Fathers Day Home Theater Present (1 Viewer)

[cvfd1615]

Good Evening,We are wanting to set up a home theater system at my wifes parents home. They are wanting to install speakers in the ceiling and get a new AV Receiver. We will probably just be going with a 5.1 system as that will be all he will need. 4 speakers in a square configuration and then subwoofer I guess on the floor for that bass punch. We dont want to go crazy on cost but want a decent sounding system.Can you recommend the following:Speakers / AV Receiver / Proper Placement / Etc. I would appreciate all help and Thank you.

 

[gene c]

4 speakers and a subwoofer would be a 4.1 setup. In-Ceiling speakers are usually not recommended for the front left and right speakers or the all important center channel speaker (which you have decided not to install) as it usually doesn't sound right with dialog and action sequences coming from the ceiling.

But the most important part is how much do you want to spend ($500, $1000, $10,000?) and what other devices will be connected to the receiver (BluRay player, satellite box, vcr, etc).

 

[Type A]

Welcome to the forum John. Lots of great resources on the web on how to set up a basic surround sound system, Dolby Labs has a cool interactive flash tutorial to cover the basics you seek:

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/setup/connection-guide/home-theater-speaker-guide/index.html

Subwoofer placement makes a big difference in the overall performance and immersion of your sound system so check out the sub crawl method:

http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/speaker-setup-guidelines/crawling-for-bass-subwoofer-placement

As Gene mentioned recommended gear will greatly depend on budget, room size plays a role on what will be recommended also. Get back to us and again welcome to the forum

 

[cvfd1615]

Well, lets concentrate on my house first,The house we bought has 4 speakers on the ceiling. 2 in the front and 2 in the back. I have an Okyno RC-230 AV Receiver and my phillips subwoofer is under my television in a cabinet. What would you recommend on a center speaker. I had no idea I needed a center speaker, what would you recommend for my center speaker and my placement?Any help would be appreciate it. I know its not a major systembut it does sound pretty dang good for what it is. I will post pictures of the speaker configuration shortly.

 

[gene c]

If you're satisfied with the sound quality then that's all that matters.

And you don't absolutely need a center speaker but it does finish the 5.1 surround sound. If you decidenot to add the center speaker then make sure you set the Center Speaker to None in the Speaker Setup menu. This will re-direct the center channel content to the Left and Right speakers. If you think you might like a center speaker then if at all possible it should be from the same brand and series as the front left and right speakers. If you can't accomplish that then try and find one with the same size driver (4", 5 1/4", 6", etc.) and tweeter material (aluminum, soft dome, titanium, etc.).

As for placement, I really don't have much experience with in-ceiling speakers so I'm not sure if the center should also be in the ceiling (to match the Left and Right speakers) or in the wall above the display. Maybe someone else has some ideas for this.

 

[cvfd1615]

OK,

My system is the entry level RC-HT230 Onyko 90 watt system. I have the 4 speakers in the ceiling ( I do not know what make they are ) they we're already installed when we bought the house. I have a small Phillips Subwoofer under the television. I need a center speaker, any recommendations since I don't know the make of the existing speakers?

Also, is there a guide on how to set the receiver up the way it should be. I've looked all over the internet and seem to be coming up short.

Help would be greatly appreciated. Once we get mine going then we will start with my father in laws system.

Thank you.

 

[DBUSZKO]

What an awesome gift idea. IT all depends on what you want to spend and how you bargain shop. you maybe able to get some older high quality off the internet auction sites. Go with equipment that you know,,

 

[Type A]

Im not sure how or what you are searching but there is a wealth of information on how to set up a receiver.

Google: "how to set up an audio video receiver."

 

[schan1269]

You can still download the owners manual at Onkyo's website.