Hi all,
I am in the process of changing my "theater", not really a theater but at a loss of descriptive name hehehe, based on incoming furniture and wife request. Please add your critique, commentary and suggestions.
We are replacing the coffee table/tv stand with an entertainment center by Ashley. My wife fell in love with it and it is on the way. It is 76"x20"x26" (LxWxH). It will house my gear, hold my tv and speakers. Speaker placement is subject to change but not until I give them a chance atop the stand. WAF here and since she gave me the ok for the plasma it is an easy concession.
Wife also asked me to move the Atoms I use as surrounds. I initially decided on Paradigm CS60R in ceiling speakers but after some forum research and a long conversation with a Paradigm dealer I decided to move the Atoms to the back wall, 15 feet from the couch...see photos for detailed locations. The person I spoke to said he had similar speakers in his house and was very unhappy with the sound, especially the direction. He said sitting directly underneath was decent but move away and sound suffers dramatically. I asked for his recommendation and he said you already have Atoms which are great surrounds, simply mount them on the walls and get a much better surround sound. He did not try to sell me anything, other than the speaker mounts for the wall for $25, which was refreshing.
I have also decided to replace the Paradigm CC170 center with the new CC290. It is a much better match for my Monitor 3 v.4 fronts than the 170 is. The 3's will finally stand vertically on the stand and the center will sit atop a shelf just above the tv. I just moved the 170 to this location and after rerunning the YPAO find dialogue much more clear.
My only concern is the placement of the Atom surrounds. They will be 15 feet from the couch and approx 10 inches down from the ceiling slightly angled to hit the couch as best as I can get them. The fronts and center are approx 10 feet from the couch. Does anybody see problems with this config regarding surround sound when watching movies, etc.? I usually listen to music in "stereo/pure direct" mode though at times I do use 7 channel surround when we have people over and I think this config would be better for this.
Below are photos.
Thank you for your help and input,
Kai
