Hello,
My first post here so please be gentle :shifty:
Having already spent countless hours over the last week searching various topics and just ending up with even more questions than answers I thought I would join the community and ask for some help and advice.
Earlier this year we bought our first home and knowing this is where we will likely stay for a good number of years ahead I wanted to finally set about a reasonable home cinema install.
My current setup is as follows:
Onkyo SR606
Tannoy Arena lite 5.1 speaker setup
PS3 for blu ray
Apple TV 3
Epson EH TW5900
The room setup and measurements are as follows:
Layout should be fairly explanatory - the black is the sofa, the red arrows are the direction of speakers/locations.
My key questions are as follows:
1. Whilst I'm still working on wiring and before I repaint the ceiling etc. I am considering adding rear ceiling speakers for 7.1 capability (the yellow dots above). As you can see I have a pretty reasonable amount of space behind the listening/viewing area (seated listening position is 3.2m back from screen with a further 3m then behind you) so I'm assuming that this is a fairly worthwhile investment? Could anyone recommend a reasonable set of speakers for this purpose that would 'match' with the Arena Lites? Not bothered about them being Tannoy, just keen to understand what sort of power, frequency etc. would be fit for purpose. I've been looking at some options with directional tweeters like Polk RC60i's but genuinely have no idea if this is suitable for my system. Also given the measurements of the room and the seating location, roughly how far behind our head should they be mounted?
2. I also need to upgrade my amplifier for a number of reasons, not least because I need at least 2 more HDMI inputs, preferably an additional HDMI out for the projector. I've been looking at some good deals on some of the slightly newer/better Onkyo range, until the 818 caught my eye. In particular the enhanced calibration ability, which a friend of mine absolutely swears by. Will this amp still be ok with the Arena Lites as I really don't want to be upgrading speakers at this point in time, and with the overall size of the room plus downstairs neighbours I don't really think I need more volume - I'm just seeking better connectivity and general fidelity.
3. Sub placement in the room is tricky, for various reasons. I currently have my TV wall mounted (the red line to the right of the image) with the sub immediately below with the centre speaker placed on top of the sub. I spent a lot of time online looking at different setups when trying to find a compromise for this and noticed a lot of people seem to have this setup, although that doesn't necessarily make it good! Is this a definite no-no or can I get away with it? The sub doesn't get turned up too much due to downstairs neighbours.
4. Finally without wanting to outstay my welcome in my 1st post, I've been unable to get my rear L/R speakers as high as they need to be to be 'optimal'. They are only just above ear level which means I find them sometimes a little overpowering versus the front LR. I read somewhere that you can help this by angling them upwards? I guess this is probably something I should experiment with, but in general are we talking angling them slightly, or a lot (i.e. effectively bouncing them off the ceiling somewhere above your head)?
Many thanks in advance.
Ed
My first post here so please be gentle :shifty:
Having already spent countless hours over the last week searching various topics and just ending up with even more questions than answers I thought I would join the community and ask for some help and advice.
Earlier this year we bought our first home and knowing this is where we will likely stay for a good number of years ahead I wanted to finally set about a reasonable home cinema install.
My current setup is as follows:
Onkyo SR606
Tannoy Arena lite 5.1 speaker setup
PS3 for blu ray
Apple TV 3
Epson EH TW5900
The room setup and measurements are as follows:
Layout should be fairly explanatory - the black is the sofa, the red arrows are the direction of speakers/locations.
My key questions are as follows:
1. Whilst I'm still working on wiring and before I repaint the ceiling etc. I am considering adding rear ceiling speakers for 7.1 capability (the yellow dots above). As you can see I have a pretty reasonable amount of space behind the listening/viewing area (seated listening position is 3.2m back from screen with a further 3m then behind you) so I'm assuming that this is a fairly worthwhile investment? Could anyone recommend a reasonable set of speakers for this purpose that would 'match' with the Arena Lites? Not bothered about them being Tannoy, just keen to understand what sort of power, frequency etc. would be fit for purpose. I've been looking at some options with directional tweeters like Polk RC60i's but genuinely have no idea if this is suitable for my system. Also given the measurements of the room and the seating location, roughly how far behind our head should they be mounted?
2. I also need to upgrade my amplifier for a number of reasons, not least because I need at least 2 more HDMI inputs, preferably an additional HDMI out for the projector. I've been looking at some good deals on some of the slightly newer/better Onkyo range, until the 818 caught my eye. In particular the enhanced calibration ability, which a friend of mine absolutely swears by. Will this amp still be ok with the Arena Lites as I really don't want to be upgrading speakers at this point in time, and with the overall size of the room plus downstairs neighbours I don't really think I need more volume - I'm just seeking better connectivity and general fidelity.
3. Sub placement in the room is tricky, for various reasons. I currently have my TV wall mounted (the red line to the right of the image) with the sub immediately below with the centre speaker placed on top of the sub. I spent a lot of time online looking at different setups when trying to find a compromise for this and noticed a lot of people seem to have this setup, although that doesn't necessarily make it good! Is this a definite no-no or can I get away with it? The sub doesn't get turned up too much due to downstairs neighbours.
4. Finally without wanting to outstay my welcome in my 1st post, I've been unable to get my rear L/R speakers as high as they need to be to be 'optimal'. They are only just above ear level which means I find them sometimes a little overpowering versus the front LR. I read somewhere that you can help this by angling them upwards? I guess this is probably something I should experiment with, but in general are we talking angling them slightly, or a lot (i.e. effectively bouncing them off the ceiling somewhere above your head)?
Many thanks in advance.
Ed
) I think experiment with the sub - it may work in the bay or along the side. Its not huge I guess so beneath the centre would probably be fine. Experiment as Google suggests maybe. Others will confirm or not that 7-1 will gain little. Good luck - I think the room stands a chance to sound quite well.
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