Home Cinema with remotely located AV amp

[md.harvey]

Hi

I'm setting out a new room for home cinema but am abit behind the times so have a few questions.

I'd like to locate the new AV amp either in another room or away from the TV (which is gonig to be wall mounted) - what are the current options for enabling me to control this (ideally I'd like to be able to use air play as well)?

Are the front and rear speakers ok to be positioned up near the ceiling?

What speaker cable should I use - prices vary wildly and I've seen some reasonably priced made by Labgear but how do I know if it's ok?

Thanks

Mark

 

[John Duncan]

A lot of the new receivers have Android and iPhone apps which mean you can control them remotely, so I don't think that'll be a problem. Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer (OTTOMH) all offer models that can do that, as well as having Airplay funcitonality.

So, that sorted, I'd be more concerned with how I was going to connect it all up - are you going to have long runs of HDMI chased through the walls between receiver and TV? If so, proceed with caution as HDMI generally has a limit of 10m or so before you need to think about special cable or active relays.

As for speaker cable, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Are you having that chased into the walls as well or does it need to be hidden somehow? This may dictate your choices.

Ideal positioning for speakers is that the front left and right should be either side of the television, rather than up by the ceiling. Rears should be a couple of feet above your listening position. However, I've seen systems where everything is in the ceiling and it doesn't sound that weird despite my preference for the centre being as close to the screen as possible, so this is just a guide. Have you got kit already or are you looking to buy?

 

[md.harvey]

I've got an old Sony amp and monitor audio radius setup at the moment. i'm definitely lookin at a new amp (the new sony one) and maybe a new speaker setup too (either to put the radius in the new room which is bigger or to put the new setup in the new room).

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Suggest you give more details as JD says. Surely the hdmi leads, distances and sizes involved, budget etc. And, dare I say, piccys, piccys, piccys !

 

[jakesterboy]

Here is an example of a remote TV and AV receiver/ blu-ray custom installation with in wall speakers - might be a source of ideas for your setup?

 

[md.harvey]

Hi I'll try and post some pics later, but in the mean time:

the area is aprox 3.5 x 7m and is part of an L shaped room which is a kitchen dining living room

i can locate the amp etc upstairs in the room above (max hdmi run approx 4m) or in a kitchen cabinet (HDMi run approx 3m) although the latter risks annoying the wife.

speakers can be wall or ceiling mounted but I don't have the options to build a dedicated stud wall for the tv install

The house will have a CAT5E network and hopefully a NAS drive.

And budget - dare I say £1000 ish

Mark

 

[skippy]

I've got an old Sony amp and monitor audio radius setup at the moment. i'm definitely lookin at a new amp (the new sony one) and maybe a new speaker setup too (either to put the radius in the new room which is bigger or to put the new setup in the new room).

Just bought the Sony 1040 and it's spot on. I've hardwired it to the home network and it works with my NAS via the Sony network app, this allows you to use the amp without the TV on.

Fair enough, the in-walls aren't the best in HiFi, but do a good enough job in 2ch pure direct.

 

[md.harvey]

Hi

Does anyone know if I can upload pics from the ipad

thanks

 

[md.harvey]

The images aren't great. The TV will be going where the shelf is leaning against the wall. The room is L shaped but the end of the L with the dehumidifier I will be taken up by the kitchen.

 

[The_Lhc]

The images aren't great. The TV will be going where the shelf is leaning against the wall. The room is L shaped but the end of the L with the dehumidifier I will be taken up by the kitchen.

No, you can't upload images from anywhere, you have to host them on a website such as flickr and link to the image from there (use the little tree icon at the top of the Comment box).

 

[md.harvey]

Do you know if it'spossible to do it from Dropbox? I couldn't get it to work.

 

[The_Lhc]

No idea, I've never used Dropbox.

 

[dennislindridge]

re the drop box bit. drop box is just fine - you can up;load pics and invite anyone to view them there, simply make a folder public and then supply anyone with the address
Best regards
dennis@electricink.co.uk