Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Component Selection Ideas for a 10x16 HT

I have a WIP projection-based HT that's a little bigger than 10' W x 16' D x 8' H, that I'm now realizing is a tad small as I design the electronics and seating.

a. I'm debating if the L/R channels should go behind the screen (either they'll be too close to each other, or too close to the side walls).
b. I'm thinking the center channel has to go behind the screen for the best visual appeal, but I want don't want to build a huge false wall and make the screen even closer to the viewing area.
c. I'd like 2 row seating, which might be blind row 1 even on a 92" screen, and row 2 will have to be right on the back wall.

Here's what I'm looking at acquiring:
L/R: M22 in-wall/on-wall hybrid's
C: ?? hybrid something -- M2 VP100 M22 VP150 -- whatever matches best and fits the room size
LS/RS: QS8
BS: none -- I assume LS/RS QS8's will get it done, and I'll gain nothing sitting right on the wall
PLIIz: M2 hybrid's if they will add effect, else none
Sub: reuse a Velodyne monster circa 1994.
Receiver: Onkyo TX-NR609

1. Will it sound that much better going behind the screen to align the L/C/R tweeters?
2. Which C speaker?
3. Should L/R join the C behind the screen for acoustic reasons?
4. Will I miss being able to toe-in the L/R based on room dimensions?
5. Should I bother with back surround channels?
6. Should I bother with front height channels?

Also, is there any thought of M60 hybrids? Perhaps that would be overkill for this sized-room, but I own some 2-way bookshelfs and 3-way floorstandings today, and can obviously hear a difference. Thanks!

TM, welcome. My thoughts: 1. Don't be concerned with being close to the side wall; use the M22s outside the screen. 2. Get the M2 center, which matches the M22s well and should fit below the screen with room to spare. The foot or so difference in tweeter level wouldn't be critical. 3. As indicated, none of the speakers need to be behind the screen. 4. At least for seating near the back wall little or no toe-in would be helpful, and the question is apparently moot if you're definitely going to use in/on walls. 5. Probably not; the seating at the back wall won't benefit at all. 6. If you do want heights, QS4s with their very wide dispersion would be better rather than in/on walls. You might experiment with some small speakers that you have, temporarily positioned, to see if you care for the effects.

If that sub is a good one, the M22s should be fine. Note that the M22s use two mid-range drivers, and if anything, can play slightly louder there than the M60s with only one. Enclosure size doesn't bring any necessary advantage above the bass.

Don't worry too much about the size. V3.0 of my theater was about 15 feet deep by about 10 feet wide (I say about because it was a very irregular shaped room) and there was duct work and a support beam preventing a full 8 foot tall area. I had "way more speaker" than the room required, but liked the room. For the time it worked. I had a 104" 16:9 screen that fit nicely in the space as well.

Sure, now I am constructing a room with 8 foot ceilings that is 14 feet wide by 24 feet long, but that is just me getting lucky with the space...

I have similar room dimensions for my projector set-up, though it's admittledy one semi closed-off part of a big basement.

If this is truly a custom job in terms of cabinetry, etc., a lot of home theaters are built with a stage in front of the screen. You could easily put the CC on a stand/cabinet there and flip it upside down to angle it upwards. I do this with my CC and find no vertical "movement" in the sound during L-R pans.

Don't worry about back surrounds in a smallish room with QS8s...they do such a fantastic job, it's not worth the expense or pain of mounting other speakers. In my room, the couch is against the back wall with QS4s overhead...we miss nothing in terms of surround effects. Front height surrounds? Try before you buy, but again, what are you worried about missing?

I would follow the suggestion of JohnK and put the L/R M22s outside the screen. It will look great. All that stuff about toe-in is more about sitting in one precise spot listening to music than movies...receiver-level volume and delay adjustments should be able to correct for deficiencies of in-wall front speakers based on where you're sitting. That being said, not likely to notice in your size of room.