Ready to purchase surrounds and need advice on room and speakers!

[NtegraDryvr]

Setup:
HTPC only
Samsung un65ju7100 (eventually going 80 - 85" flush mount once nVidia unlocks VRR for HDMI)
Denon x4400h
(x2) HSU VTF-15H MK2's
DefTech BP9080x L & R Towers (crossover @ 60hz) (atmos tops crossover at 110hz)
DefTech CS9080 Center (crossover @ 80hz)
DefTech BP8060 Rear/Back Towers (crossover @ 80hz)

1.
I obviously haven't finished painting in the house excuse the mismatch! I am currently running a 5.2.2 system but want to make it 7.2.2. My rear surrounds are currently positioned properly for a 7.x system and aren't ideal for how they are now as a 5.x system. Below I have several photos of the room I'm working with. My main limitation is the right side channel since I can only put it high up on the wall in that area. Is this okay to do if I angle the speaker down towards the MLP? I assume I would want to do the same for the left speaker so their locations match? It's unfortunate because I could mount the left speaker easily in the ideal position, but not the right speaker. Suggestions?

2.
I am looking at these speakers for my side surrounds.
DefTech SR9080: https://www.definitivetechnology.com/products/sr9080
DefTech ProCenter 2000: https://www.definitivetechnology.com/products/procenter-2000
DefTech ProMonitor 1000: https://www.definitivetechnology.com/products/promonitor-1000

I'm not sure I can even consider the SR9080 since it seems to require being flush mount against the wall without a mount to tilt it and that would mean the speaker would be more like 9ft high up on the wall firing towards the ceiling fan and in the vaulted area of the living room for the right side. The left side would be on the vaulted portion angled down above the fireplace or lowered down on the vertical section of the wall making it lower than the right side.

For the PC2000 and PM1000 I would use the DefTech ProMount 90: https://www.definitivetechnology.com/products/promount-90 in order to mount and angle the speaker down towards the MLP.

Is the PC2000 being a center channel even a good option for side surrounds? I figured more is better in this case if I can't go with the SR9080.

Suggestions? Advice? Alternatives that would go with my setup nicely?

TIA!

 

[shadyJ]

From that list, go with the Promonitor 1000s. The 2000 center speaker will have lobing issues off-axis. The SR9080 will make a mess of a surround soundstage that needs more precise imaging. Dipole and bipole surround speakers are not appropriate for Atmos or DTS:X sound mixes, and not even 7.1 mixes really.

 

[NtegraDryvr]

From that list, go with the Promonitor 1000s. The 2000 center speaker will have lobing issues off-axis. The SR9080 will make a mess of a surround soundstage that needs more precise imaging. Dipole and bipole surround speakers are not appropriate for Atmos or DTS:X sound mixes, and not even 7.1 mixes really.

I'm not opposed to looking elsewhere if better side channels can be had, but I figure having matching sets is the way to go? So is the ProMonitor 1000 my best option for my current setup?

 

[shadyJ]

I'm not opposed to looking elsewhere if better side channels can be had, but I figure having matching sets is the way to go? So is the ProMonitor 1000 my best option for my current setup?

The Promonitor 1000s are certainly not going to be a match for your front left-rights. Your front left and right speakers are bipolar, so they will have a very different sound than the rest of your speakers. The only way to get a matching sound would be to get more bipole speakers. With that being said, the promonitor 1000s probably aren't bad, and I wouldn't want a full bipole system anyway. But you could use any decent speaker for the surround channels. Don't worry about them matching, because not much will match your front left/right speakers. But that doesn't mean the system has to sound bad.

 

[NtegraDryvr]

I will say this is my first real surround sound system that I've put real money into. I had a HTIB Mirage Nanosat system which was great for a small room for not much money. I've been pretty happy with my current DefTech stuff which to be honest I bought based purely off great reviews and sales going on at the time. I just don't have any real basis for comparison of competition in this same price range. That all being said I'm happy with them, however when gaming or even just general viewing the sound is fairly vague I have to sometimes concentrate when gaming to locate what direction things came from, which makes sense.

 

[NtegraDryvr]

From that list, go with the Promonitor 1000s. The 2000 center speaker will have lobing issues off-axis. The SR9080 will make a mess of a surround soundstage that needs more precise imaging. Dipole and bipole surround speakers are not appropriate for Atmos or DTS:X sound mixes, and not even 7.1 mixes really.

Do you say it will have lobing issues due to the speaker not being pointed down at the listener or because it has multiple drivers? How is that different than using the same PC2000 speaker as a center channel? With that mount I can tilt the speaker down to the MLP same as the PM1000's. I'm sure I'm misunderstanding.

Any recommendations on speakers that would out perform what I'm looking at that would be a good fit?

 

[shadyJ]

Do you say it will have lobing issues due to the speaker not being pointed down at the listener or because it has multiple drivers? How is that different than using the same PC2000 speaker as a center channel? With that mount I can tilt the speaker down to the MLP same as the PM1000's. I'm sure I'm misunderstanding.

Any recommendations on speakers that would out perform what I'm looking at that would be a good fit?

The PC2000s may sound fine if aimed directly at the listener, but it would be not quite optimal outside of that, at least if you used it in its horizontal orientation. If you turn it on its side, that may change things. This is true if used as a center speaker or surround.

As for speakers that would outperform what you are considering, there are many , but the question is how much do you want to spend.

 

[NtegraDryvr]

The PC2000s may sound fine if aimed directly at the listener, but it would be not quite optimal outside of that, at least if you used it in its horizontal orientation. If you turn it on its side, that may change things. This is true if used as a center speaker or surround.

As for speakers that would outperform what you are considering, there are many , but the question is how much do you want to spend.

The only reason I figured PC2000 over PM1000 was because it is larger and has more drivers of the same size than the PM1000. I was planning to mount it horizontal and pointed down at the MLP no differently than how the PM1000 would be mounted and pointed in the same location. Thoughts?

I'm still unsure if being 5 - 6ft above the MLP for both sides is even acceptable?

I'd like to keep the pair under $600 - $1000 tops if that extra money makes that big of a difference.

I already have 10awg blue jeans cable in the attic waiting to connect.

 

[shadyJ]

The only reason I figured PC2000 over PM1000 was because it is larger and has more drivers of the same size than the PM1000. I was planning to mount it horizontal and pointed down at the MLP no differently than how the PM1000 would be mounted and pointed in the same location. Thoughts?

I'm still unsure if being 5 - 6ft above the MLP for both sides is even acceptable?

I'd like to keep the pair under $600 - $1000 tops if that extra money makes that big of a difference.

I already have 10awg blue jeans cable in the attic waiting to connect.

The arrangement of the drivers on the PC2000 causes all kinds of problems, definitely skip them. As for the height above the listening position, 5 to 6 ft above is certainly not ideal. The side surrounds and read surrounds should be at a height level with the ears. See the Atmos installation guide. The PM1000 is probably fine. If it were me, I would look at more controlled directivity speakers if you are going to mount these things next to a wall. I would be looking at some Klipsch RP speakers, Hsu speakers, JBL Studio 530s maybe. The wall is going to be an unfortunate source of diffraction, but that is going to affect wide dispersion speakers more than narrow dispersion speakers. If you really have to mount the speakers high, maybe look at the SVS Prime Elevation speakers.

 

[NtegraDryvr]

The arrangement of the drivers on the PC2000 causes all kinds of problems, definitely skip them. As for the height above the listening position, 5 to 6 ft above is certainly not ideal. The side surrounds and read surrounds should be at a height level with the ears. See the Atmos installation guide. The PM1000 is probably fine. If it were me, I would look at more controlled directivity speakers if you are going to mount these things next to a wall. I would be looking at some Klipsch RP speakers, Hsu speakers, JBL Studio 530s maybe. The wall is going to be an unfortunate source of diffraction, but that is going to affect wide dispersion speakers more than narrow dispersion speakers. If you really have to mount the speakers high, maybe look at the SVS Prime Elevation speakers.

Thanks for all the information! I love my HSU subs and I know their speakers are reviewed well.

Here are the new issues if I attempt to run my new sides at ear level. My right side which is open to the kitchen as seen in the pictures would be approximately 3ft away on a stand where as my left side would be on the wall approximately 10ft away. So what is more important, equal distance or height?

 

[shadyJ]

Thanks for all the information! I love my HSU subs and I know their speakers are reviewed well.

Here are the new issues if I attempt to run my new sides at ear level. My right side which is open to the kitchen as seen in the pictures would be approximately 3ft away on a stand where as my left side would be on the wall approximately 10ft away. So what is more important, equal distance or height?

Speaker position is important to pull off an Atmos system. If you can't accommodate the correct speaker positions for a 7.1.x setup, just go down to a 5.1.x setup. In other words, don't try to force speakers in placements that your room can't handle. Use the money to take your family out for a nice steak dinner instead.

 

[NtegraDryvr]

Speaker position is important to pull off an Atmos system. If you can't accommodate the correct speaker positions for a 7.1.x setup, just go down to a 5.1.x setup. In other words, don't try to force speakers in placements that your room can't handle. Use the money to take your family out for a nice steak dinner instead.

Lucky for me it's just me myself and I. The way I see it is I have a not so ideal 5.2.2 setup now with bouncy Atmos tops on my front left and right. I don't notice them really. I think I might be better off trying to get the 7.2 setup working and not worry about Atmos unless I want to do dedicated in ceiling speakers later after I figure this out. My 5.2 isn't ideal because my "surrounds" are really in the position of 7.1 rear surrounds.

That being said am I better off with them at ear level and not equidistant or equidistant but not ear level?

 

[shadyJ]

That being said am I better off with them at ear level and not equidistant or equidistant but not ear level?

Bring the surrounds to ear level. The distance can be compensated for in the AVR, but not the height.