Bought it - now how do you set it up?

[admin_exported]

After buying the mag for 6 months we have finally taken reciept of our new appartment in Stockholm, Sweden and was finaly ready to kit our for home cinema. Having read eagerly and formed opinions I have just splashed the cash and took on board your recommendations from pages 44 and 45 of the May 2008 mag. Have bought Pioneer PDP -LX508D, Onkyo's TX NR 905, Panasonic BDP 30 and KEF's latest style eggs and a Vogels wall mount. The lounge room is 54 sqm (8x6.75). Questions: 1. How high up the wall should i mount the plasma? 2. I requested the gyprock wall to be strengthened specifically for holding a tv which they have done but do you think its better not to wall mount? 3.Are the KEF eggs best mounted up high on the wall or placed on the ceiling or should i get stands and have them at ear height (front and rear)? Also in relation to this I have a concrete ceiling, timber floors (that i dont wish to lift) and concrete and glass walls intermixed so floor stands could be a problem 4. Where is the KEF sub best positioned - to the front in the open or is performance hindered if we hide it at the rear. 5. When it comes to equipment racks - we want to put in some designer furniture at the front of the room like the Volani wall system (http://www.boconcept.co.uk/Wall_systems-74971.aspx) - the equipment racks in your mag dont look the best. Do they really enhance performance? If so are there any that look .... well a bit better?

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="broke"]1. How high up the wall should i mount the plasma? [/quote]

Ideally, so that the centre of the screen is at or just above eye-level when you're seated in your usual viewing position.

[quote user="broke"]2. I requested the gyprock wall to be strengthened specifically for
holding a tv which they have done but do you think its better not to
wall mount?[/quote]

Providing the wall really is strong enough - ie with some good solid studs behind the points where the mount bracket fixings need to be attached - wall-mounting will be fine.

[quote user="broke"]3.Are the KEF eggs best mounted up high on the wall or
placed on the ceiling or should i get stands and have them at ear
height (front and rear)?[/quote]

They're best at ear-level, either on stands or wall-mounted. The rears can be a bit higher, angled down.

[quote user="broke"]4. Where is
the KEF sub best positioned - to the front in the open or is
performance hindered if we hide it at the rear.[/quote]

Given the fact that the sub runs to relatively high frequencies - due to the reduced bass extension of the little 'eggs' -, its contribution to the sound can be rather obvious, or at least more so than that of a sub only delivering very very low bass. For that reason it's best at the front of the room, lest all the bass appears to be coming from behind you.

[quote user="broke"]5. When it comes to
equipment racks - we want to put in some designer furniture at the
front of the room like the Volani wall system (http://www.boconcept.co.uk/Wall_systems-74971.aspx) -
the equipment racks in your mag dont look the best. Do they really
enhance performance? If so are there any that look .... well a bit
better?[/quote]

Yes, something like that storage system you suggest will be fine, provided there's enough space for the receiver to fit in with plenty of space around it for the air to circulate.