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Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135684 04/15/06 08:35 AM
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Just broke ground on my new house yesterday, and I'm putting together a new 5.1 home theater for my future living room. The viewing area is essentially 19ft wide and 20ft deep, with 12ft ceilings. The room will be carpeted, with a full-height stone fireplace on one of the side walls.

I plan on picking up the Denon-3806 for my receiver, and the new Panasonic 58" plasma when it comes out this summer. At this point, I'm leaning toward a VP150 center, a pair of M22ti fronts, and a Hsu sub (the EP500 or 600 would be nice, but I'm working with a $10k budget for the entire home theater). Unfortunately, the wife insists that the surrounds be in-ceiling speakers.

Locally, I can buy either B&W, Klipsch, or Speakercraft in-ceiling speakers. Which of these brands would likely be the best match with the Axioms in the front of the room?

Re: Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135685 04/15/06 01:41 PM
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Personally, I'm not a big fan of in-ceiling speakers, they just can't give you the same experience as it was intended. Also, not sure your going to find another mfg's. in-ceiling speaker with the same tonel/timber characteristics. You'll still get sound, but it won't be as good as what the Q-series would give you.

In reality, the left/right surrounds should be to the left/right of the listeners. Have you considered wall mounting some Q's off to either side, you can get a color that looks nice with your trim?

Another option might be the architecture series in-wall series from Axiom. Although they arent totally flat to the wall/ceiling, they are much lower profile than the other speakers in the Axiom lineup..

It was important to me that all my speakers matched in quality and color.

good luck.


M80s VP180 4xM22ow 4xM3ic EP600 2xEP350
AnthemAVM60 Outlaw7700 EmoA500 Epson5040UB FluanceRT85


Re: Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135686 04/16/06 03:31 AM
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I'm not a big fan of the in-ceilings, either. I'm just lucky that I was able to talk her out of the 100% in-ceiling speaker solution she was so insistent on. If I *HAD* to have one place where the speakers were in-ceiling, I could most likely tolerate the surrounds being up there.

I guess I'm curious which manufacturer's sound will come "closest" to the Axioms, knowing that it won't be a perfect match. It appears from my research that some people view both the Axioms & Klipsch as being a bit "bright"-sounding, so I was thinking that the Klipsch might be my best bet.

Last edited by millerbrad; 04/16/06 03:32 AM.
Re: Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135687 04/16/06 04:14 AM
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Millerbrad, since you are confined to in ceiling speakers, Imho whatever brand you choose I think you will be fine, the critical part is matching your front and your center speakers, ideally you want to have all your speakers timber matched but that is not always possible, I use different surrounds and am very happy with the results.
Myself and most the owners of Axioms on this board do not consider them bright, so go with the speakers you and your wife like.


A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
Re: Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135688 04/16/06 04:21 AM
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The problem with some Klipsch speakers to me is the horn tweeter they use on some models. It does give you a harsh/bright experience for some types of music. I know a lot of AVS'rs call Axiom's bright/harsh as well, this simply is not true.


M80s VP180 4xM22ow 4xM3ic EP600 2xEP350
AnthemAVM60 Outlaw7700 EmoA500 Epson5040UB FluanceRT85


Re: Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135689 04/16/06 04:53 AM
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Are you sure you couldn't get some white QS4's or QS8's suspended from the ceiling? It would blend in as much as possible with the ceiling.

Just a thought. Is the room strictly a TV room or also a living/family room place?



M22s|VP100|QS4s|HSU STF2
Re: Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135690 04/16/06 02:56 PM
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Hi millerbrad,

Take your wife to a movie in a big cinema. Ask her to look at the ceiling before the lights dim. NO ceiling speakers, right?

The reason cinemas don't use them is that they don't work very well, and all movies are mixed with surrounds on each side wall, which is where you'll see the surrounds in cinemas and mixing studios.

Our spatial hearing is cued to lateral-arriving and front-arriving sounds, not to overhead sounds or sound directly from behind the head.

As was pointed out in this thread, think of suspending QS8s to each side of your listening area.

Regards,


Alan Lofft,
Axiom Resident Expert (Retired)
Re: Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135691 04/16/06 04:28 PM
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At first my wife was a little hesitant about me hanging speakers on the wall or ceiling. In reality, she had less of a problem about that, then she did my M60's, EP500, and VP150 setting below our 10ft wide theater screen. Once we found a finish that matched our trimwork, she actually thinks they all look pretty cool now..

I know it is a tuff sell, but if you can put them near the side walls somewhere, next to curtains or whatever they will be fine. The Q series are very forgiving on placement. Some of use have even set them on bookshelves and you don't even realize them when you walk in the room.

Here are a few pics

http://www.axiomaudio.com/wallofame.html


M80s VP180 4xM22ow 4xM3ic EP600 2xEP350
AnthemAVM60 Outlaw7700 EmoA500 Epson5040UB FluanceRT85


Re: Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135692 04/16/06 04:49 PM
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I placed my 8s next the window curtains. The only thing I did wrong was the speaker color. If I had picked eggshell white (just for the surrounds), .they would have blended in nicely.

Re: Ceiling Speakers with Similar Timbre?
#135693 04/16/06 06:10 PM
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Yup, I bet having them in eggshell white would make them very unnoticable, and if they are noticed, they would look very nice up against the wall matching in white.



M22s|VP100|QS4s|HSU STF2
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