakers if I can find the sweet spot with decor, size, price. I was under the impression that on-axis listening with the IC speakers was not ideal, so I'm concerned with the vaulted ceiling leaving me with sub-optimal layout.

I've looked at the SVS primes, KEF Q150s now that they are on sale... this Jamo set under $200 was too good not to try my luck. Wondering if I'd be better off investing in a solid center speaker and going with the IC speakers... looking to stay under $500 for a set of 5.

 

[j_garcia]

SVS Prime Elevations mounted high might work since the angle down is built in. Matching center would be fairly large though, but you could maybe get away with just one standard Prime on the wall or another Elevation up high. And I think they pass most WAF in general since they're not ugly.

 

[-Jim-]

I've drafted up the papers... jk.

The TV is above the fireplace, and that's a battle I won't revist. And yes, it's high.

I have ample space above the room to wire, or even put up back boxes (I've read where some of y'all have done that) if it helps, for ceiling speakers.

Thanks for the details @William Lemmerhirt ... tho to clarify, I'm limited to ONLY ceiling or bookshelf speakers if I can find the sweet spot with decor, size, price. I was under the impression that on-axis listening with the IC speakers was not ideal, so I'm concerned with the vaulted ceiling leaving me with sub-optimal layout.

I've looked at the SVS primes, KEF Q150s now that they are on sale... this Jamo set under $200 was too good not to try my luck. Wondering if I'd be better off investing in a solid center speaker and going with the IC speakers... looking to stay under $500 for a set of 5.

There are Wall brackets that will allow you to easily swing out and down a TV when mounted above a fireplace. Some come with a shelf for the center channel speaker as well.

 

[Wardog555]

Two words. Mantle mount. if you are unaware of the serious cons of having a TV over a fireplace.

 

[ertx]

Well evidently, my insistence on striking the right fit has paid off and I've gotten her off the in-ceiling route. And in the process of looking for accent furniture, we are now considering moving the TV to the adjacent wall and lowering the TV, but that would actually require a new couch. So we'll get there.

So now it's onto speakers. The Jamo set I have just really isn't fitting the bill. But I came across the MK442 on this site, and they seem to get some great reviews here and elsewhere. I like the slimmer profile of those than traditional bookshelf speakers. So I would plan to do 3 of those up front.

I had previously considered the RSL CG23 (they have a few left in stock) as a center... but at 3x the cost over the MK442, are the CG23 that much better?