Hello,
I recently moved to a condo and have to deal with a less than ideal living room for a surround sound setup. I will sell my 7x KEF Q100 bookshelfs and 2x SVS subs in favor of an on-wall configuration. I will use my Denon AVR-X3400H to power 5-7 channels at around 80-100W RMS. I would like to go 5.1.2 for 80% movies and 20% music. An acoustically transparent 100” Screen Innovations Solo Pro 2 screen will drop in front of the LCR speakers.
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Given this awkward room layout, can I even go 5.1.x using on-wall speakers?
Is 80-100W per channel enough for M5HP (L+R) and a VP160 Mini center?
Leaning towards M2 for front heights and rear surrounds. Would Q4s be better in the rear? In wall or in ceiling speakers require hiring an acoustical engineer and getting HOA approval
I’d love to hear your thoughts, thanks!
Find a new place or just listen to a ghetto blaster.
If it helps, I have seen rooms that were a *lot* less audio-friendly than yours.
Dumb question - which pair of speakers is the heights ? The pair that are very far apart or the pair that are very close together ?
When I first looked at the diagram I was thinking "that's a nice 7.1 setup"
HOA approval for speakers seems excessive, so right in line with modern HOA's I guess. Used to be that you just had to save the bits of drywall you cut out.
Oh, and welcome to the forum.
For your electronics and room, I would suggest M3's - either bookshelf or on-wall. For example - 2 M3's for L/R ... on wall M3's for the surrounds and height ... mini VP-160 center.
Add an EP500 wireless, and you will have a terrific system. The M3's are easier to drive than are the M5's - and the VP-160 is the anchor, anyway.
You may want to go M2s so you can save some money because you'll need it for neck, back and shoulder physio.
I have M2s arriving soon. I can tell you what they sound like vs. M3s.
The projector screen will drop down to about 24-30” from the floor, so viewing will be comfortable. Can I mount the center above the fireplace and the L+R on the sides or would that sound weird? Thanks everyone!
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It would sound like mono because you'd have three speakers with inadequate separation between them given your listening distance.
It would be a better front stage than a soundbar at least.
Yeah, the idea is to have wide, but even, distances between speakers so that each "channel" can have room to breathe, so to speak. I could see a "reasonable" 5.1 setup here, but as you know, there will be a lot of compromises.
Space out the rear surround speakers (unless those are something else) and you will have a decent setup considering the awkward space you are dealing with.
I too would be more concerned about the sore neck watching anything above the fireplace though. Been there, done that... Never again.
You will also run the risk of warping your screen a little bit if it is exposed to too much heat, even if it was a roll-up/motorized one and not down when the fireplace is on.
Just things to consider as there are no good solutions.
Do not commit the audio evil that men do. There are various forms of audio evil including the purchase of speakers with a dysfunctional family of curves. The worst form of audio evil is purchasing sanctified speakers (those with blessed listening window and sound power amplitude responses) and giving them an impious room configuration to dwell in while living out the rest of one's life believing their response is OhSoHoly. Auditioning sanctified speakers in a pious room causes such sinners' corpus callosums to spontaneously ignite ending the aethereal dream they lived. Therefore it's best to forget committing such a blasphemous act and use the room to just play Scrabble.
One thing we know for certain - Mojo started drinking before 6 PM EST.
I think I’m leaning towards a 7.1 setup w/ 4x Q4s for surrounds, 2 in-wall M3s for L+R, and a V100 on a stand. I will disconnect the V100 and move it to a closet when I have guests over, so the fireplace isn’t blocked - it’s a glass fireplace and you can see through it to the adjacent master bedroom, plus it’s nice to be able to use the fireplace in Seattle’s rainy weather. I can’t change the room, I just moved into one of the most expensive downtown areas in the country (my wallet is hurting!) and plan on staying put for the next 10-15 years. I bought the only place in my budget with a floor plan that would work with a projector. Unfortunately, it happens to be the 50 Shades of Gray tower haha 😆 My Denon at 105W RMS per channel should be sufficient for these speaker choices, it seems. I think the in-walls and on-walls will help preserve my views (floor to ceiling windows) and free up some clutter, compared to my current bookshelf Q100s on bulky stands. I would prefer M3 in-walls for surrounds, for aesthetic reasons, if you think they would work okay as laid out in the diagram in my original post. Would they be too directional for the awkward 7.1 placement?
I’ll probably get another SVS sub unless Axiom offers a better price:performance value - their offerings do look nicer and aesthetics are important to me. I have a couple SVS SoundPaths which work well to make any sub wireless. I might consider an in-wall sub if my HOA would approve it - doubtful. An architectural committee has to approve any in-wall speakers or other modifications to the unit.
Thanks everyone for your input so far, I appreciate you lending your experience and expertise to my problem!
One thing we know for certain - Mojo started drinking before 6 PM EST.
Aye, that sarsaparilla sure does a number on me.
What do you perceive is weak with M2s for your set-up that you want M3s? I expect the M2s will give you improved midrange and highs over the M3s. The low end will likely integrate better with your room because they don't have the bass bump the M3 has. The M3s are great when you're not using a sub and want a more relaxed and less accurate sound.
I highly recommend two QS10s over four QS4s. They will provide much improved sound and fill the space better than QS4s. Your Denon won't have a problem driving them.
5.1 is plenty for your space. You'll have better sound, less clutter and more money in your wallet.
I would tend to agree with Mojo in it's far better to get a pair of M2 for the front. I would only go 5.1 as to be totally honest, your room is not perfectly acoustic so the subtle additions you'd get from 7.1 will be lost.
However, I would say that the QS4 will likely do fine for the surround. I would put the most money into getting a good sub like the EP500. The only downside I will give is that sub can produce a deep sound that if turned up too much might annoy the neighbours. The QS for surrounds with the wider dispersion will be far more forgiving giving you the surround feeling without and annoying unwanted out of place direction. The M2 will give the perfect mid-frequency and paired with an EP500 a lower smooth base. It is not likely that you will be booming and pushing the speakers really loud to even get close to the breaking distortion point.
Glutton, go ahead and get the QS4s because unless you listen to the QS10s, you won't know what you're missing anyway.
If you go with on walls all around you can possibly bypass your Strata council a little easier. As it would be more similar to securing large pictures to beams. As opposed to putting holes in walls and altering layout, also without lengthy permissions.
QS4's were my first Axiom purchase.
They have a unique sound and are great surround speakers.
If you're going M2's upfront QS4's make perfect sense to me.
You could probably fit 2 QS4's inside a QS10.
Have you considered squaring the sofa up with the tv and speakers?
His missus said he'd have to part with one of his 'nads if he did that.
You could probably fit 2 QS4's inside a QS10.
Yes but neither would sound as good.
If you want to be known as Mononad.
Was thinking th QS4 might be less of an issue for placement because of their size.
The QS10 is similarly small.
If you look at it from 2-1/2 times as far away
I set John up real good.