Hi to everyone, first time on the forum.

I am considering an HT system with M60's, VP150, EP350v3, and QS8's. I have an alcove in my wall that is 2'deep x 8' wide. I am planning to hang a 96"Diag fixed screen and have the M60's and VP150 underneath the screen. The main seating area will be directly in front of this 8' alcove +/- 30 degrees on each side, about 12' away from the front of the speakers

Can I put the M60's close to the side walls of the alcove and have the front of the M60's 2' from the rear wall. This would leave about 9" of space behind the M60's to the rear of the alcove. Worried about the space and bass.

Any thoughts or ideas. I can put the speakers outside the alcove on the main wall, but I am trying to hide them when not in use.

I think we're going to need a diagram, but generally it's not a good idea to enclose speakers unless they're specifically designed for it.

What you are proposing will work great for movies. You will likely be compromising some soundstage quality during music listening by burying them in the alcove and not following the golden triangle rule but you may be able to make up for some of that by using DPLIIx. With regard to bass, experiment with your bass control and maybe even stuffing the ports with straws.

Sorry, I can not post an image. Thanks for the info, I will probably experiment with where to place the speakers. I can always put them outside the alcove and space according to the golden triangle.

I have narrowed my search to: Axiom Epic 60 as described vs MA RS6 silver system vs PSB Image system with the T55 fronts.

I can listen to the MA's and PSB's in Calgary.

Any comments from the knowledge base out there!!!!,

Thanks for your help.

There's a decent amount of Axiom owners in the Calgary area. Check the Hearing Things forum for the audition thread and PM anyone near you. You can also send Amie at Axiom an email about auditioning speakers and she should be able to contact some people for you.

PM sent

Myles, welcome. My thought would be to place the M60s outside the alcove so as to have a roughly 12' separation. As to the center, since you'll be using a screen with room beneath it, I'd suggest that you consider a third vertical M60 or an M22 at the bottom center of the screen for wider and smoother horizontal dispersion.

Thanks John,

I had heard that using speakers that can also be used as fronts, as a center channel is a great way to go. I think I will have between 36" and 40", depending on how high I would like to mount the screen. Isn't having a M60 as a center a bit of overkill. My room dimensions as far as seating and watching movies or listening to music will be about 2000 ft3. I like the idea of using an M22 as a center.

Do you have a recommendation for using a boofshelf as a rear surround, or just use the Qs8's.

Thanks,

Myles

Rear surrounds can be a personal preference thing. Some say for multichannel music, bookshelfs work better, but those that have the QS8s and listen to multichannel say it is still very good. For movies the QS's win hands down, IMO.

I used a M60 as a center for a weekend for a comparison with the M22/Vp150, before sending them back in favor of the M80s and I must say if you can fit an M60/80 as a center channel go for it, it is by far the best sounding front sound stage I have heard.

Myles, although three identical vertical speakers across the front would be ideal, I can assure you from both theory and personal experience that an M22 would be excellent in that service.

If you're planning a 5.1 setup with side surrounds, but not back surrounds in a 7.1 setup, the QS8s should definitely preferred. If your reference to a "rear surround" indicates a 7.1 setup, some prefer a more direct speaker such as M2s for that purpose(especially if there's a considerable distance behind the listening position)while others say that the QSs are excellent all around. Depends on personal preference and the size of the listening room.

McD,

In addition to recommending an M22 centre, I would also like to recommend an M2 above and below the screen wired in Parallel. This setup makes vocals sound like they are coming from the centre of the screen, and in my opinion, there is no other way to go.

It is an amazing centre channel, and costs about as much as a VP150.

Thanks everybody for your input.

I am leaning towards the M22 as a center, but I do like the advice on using the M60. I will have to decide at a later date.

I will have to drop my PJ screen to about 30" from the floor, if I want to accomodate a M2 at the top (ceiling is 96", top of screen is 90", screen is 54" high, this leaves 36" to the floor) and an M2 at the bottom. I would assume that these speakers would have to angled up or down to project to the listening area. Not a lot of room to play with at the top for mounting the M2.

This may bring another adjustment into the picture. I want to shelf mount the PJ. It will be about 16 ft away from the screen at a height of about 7ft. With the people seated 12-13 ft away from the screen and the screen lowered to 30 inches from the floor, the people may be in the light thrown by the projector.

Of course like everyone, I am looking for the best results in music / video as possible within a budget. I am also looking to keep things as simple as I can. Every new idea seems to bring out other small adjustments to me made. This is why I have started early on the planning, planning, and more planning.

Thank you all,

Myles