Newbie needs speaker advice

Mhanis

I am putting surround sound in a new home we are building. I'll be using a Yamaha RX-V657 (95W x 7). I'll need to use only in the wall/ceiling speakers. They will be used for both TV/movies and music; this is NOT a media room, just a family multi-purpose room. I will be using 5.1 not 7.1 due to not having space for the additional speakers because of room configuration. I plan on rectangular speakers in the wall for the front, round ceiling speakers for the rear. I will need a center speaker as well as a subwoofer. The subwoofer will have to wait until we are in the house as it is going to be hidden under some furniture that is currently in storage.
Because this is not a dedicated media room and the limitations of the wall/ceiling in mount speakers I am not interested in spending top dollar. The Polk "build a system" will make a recomendation; should I follow that or does anyone else out there have better ideas?
Thanks a lot for any help!
Mark

SCompRacer

Welcome to the forum Mhanis.

I wouldn't put a speaker in-wall or in a room without listening to it first, so if you can find some stores to audition them first do so. In-walls have come a long way in quality and price.

An important concern for any receiver or amp is it's ability to drive the speaker you connect to it. 4 Ohm speakers require more current to drive, and most receivers are rated for 8 Ohm speakers. The Polk RC or TC line of speakers are 8 Ohm and less expensive than the LC line that are 4 Ohm and cost more.

You can use three RC/TC65i in-walls for your center and R/L front. I started out with single driver R & L fronts, but upgraded to dual driver (265i) to improve the sound quality in movies/two channel stereo.

If your walls are not covered yet, build volume enclosures for the speakers to help them sound their best. Polk had this info in the manual for the LC speakers, while some manufacturers do not and would require a phone call to find out. Basically, you create a dedicated space for the speakers by securing framing x inches apart depending on the thickness and center to center spacing of the wall studs/ceiling rafters.

Is the builder running the wire for the speakers? They should know that building code requires the use of an approved in-wall wire, usually CL2 at least. I would use 14 gauge wire in the event of future speaker upgrades.

You can also run RG6 to a wall jack for a sub-woofer. It keeps another wire off the floor. RG6 would terminate with an F-Type wall jack, so a couple of inexpensive female RCA to F-Type adapters would be required along with some short RCA interconnect cables.

aaharvel

Originally posted by SCompRacer
I wouldn't put a speaker in-wall or in a room without listening to it first

you hit the mark on that one.

Mhanis

I am curious about going to a showroom and listening to different speakers; are the not going to sound completely different when I install them in my house? The entire enviorment is COMPLETELY different between a controlled showroom and a lived in house. Am I going to listen to speakers that I think will sound good in my house, or do I go and find speakers that I like in the showroom and just put them in?

SCompRacer

First off, I'm no audiophile so if I screw this up, someone will jump in here and straighten me out.

Yes, room acoustics can affect sound, but it won't change the qualities of the sound designed into the speaker you prefer to listen to (bright, neutral, warm) in the store environment. This thread had a great explanation about small speakers in a large room.

I was busy working a job and finishing a 40' x 14' living area in my home. I didn't know this forum existed at the time I was shopping for speakers, so I did some brief on line reading and decided I just had to have a pair of SpeakerCraft in-walls. I have an audiophile friend and he suggested that I listen to them first.

So I took a day and we drove around to stores that had in-walls to listen to in my price range. I listened to several brands and decided I liked the Polk LC series best, which blew the budget all to hell. They have the same qualities in my home as they did in the store. I was unhappy with two channel stereo sound though (using a pair of single driver speakers with a sub for a 14' x 22' room), so I took advantage of Tweeter's upgrade deal, traded them in and got the dual driver LC265i's for my R & L front.

So I still say audition first.