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In-wall systems?!?!!?

#1
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9/24/09 at 4:27pm
  • Joined: September 2009
  • Post Count: 10
Hello my name is matt and i have a few questions on surround sound... Me and my fiance are building a new house and i would really like to install new surround sound in the living room.. whether it is through smurf tubes and just floor speakers, ceiling speakers, or even in-wall system which i am most curious about.  I just need to know what size, brand, or even if in-wall systems are any good yet... the room will be 17' X 15'7" with one couch, chair and the tv.. not including stands and what not.... My tv is a samsung 50" which i will be putting in that room.  Is it best to stick with floor speakers? go to in-wall system? install smurf tubes to a wall outlet for my speakers? i thought about just installing wall outlets randomly in the living room wired to one or two specific locations where my tv have potential to be so its easier to hook to my receiver... if in-wall is the thing i am looking to spend no more than 600 hundred for 4 speakers... max.... if you need more information just let me know!!!!
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#2
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9/25/09 at 5:00am
  • Joined: August 2000
  • Location: Southaven, MS
  • Post Count: 4,540
In-ceiling systems are never recommended unless they are used for background music.  In-wall systems are tolerated when there is a WAF (wife approval factor) to deal with.  Regular speakers are always recommended.  Size and make and model depend on budget and other factors.

4 speakers?  A 5.1 system is 6 speakers.  What are your goals?  What receiver?  Sources (cable, OTA, satellite, DVD, Blu-Ray, games)?
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#3
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9/28/09 at 12:30pm
  • Joined: November 2008
  • Post Count: 137
In addition to the sound factor both In-ceiling and in wall systems have another major drawback.  Once they are installed it's going  to be difficult to change the location of your TV or furniture.  It will require significant dry wall repair to relocate the speakers to different locations in your room. 

Don't under estimate the WAF (wife approval factor)  spouses and interior designers tend to hate speaker systems and to them hidden or smaller is better.   But it is possible to find good sounding satellite systems, but most of this forum would steer you away from the Bose Lifestyle cubes which tend to have a high WAF do to their small size.  

Your speaker selection is going to be the most important and most difficult part of your system to purchase.  Listen to as many alternatives as you can and let your ears be your guide. 
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#4
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10/6/09 at 8:08am
  • Joined: September 2009
  • Post Count: 10
i want to install at least 4 speakers in the wall SO that i can rearrange... i have arranged on autoCAD my living room and picked the 2 most reasonable arrangment of the living room then decided how to install the speakers accordingly.  I will only be installing speakers for the rear.. The fronts, center, and the sub will be with the entertainment center by the flat screen and the sub on the ground next to it.   unless you know a better arrangement.  so out of the 4 speakers installed i will only be using 2 of them for the living room arrangement then if i were to rearrange the furniture i have the option of the other two speakers.   Instead of having floor speakers by the couch or what not at all times..  The wife does not care that much except of course wires everywhere... which its either in-wall speakers or i put the speakers wires in the wall to outlets were i will, yes, have wires from which to the actual speakers.. this will cause a problem only if the couch is in the middle of the room and then from the wall to the speakers that are right behind the couch on stands, so by my ears, will have wires ran to them?!?!
The other option as i mentioned above is only installing wires in the wall to outlets in multiple locations so that i CAN rearrange and have different options for my surround!!
Thank you!!!
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#5
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10/6/09 at 8:50am
  • Joined: December 2000
  • Location: AL
  • Post Count: 216
You can use smaller speakers and mount them on the walls instead of using in-wall speakers.  They tend to sound much better than in-walls, and as mentioned, they are easier to relocate, and to take with you if you move.  It would also be very hard to timber-match an in-wall speaker to the rest of your system.  You can run the speaker wires to the exact location where  you want to mount the speakers and then have an outlet there.  Also, if you want proper surround, you should take a look at some of Dolby's diagrams of speaker placement.  The surround speakers should be located directly to the sides of the seating area, not behind.  If you had a 7.1 system (which most mid to upper recievers do) then you would have the surrounds to the side and then rear speakers directly behind the seating area.  Hope this helps.
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#6
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10/6/09 at 9:02am
  • Joined: September 2009
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currently i am only running a 5.1 but yes i have the capability of 7.1 with my receiver.  but because of the house we are building my layout of the living room will be difficult.  the couch will potentially in the middle of the room so running my speaker wires even from locations off the wall from outlets the few feet to the middle of the room to the speakers how will this be possible to hide? or is it better to just leave the speakers next to the walls? away from the couch...  next.... i didn't want to run a 7.1 system just because the wife probably will not tolerate even more speakers around the room unless they are small and on the wall but floor speakers are better?!?!?
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#7
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10/6/09 at 10:11am
  • Joined: May 2002
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The surround (side) speakers don't need to be right next to the sofa - in fact, it's probably better if they aren't.  I would wall-mount the surrounds, or ceiling mount them only a few inches off of the wall.

I do think that if furniture placement has the potential to change, then in-walls is definitely NOT the way to go.  Rather than buy an extra pair of in-walls that won't get used at all, I'd put that money into better standalone speakers.  Speaker wire is easy to run - either in the wall, through the attic/basement, or behind baseboards/crown moulding.  You can even get "flat" speaker wire that can easily be painted over.  Wallplates with binding post connectors make for a very neat, professional appearance.

I wouldn't worry too much about not running 7.1.  A well set up and calibrated 5.1 system will sound great.  Besides, there's very little in terms of native 7.1 content.
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#8
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10/6/09 at 1:21pm
  • Joined: December 2000
  • Location: AL
  • Post Count: 216

You don't really need floor-standing speakers for surrounds, in fact, as long as you have a dedicated sub, you don't really need them for any of your speakers.  Good "bookshelf" speakers will cover the audio spectrum above what the subwoofer can reproduce.  If you like to listen to a lot of music in stereo, then you might want to invest in a large set of floor standers for you main front L&R speakers, but beyond that it's really overkill.  Even for music listening, your receiver should handle bass management and correctly route correct frequencies to the speakers/sub.  All four of my surrounds are pretty large by most standards, but they are still just small "bookshelf" speakers that are wall mounted.

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#9
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10/6/09 at 3:22pm
  • Joined: November 2007
  • Post Count: 16

I agree, satellite in-wall, in-ceiling, or mountables work great. Definately go with a powered subwoofer. The house I moved into already had the 5.1 system wired for the speakers being mounted in the corners...not my choice, but i mounted these mountable speakers, with a 500 watt subwoofer. It sounds great. My room is 18 x 15

 

I have a Mitsubishi Gold Medallion 65" 1080i HD Television http://www.viewpoints.com/Mitsubishi-Gold-Medallion-Series-Television-review-b7f1

Theater Solutions TS525odw speakers http://www.onlyfactorydirect.net/servlet/Detail?no=92

and Theater Solutions RT500  powered home subwoofer http://www.onlyfactorydirect.net/servlet/Detail?no=134



 

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