Should I add Height to this setup?

[Linwood]

Stop the thread asap.

 

[Linwood]

Finally got a call back and the low voltage guys probably can't make it until after the first of the year, and the manager hasn't been able to ask the guy who came before his opinion, so I'm on hold for a while.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Finally got a call back and the low voltage guys probably can't make it until after the first of the year, and the manager hasn't been able to ask the guy who came before his opinion, so I'm on hold for a while.

That figures. Not a great time of year for such things lol.

 

[Linwood]

That figures. Not a great time of year for such things lol.

The speakers I think I want are not on sale anyway. Trying to hold off buying until I know the LV guys are coming so I can stay in the return window if they can't get the wire run.

Thinking of KEF Ci200ER pair, if anyone has opinions. All the other (non-sub) are KEF, not sure that matters, but happy with them.

Crutchfield recommends a "Dynabox". A very expensive piece of rubber in a box shape. Not sure about that, was thinking of just pushing up a piece of batt insulation, paper side down, and forming a tent over it. Again, opinions welcomed.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

The speakers I think I want are not on sale anyway. Trying to hold off buying until I know the LV guys are coming so I can stay in the return window if they can't get the wire run.

Thinking of KEF Ci200ER pair, if anyone has opinions. All the other (non-sub) are KEF, not sure that matters, but happy with them.

Crutchfield recommends a "Dynabox". A very expensive piece of rubber in a box shape. Not sure about that, was thinking of just pushing up a piece of batt insulation, paper side down, and forming a tent over it. Again, opinions welcomed.

I think the ci200er will be great! It’s a good design and kef makes very good speakers. You should be very happy.
I used RSL c34e in my system and they are fantastic as well. The only thing nit I have is that they have a soft dome tweeter and the rest of my speakers are not. Not that big a deal.
As far as back boxes, I think it’s a good idea if you can. In my ceiling,I just pushed up the vapor barrier(plastic sheeting) with a slight stretch and it worked fine. However I have seen the batting technique you mentioned. Should work well too.
Interesting take on the upgraded streaming. Something I noticed on my pre Atmos 7.3ch system was that Atmos movies(TMNT was an early one for me) sometimes had much better “movement” through my speakers. Just seemed like panning and channel separation were better. Then after adding four Tops, it was complete. Per usual, not all soundtracks are created equal. Some are meh, and some have tricked me into moving out of the way from thinking I was gonna get hit. I demoed an electronic bands album, and there’s a persistent “sound” running throughout the track. It gave me the feeling of water drops landing on my neck. It was crazy. I don’t expect that from many sources, but man it’s cool sometimes.

 

[Linwood]

Speakers: Thanks.

Atmos movies(TMNT was an early one for me) sometimes had much better “movement” through my speakers.

Exactly. Though it is worth noting that the Knives Out movies (more so each time) probably get really good budgets and can afford better mixing. I know in this one the director and cinematographer seemed to be experimenting minute to minute with lighting, scenes inside the church would go from almost dark to over-bright, simulating the sun from behind clouds. It's actually quite a good choice for seeing how your TV is adjusted for HDR.

Though I also wonder how the 5.1 mix is produced, whether Netflix does that for streaming along with compression to its "standard" audience, or if it's a whole different master from the studio. I was a bit surprised that it was the same ... I guess title is the word... in Netflix, as when I upgraded it resumed in place, I didn't have to find a different version with Atmos/Dolby-Vision. If Netflix is doing it themselves, in some automated fashion to down-sample for the standard audience, it may explain why its quality is worse than simply the format change might imply.

 

[Eppie]

See if you can download the owners manual for the speakers and look at the installation instructions. My Paradigms only called for batt insulation on either side of the cavity and some in behind the speakers. They did not call for boxes. Other brands / models may call for boxes of a specific volume. Some will come with enclosures. Try and stick with what the manufacturer recommends. If it's an open back speaker, most just require insulation and use the entire wall/ceiling cavity as the enclosure.

 

[Linwood]

See if you can download the owners manual for the speakers and look at the installation instructions.

Thanks.

I did, it doesn't. All it says is "designed for dry-lined, stud-partitioned walls and ceilings". They list a rough-in box they sell as "optional". So there is no real guidance other than the implication by omission that no box is required. I think what I may do is order the boxes, and see how well I can get a bat stuffed above it, if it looks nicely sealed off from the blown in stuff leave it and return the boxes, if not I'll have them to try to stuff up in there.

 

[TLS Guy]

The speakers I think I want are not on sale anyway. Trying to hold off buying until I know the LV guys are coming so I can stay in the return window if they can't get the wire run.

Thinking of KEF Ci200ER pair, if anyone has opinions. All the other (non-sub) are KEF, not sure that matters, but happy with them.

Crutchfield recommends a "Dynabox". A very expensive piece of rubber in a box shape. Not sure about that, was thinking of just pushing up a piece of batt insulation, paper side down, and forming a tent over it. Again, opinions welcomed.

I have serious problems the way these ceiling speakers are usually installed. All speakers need the optimum box for Thiele Small parameters of the driver.
KEF don't publish the T/S parameters of their ceiling speakers. They do however publish the optimal sealed box volumes, which you can be sure are calculated from the T/S parameters. The optimum box volume for the KEF Ci200ER is 2.12 cu.ft.

This is the pdf. for optimal use of KEF ceiling speakers.

I think all ceiling speakers should be in the optimal box, but few are. In my view that is a problem. I calculated the optimal box for my ceiling speakers and built four of them, one for each speaker. Now the box should be filled with damping material but the material should not be compressed. So I strongly advise that you build, or contract those boxes to be built. I recommend contractor grade MDF 3/4" to construct them from.

 

[Linwood]

The Dynabox devices are 0.76cf not including the volume taken up by the speaker itself (not sure if that should count). To get 2cf I would have to open up the sheet rock between two joists, deal with all the falling insulation, try to build a box from below (possible, though I'm not a great carpenter). and then try to put it all back together.

I'm not quite sold that is worth it. 60+yo rockwool blown in insulation is a mess, and more concern is with a box built I'd need to try to get some replacement insulation up there, more or less through the box that is supposed to keep it from falling out. Is all that really worth it for 1.5cf more?

Or is using too small worse than leaving it semi-open (insulation bat behind it, but not air tight)?