Home Theatre Speaker Choices

AgesBull

Hey Everyone,
I was speaking with a Polk Audio Dealer and they recommended me to this forum for some advice.
I am looking for advice on speakers for this space.

What I do know is:
1. I will have either an 86" or 98" display
2. I am looking for a 5.2 or 7.2 build if its even possible in this space.
3. I've ran 16/2 wiring for 7.2 channels
4. The room is dedicated to a home theatre / gaming room (3/4" sonopan on all surfaces except for the floor which will have carpet, 1/2" drywall, 5/8" all sandwiched together. The ceiling will have isolation clips with resilient channeling with the same materials as the walls.

What I don't know is:
1. If I should go in wall speakers, bookshelf or wall hung speakers
2. Is my cabling good enough
3. Should I go in direct with the cable or use some sort of wall plate that can be hidden behind a speaker if I go wall mounted speakers.
4. What type of speaker setup I can get away with
5. What I don't know.

Your support is appreciated.

stangman67

I’ll answer a bit here.

IMO in walls are always visually more appealing if you make it work with with the layout. Based on what I can see, you can make it happen. My only question, on that rear wall with the opening is there room on either side for each back surround channel? Ideally your surrounds are in line with your ears on the side wall and your rear surrounds are on that back wall facing the screen, where do you plan on putting your seating?

16/2 will probably be fine. What are you planning on using for amplication?

Answer the in wall vs on wall question and then make decisions from there.

If you want to go Polk I’d go with 265LS for the left/right and 255LS for the center. Then based on your budget the surrounds can be 265LS or you can go with cheaper speakers as matching isn’t as important for surrounds.

Full disclosure this place probably isn’t the best for HT type stuff, we can help but there are other forum more well suited for HT based applications

AgesBull

The Rear wall (lets call it south) does not have an opening. The North, South, and East walls are exterior walls.
The only wall that has a room next to it, is the West Wall. I would place my rack in a room next to the West wall.
Regarding amplification, no, I have not decided at all. Do you have a recommendation for a 5x2 or 7x2 surround sound system?

If I went with inwall, I would need speakers that fit between a 2x4 stud walls. I am open to onwall options if you have another suggestion.

I figure the speakers will sit at around 45" aff in order to hit my ear.
Attached is what I have for a speaker layout if it even worked for onwall. I also made the room a rectangle just to try to figure out where I would even put them.

What forum were you thinking to reach out to about this project of mine?

PSOVLSK

I can’t really help with your questions, but I’ll offer some unsolicited advice: get a good subwoofer. That’s the one piece of gear I added/upgraded that took my HT to another level.

Looks like you’re going to have an awesome room.

Emlyn

#1...what's your budget for everything for the AV gear and speakers?

#2...are you looking for in-wall speakers for a clean appearance in the room or are you looking for traditional floorstanding and bookshelf speakers that sit in the room, or a mixture of both?

mantis

Lets start with the wire.
16 gauge wire is fine put to about 50 ft with easy to drive 8 ohm load speakers. After that, your gonna want 14 gauge for harder to drive 6-8 ohm load speakers and 4 ohms at those lengths, your gonna want 12 gauge speaker wire.

If you already ran 16 gauge , then your gonna want to stick with Easy to drive speakers. If you have the ability to replace it with 14 gauge, then you have flexibility into the future. Speaker wire is very cheap so some good quality CL3 wire will work great.

Wall please are fine for in room speakers but actually I prefer pass through plates so the wire is directly connected to the amp to the speaker. I don't like the binding post in the middle of the wire run. Again that's just a stupid hang up I have from being an audiophile and paying attention to things that actually don't really make any difference.

Speaker wise , all choices are fine. In-walls are nice as they go inside the wall and don't cause any issues with interior space. They can sound very good if done properly, with back boxes in wall insulation etc. I've done hundreds of Theaters with In-wall speakers and they usually impress. On wall speakers can sound better as they have actual tuned cabinets for the drivers the manufacture selected.

Getting away with what you can tells me your not overly concerned with absolute quality, sound pressure or reference level coverage so whatever you can afford , that's what you can get away with.

Reading your post,I think you should get a nice affordable set of in wall speakers all the way around and call it a day. Make sure they are 8 ohm load and at least 88 db or higher sensitive and your experience with 16 gauge wire will be just fine.

WLDock

AgesBull wrote: »

If I went with inwall, I would need speakers that fit between a 2x4 stud walls. I am open to onwall options if you have another suggestion.

As others have asked, whats your budget? A 7.2 system can start to add up. Also, is ATMOS, 7.2.4 a consideration? Polk has several stand mount and clean in-wall options. However, there might be some cheaper high performing In-wall, on-wall and subwoofer options from other companies like RSL Speaker Systems, HSU Research, etc. Both are internet direct, have a long history of great engineering, and offer value.

https://rslspeakers.com/
https://www.avsforum.com/threads/rsl-cg5-cg25-speedwoofer-10s-review.3075208/



https://www.hsuresearch.com/index.html

AgesBull

Hey Everyone,
I ended up going with In-wall which from reviews, sound just as good as on-wall.
here's the plan and list of components:


Left Polk 265-LS
Right Polk 265-LS
Center Polk 255C-LS
Left Center Surround Polk 65RT
Right Center Surround Polk 65RT
Left Rear Surround Polk 65RT
Right Rear Surround Polk 65RT
Left Ceiling Atmos Polk 70-RT
Right Ceiling Atmos Polk 70-RT
Sub (12") Polk HTS12

7.1.2

I think I will be using an Onkyo TX-RZ50 - but I am still looking into it.

gp4jesus

I’m w/Mantis at a higher level: 12 ga for all channels

PSOVLSK wrote: »

I can’t really help with your [speaker] questions, but I’ll offer some unsolicited advice: get a good subwoofer*. That’s the one piece of gear I added/upgraded that took my HT to another level.

*”if you’re gonna play, plan to pay.”
I’m not super familiar w/the Polk HTS-12 performance track record. If you’re heavy into action/adventure films, reconsider.

Friendly suggestion: your initial** sub budget should near-equal your speaker expenditure - 5 or 7 channels. You will find almost as many answers to the “What to buy?” question as there are people. The space you’re “filling” and your programme tastes will dictate the best choice.
**put in your phase 2 purchase a second of the same make and model sub.

Final note: At minimum*, make sure your AVR has pre-outs for separate amps, to power your LCR*. 5 is better. All channels is best.

rooftop59

@AgesBull the in walls look great, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! But don’t buy a Polk sub. SVS, HSU, or Monoprice monoliths and the go to for HT subs.

And yes, be sure your avr has good room calibration (audyssey xt-32 or Dirac live) and preouts. Those in walls will sound better with better amplification…

gp4jesus

Consider Stark Sound’s subs in your research

https://www.audioholics.com/subwoofer-reviews/starke-sound-sw15-and-sw12

I agree they’re not well known but don’t rule them out

AgesBull

gp4jesus wrote: »

I’m w/Mantis at a higher level: 12 ga for all channels

PSOVLSK wrote: »

I can’t really help with your [speaker] questions, but I’ll offer some unsolicited advice: get a good subwoofer*. That’s the one piece of gear I added/upgraded that took my HT to another level.

*”if you’re gonna play, plan to pay.”
I’m not super familiar w/the Polk HTS-12 performance track record. If you’re heavy into action/adventure films, reconsider.

Friendly suggestion: your initial** sub budget should near-equal your speaker expenditure - 5 or 7 channels. You will find almost as many answers to the “What to buy?” question as there are people. The space you’re “filling” and your programme tastes will dictate the best choice.
**put in your phase 2 purchase a second of the same make and model sub.

Final note: At minimum*, make sure your AVR has pre-outs for separate amps, to power your LCR*. 5 is better. All channels is best.

I am going to buy 2x Polk HTS12's. For now, I don't need to spend that kind of money on 1 or 2 subs, but I appreciate the suggestion.

AgesBull

rooftop59 wrote: »

@AgesBull the in walls look great, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! But don’t buy a Polk sub. SVS, HSU, or Monoprice monoliths and the go to for HT subs.

And yes, be sure your avr has good room calibration (audyssey xt-32 or Dirac live) and preouts. Those in walls will sound better with better amplification…

Sorry, I do not understand those abbreviations. May you explain what SVS, HSY and HT mean please?
Thank you

rooftop59

@AgesBull

HT = home theater. Polk doesn’t make good subs for anything, but definitely not for movies. No Polk subs go below 25hz (and most not below 30-35 hz), and they have limited output below 50hz, where most HT output lies…

SVS and HSU are brands of subwoofers that you can easily find online.

AgesBull

rooftop59 wrote: »

@AgesBull

HT = home theater. Polk doesn’t make good subs for anything, but definitely not for movies. No Polk subs go below 25hz (and most not below 30-35 hz), and they have limited output below 50hz, where most HT output lies…

SVS and HSU are brands of subwoofers that you can easily find online.

Forgive my ignorance here, I am still learning. Here are the spec's for the HTS12. What line below am I exactly looking for?

SUBWOOFER
Total Pieces 1
Height 18.5" (46.99 cm)
Width 17.126" (43.5 cm)
Depth 18.11" (46 cm)
Weight 49.9 lbs (22.63 kg)
Subwoofer Array Driver Enclosure Type Power Port Bass Vented
Subwoofer Array Driver Complement •(1) 12" (30.48 cm) d (Round) Polypropylene Dynamic Balance and Klippel optimized driver - Subwoofer
Peak Power 400 Watts
Continuous Power 200 Watts
Amplifier Class Class D
Total Frequency Response 22 Hz → .180 Hz
Nominal Impedance 8 ohms
Lower and Upper -3dB Limits 28 Hz → .120 Hz
IO Button Location Back Panel
Adjusts •Volume +/-
•Low Pass Filter (40Hz-160Hz)
•Phase (0/180°)
•Power: Auto on/off
•Power: DC control (12V trigger)
Audio Inputs •LFE (Unfiltered)
•Stereo Line Level - (2) RCA
US Power Cycle Energy Star Compliant with Auto Standby (.5W)

txcoastal1

But the SVS 12" PB2000 Pro-Freq. Response |
16Hz to 290Hz +/-3dB VS
Polk -3dB Limits 28 Hz → .120 Hz

I'd rather have 1-SVS PB-2000 than 2-HTS12's

https://www.svsound.com/collections/2000-pro-series

AgesBull

txcoastal1 wrote: »

But the SVS 12" PB2000 Pro-Freq. Response |
16Hz to 290Hz +/-3dB VS
Polk -3dB Limits 28 Hz → .120 Hz

I'd rather have 1-SVS PB-2000 than 2-HTS12's

https://www.svsound.com/collections/2000-pro-series

after reading more about subwoofers, I am now looking at an alternative sub. Thank you for the education!

rooftop59

AgesBull wrote: »

txcoastal1 wrote: »

But the SVS 12" PB2000 Pro-Freq. Response |
16Hz to 290Hz +/-3dB VS
Polk -3dB Limits 28 Hz → .120 Hz

I'd rather have 1-SVS PB-2000 than 2-HTS12's

https://www.svsound.com/collections/2000-pro-series

after reading more about subwoofers, I am now looking at an alternative sub. Thank you for the education!

Yep Ron is correct. Even though 2 subs are better than one in most setups, one good sub is always better than two mediocre ones…

That SVS is going to have significantly more output (volume) and extension (i.e., it will reach a much lower range), much more so than even two of the polks…

Emlyn

The Polk DSW Pro 600 I had was very good at its heavily discounted price of less than $300.

Their current designs are intended to match up sufficiently in performance and cosmetics with the Signature Elite lineup and not anything above that.

I don't think they're still making the DSW Pro 660 but even if they were $700 could buy a better model from a specialist subwoofer company.

AgesBull

Gents,
What are your thoughts on the Klipsch RP-1200SW, RP-1400SW and the RP-1600SW?

Thank you,

txcoastal1

I have no response about Klipsch, but if you want to up your budget get a single one of these

PB-4000 - Piano Gloss - Outlet
https://www.svsound.com/products/pb-4000-piano-gloss-outlet

I have a pair which is way over kill in my home theater

Emlyn

AgesBull wrote: »

Gents,
What are your thoughts on the Klipsch RP-1200SW, RP-1400SW and the RP-1600SW?

Thank you,

They're a new product line so there's not all that much info on real world use yet. They certainly look impressive. Check out the size of the cabinets though. They're huge.

rooftop59

AgesBull wrote: »

Gents,
What are your thoughts on the Klipsch RP-1200SW, RP-1400SW and the RP-1600SW?

Thank you,

You’ll do better with one of the internet direct companies listed above.

This is what I paid for my Monoprice monolith 15 inch sub:

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38203

It’s an incredible sub for home theater. The only thing you are not going to hear/feel is the very rare times with content goes into the single digits hertz range. They also have the 12 inch version open box for under $700. Much cheaper than SVS, and several professional reviews compare them with SVS and the performance is essentially the same. But check the size - they are huge!

skipshot12

If coinage isn’t an issue the Paradigm Sub 2 is a ****….

AgesBull

Based on everones experience, it went from a $490 sub to now a $1600 sub. So that is the top end of my budget in all honesty.

Are we allowed sharing pricing in this forum? I was able to secure cost on Klipsch and Onkyo up in Canada if anyone is interested. I am happy to share the pricing / flow through me to get product.