Help with less than optimal surround speaker placement

jwoodall

I'm about to setup a new 7.1 system in my new house. The home theater room is not dedicated so I am not able to place the surrounds in the optimal position (according to http://www.dolby.com/consumer/home_entertainment/roomlayout.html)

The room is 21 x 17 and 10 feet high.

I will be using 4 RC85i speakers for the surround / rear surrounds.

I can place the rear surrounds in the proper location, but I'm having difficulty choosing the spot for the side surrounds.

My house plan is here: http://houseplans.com/plan_details.asp?id=513&st=28

The HT will be in the great room. The surrounds will be on the wall by the kitchen.

The side surrounds have two mounting options:

Option 1: Over the exit door and on the staircase wall firing at each other.

Option 2: Over the window by the door and on the opposite wall by the sink.

The primary listening area will be in line with the foyer and looking at the fireplace wall (which is now a projection screen wall).

If I use option 1 it will put the speakers behind the listening area but almost against the back wall (still firing at each other)

If I use option 2 the surrounds will be in front of the listening area firing at each other.

I think it may be better to have the speakers behind the listening area, but I was concerned about them being so close to the back wall.

Any experts out there have any side surround suggestions?

If you have read this far, thanks for taking the time!

Joseph Woodall

okiepolkie

To me, option 1 looks to be the better solution. With proper calibration, you shouldn't have a problem with the speakers so close to the back wall. Many people don't even have as optimal of a setup as you do.

Since the RC85i's have a directional tweeter, you might point them a little towards you listening position, but not directly to it.

Overall, it looks like you are on your way to nice entertainment system. What else do you have planned for the house?

jwoodall

I am installing a 12 foot screen on the fireplace wall.

I'm having a cabinet built that will hold the screen, all of the a/v gear, center and sub and 2 RTi8s or 10s.

The other concern I had was that one of the mains will be very close to the wall on one side, but that's a limitation where I have no other choice. It will be only about 4 inches from the left wall. I hope that doesn't make it sound bad.

Thanks for the reply!

da5176

This is what I used to hang my surrounds from the ceiling to get them where I wanted them. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-1bM0bYjLkDG/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=15830&id=detailed_info&i=121BT34B Find a cieling joist and mount them to it. These hold up to 10lbs. They have another that holds up to 20lbs. My side surrounds hang over a window on one side and a doorway on the other. Without these mounts I would've had a horrible time with side speaker placements. I put mine right where I wanted them.

okiepolkie

Since your first reflection point will probably line up with one of the windows, it looks like the window treatment will help diffuse the sound and keep it more in line with the other channel. If the first ref pnt is not the window, then I'd suggest putting something there to help diffuse the sound.

You might get a slight hump in your bass/midbass due to having it placed in a corner, but again, calibration can help tremendously.

Setting the fronts to small, with a higher crossover point, and your sub placed well, will help this out as much as anything.

Overall, you won't know anything for sure, until it is all installed.

Frank Z

I'd suggest using 3 in-ceiling speakers and stick to a 6.1 system. You've got far to many obstacles in that room to overcome and have an effective 7.1 system.

Frank Z

Holy Crap! I killed this one all by myself!

jwoodall

hey Frank,

Thanks for the reply!

How would in-ceiling compare to in-wall for sound?

I have never used in-ceiling. I would be worried that the sound would fire down onto the primary listening position and not fill the room.

If I decide to use the RC80i round for the ceiling, can I still use the RC85i for in-wall? Can I just use the RC85i for the ceiling?

I apologize for being a newbie. I'm just really unsure what to use and only have one shot to get it right.

I might hook them up on the wall before the drywall goes up just to see how they sound!

Thanks,

Joseph Woodall

okiepolkie

Trying them without the drywall won't help you out a considerable amount. If you didn't already know, sound you actually hear is approximately 30% direct and 70% reflected, so the drywall will change your acoustics dramatically-therefore, not giving you a good sample of the sound.

Also, do you already have some of the speakers for your system? If so, then I believe you can use the in-wall versions in the ceiling without any problem.

If you are worried about the sound being pointed at the floor, remember two things:

1) The surround speakers are ambient sounds and it doesn't really matter if they point into the room. You just usually don't want to be able to pick out their location when listening to a movie.

2) The tweeters are aimable, to an extent, so you point them wherever you want.

Frank Z

No need to apologize for being new, we all had to start somewhere.
In ceiling vs. inwall...good question. The difference may be subtle or extreme depending on the room and configuration/calibration. Surround channels although discreet, should be seamless, meaning you should not be able to pick out exactly which speaker is generating the sound. All of the speakers (5,6, or 7.1) should blend together to create a seamless circular sound stage. Anything less is very distracting when watching a movie. Most novices want to really crank up the side and or rear channels when they first set up there speakers but quicjkly discover the sound is less than perfect.

Since you can temporarily mount your speakers, give it a whirl. Keep in minfd that the acoustic properties of the room will change alot when the sheetrock goes up. I also suggest you invest in an SPL Meter and calibrate the system everytime you reposition the speakers. Linky >>>

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> http://www.audiophilia.com/hardware/spl.htm

jwoodall

I have one pair of RC85i so that the builder knows what I need for installation.

I'm going to get a set of RTI8 or 10 and a CSi5 and a velodyne sub