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Model Floor Plan
The above link references the new home I am buying. I have a room that is approximately 20' x 20' with vaulted cielings. In 3 months it should be built and I want to have a happy home for my Axioms.

I am considering a custom cabinet to blend my fronts, center and sub into the room - is this too many speakers for a media cabinet. I am also toying with the possibility of 2 subs for added LFE...
Utilizing the space how would you place the m60's, vp150, ep350, and the QS8's? I am planning on getting a 55-60" DLP monitor for the niche too!

I am open to all suggestions

Thanks for the help

-Steve

Steve:
It's frequently not a good idea to enclose speakers within a cabinet, assuming that's what you meant.

Personally, I think I would just have them leave that 10' space completely open or maybe just leave that top shelf (the one with the two smaller alcove areas) depending upon whether the height of that shelf would be sufficient to fit a wide selection of TVs under it. Then, you can simply put your DLP within there with an M60 to either side, and, (skipping the alcove portioning), put the Center on the shelf. Can they can put a shelf in that area that's basically a continuation of the FP mantle to give a more custom look? Again, check the height.

With the fireplace located where it is, I think you are somewhat forced to using that location and only a portion of the room…i.e., a couch will likely be slid further towards the wall that has the door to be straight in front of the DLP. Unfortunately, it does not give you a huge spread between the 60s… furthering that you might want a more "intimate" part of the room to be dedicated to the theater. Consider "heavyish" drapes for the left wall (as you face the TV) to both darken the room and cancel some reflections from the window that you're likely to get from left speaker. You may want to extend that drape to be pulled over the wall where the floor lamp is shown to avoid reflections from that as well. If the right M60 is then brought out past the "lip" of the fireplace, I think you'll do OK.

The wall between the window and door should work OK for one surround, but I think you're going to need a custom stand for the other side.

My personal opinion is that you will definitely need another 350 sub at the minimum. Let me state that the opinion is based upon owning a 350 and using it in a smaller room without a vaulted ceiling. I can't answer whether another 350 is best, or you just may want to look for a 500 or 600 sub to replace the 350. A likely sub location would be the same small wall near the door where you can put a surround. The only other location I'm seeing would be in the center of the room, to the right of where the couch would be. Of course, I don't know what's to the right of the FP. If it's an alcove area, one big sub might be able to be placed in there.

Not to hijack the thread, but I wonder what the rule is for putting subs in "open" closets, alcoves, etc. I would think you get more reinforcement but at the expense of linearity. Another question is whether or not, hypothetically, a sub placed exactly in the center of a room causes any standing wave issues, especially if the room is essentially square?

Anyway, I'm no expert, but sometimes another viewpoint can present an idea you hadn't thought of. My wife, who knows nothing of HTs, gave me a couple of good ideas as I'm revamping mine! It looks like a great house! Make sure you paint the interior to match your Axioms' finish!

Thanks for the long post. Your suggestions are on par with what I was originally thinking. I think I just needed some positive reinforcement to get me to make a real decision and come up with a game plan for trying to integrate my m60s into the new house - My wife still complains about how big they are (LOL). I still have a problem with the QS8 placement because the rear wall is the back of the kitchen and the right wall is non-existent and I don't want stands for my rear speakers.

Any others think that 2-subs is neccessary too?

I should have also mentioned that it would be worth a phone call to Alan or someone else at Axiom to get some opinions from people that know what they're doing...unlike me!

Steve,

I don't know about the second sub scenario...I currently have an SVS 20-39 PC+ that is being used in an 18 x 13 room with a slanted ceiling that runs from 8 to 10 feet. We are currently building a house (room the HT will go in is slightly smaller than yours and rather squarish but with a huge vaulted ceiling that also connects to a kitchen that has at least a 10' ceiling)...I am hoping that I have enough sub...My wife is asking me "Where are we going to put that big black tube?"...I reply, "I'll hide it behind a plant."...after I find the best place for it in the room.

Unfortunately, you may not know if you need a second until you get into your new place...I am hoping I don't have to sell my SVS tube and replace the single with multiple boxes from either SVS or Axiom.

So, you can wait and see...

Or...you can order another sub to hedge your bet on needing another and then figure it out once you get there...

WhatFurrer

Hi Steve,

With the configuration and the "missing wall", that is really bigger than 20x20. You should be fine with the Axioms if you don't confine them and find a place for your QS8s.

I'll make an additional suggestion since you already have the excellent "Dial 1-800-Alan" advice. With that nice picture/duagram, send it to SVS and ask them to call you. Thye are prompt and extremely knowledgeable and should be able to guide you to a subwoofer solution.

Good luck with it.

Ray

Steve you have a difficult situation. When building my home theater I also faced similar problems. A few suggestions:

Custom cabinets are extremely expensive. I initially planned this, but ultimately used the nicest stand TV stand I could find for my 50" DLP. I flanked it with tall, narrow rotating media towers. http://www.storemymusic.com/prod-spinner-4.html

There are lots of ready made media storage options. Many are cheap looking, but some are pretty nice. Investigate closely. Factor in your total current media (VHS, 8mm, CD, DVD), plus estimated future growth.

A fixed cabinet makes wiring and hookup very difficult. You need to change things more often than you'd expect, and spending hours on your knees with flashlight in your mouth fishing wires with a coathanger is no fun.

Putting speakers in enclosures also hurts the sound.

I tend to say leave the space open, and investigate various TV stands and media storage options.

The VP150 can be wall mounted above the TV using Axiom's full metal bracket.

Remember to allocate plenty of space for electronics: receiver, player, cable/satellite receiver, and possibly 1 or 2 others, e.g. VCR, Tivo, etc.

Regarding sub, you're space constrained so I think adding another EP350 is too hard.

You could put your sub between the window and door, maybe under an end table. If that doesn't work an option is "hide in plain sight" by getting a sub that looks like furniture and using THAT as an end table. I hate to suggest a non-Axiom product, but the Hsu VTF-3R Mk 2 is an example. http://store1.yimg.com/I/hsusubs_1823_178153

For the right-side surround, the picture shows a wall at the base of the stairs, where the refrigerator is. Couldn't a QS8 be wall-mounted there, maybe using the full metal bracket? While ideally you want the L and R surround to be symmetrical, the QS8 is fairly forgiving about this.

Hi Steve,

I'm a well-known sucker for floor plans. Can't help myself.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can help you, either.

I like the advice already conveyed. You do have a thorny problem with the right surround, and I'd try hard to find some sort of mounting solution over by the refrigerator as joema suggests. It's going to be a compromise of some kind.

I strongly agree that putting your speakers in a cabinet is a bad idea. Listen to Mark on that one.

I'm not as convinced as everyone else about the potential need for a second (or more capable) sub. I have a SVS PB12 in a similar room, and it's plenty. You're not going to know for sure until you get everything set up, and swapping in an upgrade at that point is no more expensive or problematic than taking that leap now.

That looks like it will be a beautiful home. Congratulations!