Hey!
Thanks for all the great replies everyone. I'll try to answer some general questions here, as they were posed to me.
@JakeWash: Thanks for your reply. It seems like a lot of people echo your sentiments, so I think I'll be heading down the path of the 150's and 22.s Good to know my Denon choice is a sound one... I might bump up to the 990, seeing as how I found one for 899$.
@DrHouse: I'll see if I can answer your questions. I've also taken the time to sketch a crummy lay out of the room, which leads me to a new question I'll ask after. But first, answers:
1) First off, the room is a joint living room, dining room, and opens into a kitchen with a bar. So the dimension I have allocated for the 'living room' is approximately 13 ft x 13 ft.
2) The 'ideal' listening distance (comfiest couch facing the TV) will be 10 feet exactly.
3) I don't have a true 'budget' - it's mostly what doesn't make the wife cringe too much. That number apparently is around 1200$ for the remaining three speakers. I'm trying to convince her that 900$ for the receiver is a good deal. So thereabouts.
I'll see if I can post the layout of my room and the questions pertaining to it after I answer the remaining replies.
@JohnK: I'm not sure what you mean by a 'vertically configured speaker'. Do you mean a floor-standing speaker? Or merely an on-wall mounted bookshelf?
I could possibly get away with the on-wall bookshelf speaker (although it would seriously detract from the aesthetics), but sadly the wife has vetoed floorstanding, if that's what you mean. We're going to have a kid running around here soon (child, not goat) and she wants minimum clutter on the floor.
If you mean on-wall, are they really that much superior to in-wall/on-wall hybrids? My understanding is that the sound is much the same.
@cb919: Thank you for your honest and frank opinion. I also am grateful for your mentioning of the use of the 22's versus the 150's - not only cheaper, but if it complements the sound better, that's a great sell as well.
Your photos are fantastic - that's exactly what I needed to see. The only thing I was wondering - if it's not too much to ask - would it be possible to take a profile show of your system? I'd love to see how flush your speakers/TV are to your wall since the profile of these speakers will be highly visible in my configuration.
Alright, here's the layout of my room... Letsee if I can get this image upload sorted:
Uploaded with
ImageShack.usSo that's the layout of the room. I've left the left side 'open' as that's the dining room which is immediately adjacent to an open kitchen. The entire length of the room in that direction is likely about 30ft or so, with a stand-up bar between the kitchen and the dining room, if that matters.
Unfortunately the area doesn't lend itself to being laid out symmetrically - Vancouverites are tight on space, donchaknow - hence the odd layout. The two floating hollow rectangles are couches, and the area behind the bottom couch is our entry way, hence the odd shape.
The three black squares are the current speakers I own and am thinking about using. I'm currently dubious as to whether the surround speakers are laid out in an appropriate manner, or if I should have them somehow attempt to face the couches more directly. Any guidance there would be appreciated.
Also, is having my subwoofer next to the couch a big deal? On one hand I hear that subs are omnidirectional so it should be fine, on the other I've heard that the ideal location of the subwoofer is near the front speakers. Advice would be welcome.
Anyhow, let me know if there are any further questions or suggestions - thanks for taking the time!
-e-
