Floor Stands or Wall Mount Monitor 40's

latinskllz

Hi Club Polk,

I've searched and know that I can wall mount the Monitor 40's if that's the best choice in my setup. My setup consists of the following:

-Monitor 70 Front L/R
-CS2 Center
-Monitor 50 Surround L/R
-Monitor 40 Surround Back L/R
-Klipsch Synergy Sub 10"
-Denon AVR-890
-PS3 Slim
-Samsung LN52B750 240hz HDTV
-Panamax M5400 Power Conditioner
-CL3 14 AWG in wall cabling and Monster XP in room

Main seating position right now is about 12' from TV and 36" from floor ear height.



Here's the space I currently have allocated for the Monitor 40's behind the couch:



Front Side View:



The stands I'm looking at are the B-Tech 608:

http://www.bracketsandstands.com/BT_608_31_5_LOUDSPEAKER_STAND_p/bt-608.htm

These have a standing height of 31" inches so the couch will sorta block the lower speaker on the monitor 40 i'm assuming.

What is your opinion on using these stands vs. the Pinpoint AM40(http://www.bracketsandstands.com/Pinpoint_AM40_Side_Clamping_speaker_wall_mount_p/am40.htm) and mount the Monitor 40's on the Wall by the Mirror in Pic 1?

I can always move the couch 1 more foot up if you guys think the speaker placement is off in the pic.

The monitor 50's are currently being blocked a little bit by the couch but that placement is not permanent, so I'm open to suggestions.

Also, is 14 AWG cabling in wall sufficient?

Thanks all for your help.

cheddar

Well, if you would ever anticipate kids in your place, it's a no brainer for wall mounting. And having your rear surrounds right next to your head and partially blocked by the couch doesn't seem very ideal.

The pinpoints would get them out from the wall a little bit and seem to allow some flexibility in aiming the tweeters which is good.

cheddar

Also, I wouldn't go ripping your 14 AWG out of the wall to replace it. If for some reason you have to rip open your walls anyways, no harm in putting in at least 12 AWG since you never know your upgrade path. Looks like you might have a pretty long run to the surround speakers. But I wouldn't bother if you've already got the 14 AWG installed.

spock 2054

I'm with Cheddar about the wall mounting if you have little ones. On the other hand, the stands will put the Monitor 40's at about 45 inches off the floor, just slightly above ear level, and you don't have to worry about fishing speaker cable through your wall. My Monitor 60's are arriving tomorrow to replace the JBL e20's that are on either side of my couch. Keep us posted.

latinskllz

Thanks to all for the replies. I already have in-wall 14 AWG ran for the Monitor 50's. Each run is 40' of speaker wire, hence why I chose 14awg as I was under the impression that it was good up to like 80' or so.

I have another 100' spool of CL3 14 AWG 2C cabling that I was planning on using. If you look at pic 2 you will see the 4 post speaker wall plate.

I just bought two 2post speaker wall plates in case I want to wall mount them(which it seems like that's where I'm headed).

I'm just concerned about the 7 degree max tilt on them and if mounting them along the bottom edge of the mirror about 1' apart from each edge. I think this will allow me to tilt the 40's 7 degrees.

I don't have kids nor do I see any in the near future(knock on wood).

So will 14AWG be good size for now?

latinskllz

wow, so I finally opened my monitor 40 box and just like i've been reading they are big bookshelfs...actually their box is deep.

Perhaps now I will just get the monitor 30's for the rears and wall mount them, call it a day.

If I get the floor stands, the speakers will be at ear level.

Ahhhhhh, decisions, decisions!

cheddar

latinskllz wrote: »

I don't have kids nor do I see any in the near future(knock on wood).

Just takes one friend's or relative's kid who thinks it would be fun to play hide and seek behind the couch to ruin your whole day.

cheddar

latinskllz wrote: »

If I get the floor stands, the speakers will be at ear level.

Precise tweeter placement isn't so crucial for surrounds. They have much less use than the fronts and at lower volumes. And at ear level only inches from your head would not be preferable IMO than mounted higher up behind you even if the tilt can't point the tweeters at the listening position.

latinskllz

cheddar wrote: »

Precise tweeter placement isn't so crucial for surrounds. They have much less use than the fronts and at lower volumes. And at ear level only inches from your head would not be preferable IMO than mounted higher up behind you even if the tilt can't point the tweeters at the listening position.

Good point...Now I'm debating if I should get the Monitor 30's instead and sell the 40's for wall mounting.

nedh84

40's are supposed to have much better sound than the 30's. I haven't heard either myself but another thing to consider is that you really might not need the 40's dynamics for simple surrounds.

nedh84

Hey latinskllz... did that power conditioner do anything for your sound quality? I have a similar system to yours and was wondering if I should invest in something like that this early.

kawizx9r

nedh84 wrote: »

Hey latinskllz... did that power conditioner do anything for your sound quality? I have a similar system to yours and was wondering if I should invest in something like that this early.

I had an older Panamax 5100 power conditioner, and in my experience it cleaned up some hiss/sound. How much of a difference it'll make in your system is something you'll have to figure out yourself.

On the otherhand, I'd invest in one simply to protect your equipment! Rather have a $200 dollar power conditioner go rather than a $1,000+++ amp or preamp.

Btw Latin, have you dialed in/tuned your 5.1 setup before going all out 7.1?

Not sure the exact room dimensions that you're working with but unless you have a large room I'd suggest sticking to a properly setup 5.1 system. Your living room seems pretty open, but the actually seating area is setup pretty close to your surround speakers imo.

-Freddy

latinskllz

nedh84 wrote: »

Hey latinskllz... did that power conditioner do anything for your sound quality? I have a similar system to yours and was wondering if I should invest in something like that this early.

I installed it the same time I hooked up my receiver. Comparing to what I had before (simply a Yamaha HTR-6140), the sound does seem a lot cleaner. Perhaps I should try to compare using/not using the panamax and pay attention to the sound for you this weekend.

I live in a new neighborhood(about 4 years old) with underground power lines here in FL and have seen fluctuations in voltage all the way down to 118v and up to 125v recorded by the panamax.

My main reason to get it was because I wanted surge protection all in one unit, voltage regulation and hopes to get cleaner sound. Therefore, I believe I am receiving all that I wanted.

latinskllz

kawizx9r wrote: »

I had an older Panamax 5100 power conditioner, and in my experience it cleaned up some hiss/sound. How much of a difference it'll make in your system is something you'll have to figure out yourself.

On the otherhand, I'd invest in one simply to protect your equipment! Rather have a $200 dollar power conditioner go rather than a $1,000+++ amp or preamp.

Btw Latin, have you dialed in/tuned your 5.1 setup before going all out 7.1?

Not sure the exact room dimensions that you're working with but unless you have a large room I'd suggest sticking to a properly setup 5.1 system. Your living room seems pretty open, but the actually seating area is setup pretty close to your surround speakers imo.

-Freddy

Freddy,

I simply used the Audyseey EQ Setup for now. I do have the AVIA HT DVD I was planning in using eventually when I get the CS2 delivered.

The area is very open indeed and the family room overall is 16x24 but I the dedicated home theater area is 16x18 with 12’ ceiling height.

You are probably right that at 5.1 should be sufficient but as I started buying the polks, I said “well, might as well go 7.1”. I realize that there aren’t many blu-rays having the 7.1 soundtracks so I may not benefit much from them, but oh well. Worst case scenario, I have a set of M40 to use as Front L/R in my living room and possibly find use for the M30’s. All I know is that every time I would listen to these monitors back in the day at Best Buy or Circuit City, I would be captivating by the sound that I told myself I wanted to own a set someday. Something about picturing myself like that dude in that maxell logo from back in the day where he is sitting and getting blown back by the sound waves hahha.

I have ordered the Monitor 30’s and Pinpoint AM40 brackets, so I plan to install them 5’ from the ground 1’ foot away from the edge of the mirror and angle them downwards. Hopefully my staging will not suffer from this.

I have done some reading on the different setups across the internet as well as educating myself on acoustics, but I feel like I need to spend more time learning.

I will continue educating myself but I appreciate any advice you all have given and will continue giving me. Feel free to keep the suggestions coming.

jayman_1975

This is a shade off topic but i couldn't help but notice the toe in on your 70's. It looks like quite a bit compared to what i found worked for my 70's. Do you mostly use your system for H/T? I found i couldn't get a decent soundstage with that much toe in.

On3s&Z3r0s

Also off-topic, but 12' is farther back than optimal from a 52-inch TV. If you're going 7.1 I think you'd have a better experience moving the couch and side surrounds farther forward by two or three feet. If you're worried about wires you could get some flat wire to go under the carpet from the wall plate. Being that far back from the TV you're not getting any benefit from 1080p (at that distance the eye can't resolve the difference in detail from say 720p) and having all the rear and side surrounds clustered so close to the sitting position will probably make it a little tougher for the receiver's calibration to do its job of creating a good EQ profile.

latinskllz

On3s&Z3r0s wrote: »

Also off-topic, but 12' is farther back than optimal from a 52-inch TV. If you're going 7.1 I think you'd have a better experience moving the couch and side surrounds farther forward by two or three feet. If you're worried about wires you could get some flat wire to go under the carpet from the wall plate. Being that far back from the TV you're not getting any benefit from 1080p (at that distance the eye can't resolve the difference in detail from say 720p) and having all the rear and side surrounds clustered so close to the sitting position will probably make it a little tougher for the receiver's calibration to do its job of creating a good EQ profile.

I agree with all of your statements but as you can see in my picture the space is getting really crowded around the entrance. If I move it two feet or so, it will look cluttered and less "open" as I want to retain an inviting entrance into my home. I'll have to play around moving the couch farther in but I had intentions of getting a sectional like this one:

http://ashleyfurniture.com/Showroom/LargeProductImage.aspx?PageId=Showroom&SetDomTab=1&ItemNo=3535367

so it may affect the layout...This project has turned out bigger than i thought!

latinskllz

Alright, now I got my monitor 30's, pinpoint AM40 mounts. Now I need to call parts express to let them know they sent me the wrong in wall cabling. They sent me 14 awg CL3R when I wanted CL3...Anyone think it's going to be a big deal or should I just use this?

latinskllz

Sucks I don't have 100 posts so I can post my Cherry Monitor 40's for sale

nedh84

latinskllz wrote: »

Sucks I don't have 100 posts so I can post my Cherry Monitor 40's for sale

Better get posting

latinskllz

Working on it...I'll have to contribute more around here.

latinskllz

Well so much so saving a little money



Accidentally stepped on the drywall last night now it's pushed down and sagging. This is going to be expensive. I tried pushing up but it seems like it's getting stuck with the other drywall...

off to call the contractors...

JimKellyfan

I would consider moving to in wall speakers for the surrounds, based on space limitations.
They also have the surround bars as well, but if you like your current set up, I would just consider in wall for surround and surround rears.
I am not certain which in wall models would mesh well or image rather with the 70's and CS2, but am sure someone here on this forum would know better.
My 2 cents.

latinskllz

JimKellyfan wrote: »

I would consider moving to in wall speakers for the surrounds, based on space limitations.
They also have the surround bars as well, but if you like your current set up, I would just consider in wall for surround and surround rears.
I am not certain which in wall models would mesh well or image rather with the 70's and CS2, but am sure someone here on this forum would know better.
My 2 cents.

thanks for the suggestion JimKellyFan but I already have M70/CS2/M50/M30 for all of my speakers.

nedh84

Crap lol. At least you didn't puncture through. you tried doing a little bit of lifting and nailing into the stud? You can cover up the nails with a little bit of putty from your local hardware store. Make sure you get the right nails for dry wall though.

latinskllz

nedh84 wrote: »

Crap lol. At least you didn't puncture through. you tried doing a little bit of lifting and nailing into the stud? You can cover up the nails with a little bit of putty from your local hardware store. Make sure you get the right nails for dry wall though.

Tried that already, seems like the drywall edge is rubbing against the other drywall edge...I'll just have someone come out and fix it for $160 bucks...

cheddar

Yep, attic work is tough. Especially in the summer heat. You might want to think about any wires you want to run in-wall. Now's the chance for a new HDMI run for a projector, etc. Anything you think you might need in the future. Then get them to give you a package deal on the patch jobs. Since the drywall guys will already be there, it should be cheaper for a nice professional job.

doggie750

latinskllz wrote: »

Tried that already, seems like the drywall edge is rubbing against the other drywall edge...I'll just have someone come out and fix it for $160 bucks...

DIY: mount a adjacent 2x4 and nail the drywall. This should do the trick.:cool: