Help needed planning HT for Condo

ShaunEdm · 04-27-2008, 03:27 PM

I have a condo that is an open concept with 10 foot walls. The area where i'd be putting the setup is around 10x14, however open on one side to the rest of the condo. I've not heard good things about wireless and I don't really want wires all over the floor going to rear speakers. I have no way to hide the wires because I cannot run them under the floor or under the baseboards.

From what I hear 3.1 might be my best setup. Or a multi-driver bar thing? Either way I'm open to suggestions for a condo. I've also got an old Technics receiver that is about 8 years old so i'm also open to some suggestions on a receiver and speakers. Left, Right and Center.

I look forward to the suggestions and help
Thanks

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ShaunEdm · 04-30-2008, 08:22 AM

33 views and nobody has any recommendations??

Jim Mcc · 04-30-2008, 08:10 PM

When you say "condo", does that mean it shares a wall with your neighbor? Do you have to worry about the sound level of your speakers? If so, I would use headphones. I use headphones sometimes with my projector/theater and they sound great. If you need to run more than 1 pair, you can use a headphone amp.

ShaunEdm · 04-30-2008, 08:16 PM

I don't have to worry about neighbors at all.

Ennsio · 05-01-2008, 11:10 AM

You haven't mentioned anything about budget yet. What's your price range for speakers and receiver? Do you want a sub? How important is good sound quality to you? Do you want tiny satellite speakers, bookshelves, or floorstanders?

A soundbar might not be the best choice for your setup because of the open side. Those speakers work by reflecting the sound off the walls so not having a side wall to bounce sound off of might be problematic for the sound field. A 3.1 setup with a good sub could keep you happy if you did not want visible wires, and then you could upgrade to 5.1 if you moved to a different place in the future.

Also, are you completely against visible wires along the base of one wall if they are neatly bundled? I have the same kind of setup in my living room and run the wires along my baseboards on the one side and then have them bundled together to not be too big a mess and have furniture blocking the view for most of the distance. My surrounds are on the fireplace mantel though, so I can run the wire discretely up the side of the fireplace so you don't see wires running up the wall, which may not be possible for you.

David-Wright · 05-06-2008, 09:12 PM

There are paintable conduits for wire that you can run on the wall to your surround speakers. There is also flat paintable speaker wire.

I used the first kind in my first HT. It works fine.

JordanRice · 06-05-2008, 11:42 AM

You can go 5.1.... just by a thick area rug and run your wires under that, OR, run the speaker wire around the baseboard behind the couch, and you can even use a cable organizer like:

Wiring Solution-Audio/Video & Power Cabling Channel

at the baseboards and no one will ever know



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