Below is our new master bedroom/theater room. I already have a pair of 6T's for the main front speakers (#2 locations in yellow)

I plan on purchasing the 5DB for surrounds (#3 locations) Note, these speakers are actually behind the theater chairs, because of where the door on the left had to be installed. No option there.

This room is 15' wide x 18' long. Now for the questions:

One of my pet peeves is how often I don't catch what an actor is saying during a movie or how unclear some vocals can be from singers. Will the 5C speaker be good enough to take care of this issue in this room or am I better off just getting the 6C speaker from the start? 

I have counted all my funds and am now leaning towards the Onkyo 876 receiver, in part because of the DACs it has and the abundance of video features. Overkill or a good choice? (only listen to loud music when the wife is away)

Where in this room should I place the subwoofer (Outlaw LFM-1 Plus)...between the #1 & a #2 spot?

Another question: Am I losing anything important by setting this up for 5.1 surround? Probably can't swing the rear bookshelf speakers anytime soon.

Last question (for now) I do have an old pair of Bose bookshelf speakers, but they are only rated for 10-60Watts. Is it a bad idea to try using them with the rest of the Aperion/Onkyo set up listed here to obtain 7.1 surround?

Thank you for your time, consideration and any suggestions. Will have pics of the actual room soon. It has been painted and is awaiting carpet. Rob

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Cederstrand

Hey Cederstrand,

It looks to me like you are around nine feet from the screen and at that distance most folks find that the 5C does a great job.  Of course the 6C is a ton more speaker, but I honestly think the 5C will be more than adequate for your situation.

Well power-wise you may not need the 876, but the Burr Brown DACs are indeed high quality and the Reon video processor is excellent as well, so if you can swing it budget wise I do think those two features alone would make it worth the upgrade over the 806. 

From your drawing it doesn't look like there is much space between the TV and your fronts, so in order to give the 6Ts as much space to the side as possible, I would probably put the sub outside of the fronts, maybe below the curtains or toward the front corners of the room.

Right now you aren't missing out on a ton with 5.1 since there still aren't that many true 7.1 sources out there, but this will be changing in the future, I would imagine in the next few years.  Also if you do go with the 876 it does have the Neural THX 7.1 setting that will create sixth and seventh channels from a 5.1 source and I've played around with it and it does do a pretty good job.  

If you have extra wire you might as well just hook up the Bose for fun and get them some height on a temporary stand of your choosing and see if they are of any benefit.  I think the 5DBs will probably overwhelm them, but you can always try it out. 

I hope that helps but let me know if you have any other questions, thanks!
 

 

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

Thanks Jason.

[From your drawing it doesn't look like there is much space between the TV and your fronts, so in order to give the 6Ts as much space to the side as possible, I would probably put the sub outside of the fronts, maybe below the curtains or toward the front corners of the room.]

***The curtains cover open doorways (no doors) that lead into an enclosed sun room/porch. My options for the 6T's are either at the  #2 (red) spots or the (light brown) #2 locations. Would placing them in the outermost locations require pointing them inwards towards the chairs? Would having them up against the corners of the room detract in anyway (from a "sound" standpoint)? There should be room to have the sub next to the towers, IF that is the ideal location? Note: there is not enough room in the front corners for the sub, as the box will stick out too far into the open doorway.

I will likely be building my own TV/component stand (probably more like open shelves), so I can build over/around/etc the subwoofer cabinet if need be. Is it best to have the sub towards the center third of the front wall?  

On the 5DB's, considering we are sitting down in theater seats, what height should they be at? (will make stands for them to match the room)

Thanks! Rob

 

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Cederstrand

Aha, so nothing can go in front of the curtains, gotcha. 

I would only put the 6Ts in the outer position if you can still give them at least a foot from the side walls as having them too close to a wall will not give you the best sound and yes you will most likely have to toe them in a bit if you go with that position.  

In terms of the sub the closer it gets to the corners the boomer it will get, but you won't have that problem if you place it anywhere between the two sets of curtains as it's really only an issue when the sub is less than 1-2 feet away from side walls.

I am not a fan of putting subs inside of cabinets, really they are meant to be free standing with nothing enclosing them so if you don't have to put it in a cabinet I wouldn't.  If you can't get it anywhere on the front wall, I would think about putting it along one of the side walls and if you do that 1/3 of the total room distance from the front wall is what usually works best. 

For the DBs their ideal height is 5-7 feet so as close as you can get them to five feet will give you the best surround effect.
 
 

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

(pardon the poor job with photo-merge)

Here are the detailed measurments. note the shorter dimension on the far right wall. How that happened is beyond me, but it is only 12 1/2". If toed-in, is that enough space from the wall for a 6T or not? If not, then I suppose they remain just inside the edges of the open door frames? Thanks again for the help. Rob ps: wish I could have tlaked wife into a dark ceiling, but I figure getting the speakers I want is asking enough.

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Cederstrand

In the middle will be most likely better, you don't want to put 6Ts in the corner like that even with them toed I don't think they will sound very clear. 

But room effects can be unpredictable, if I were you I would experiment with both positions and see which sounds the best from where you will be sitting.

 

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

Do subwoofers perform better in the open, like set out as a coffee table? Right now it will sit a few inches of one 6T & the wall directly behind it. I can make the stand for the AVR, etc more "open" or free of any enclosed sides, if it will help with the sub output. (see sketch below)

What if I placed the sub in the back of the room in place of a night table? I could use one of the wires I ran for future 7.1 sound. Then, I "might" be able to swing buying one 5 speaker to have 6.1 surround. Any thoughts? 

oops, forgot center speaker shelf-extension in sketch.

An entirely different question: I used "white" in-wall #12 speaker wire. Now that the room is painted, I want to use all the wires as strait runs to the receiver, rather than cutting them and using plates & connectors. Any idea if there is long-lasting tape that can be used to wrap/bundle all the wires together with?

Thanks! Rob

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Cederstrand

The outlaw you have is a downfiring sub so it doesn't need a whole lot of space, it should be fine on that wall.

Honestly, I'm a little more concerned with the 6Ts, some of the sound does wrap around the sides of the speaker and it will sound better if they have some space to the sides, but with so many door ways in your room it doesn't really look like you have many other options.

I think your best bet would be to experiment with the towers in both positions you initially mentioned, see which sounds best and go with the sub on the front wall.

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

Thanks, Jason.

I will be ordering the 5DB's & center channel this week. Looking forward to giving them a try.

A friend pointed out to me that I forgot the center channel speaker on that sketch. Also, I show everything pushed against the wall, when they should be on the same plane, all lined up in front. Anyway, I'll do as you suggest and try them in the different locations once we're moved in. 

Tile is being laid in the adjacent rooms this week, then comes the carpet, and before much longer the new room should be completed.

Cheers! Rob 

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Cederstrand

Sounds good Rob.  Let us know how it works out, maybe even post some pictures of the finished product if you have time and let me know if you have any other questions.  Thanks!

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru