3.1 Speaker choice for a large room? (1 Viewer)

[Casey Doremus]

Hello everyone this is my first time posting to the forums and was hoping to get a little advice.
I'm moving into a new home and having some trouble figuring out what to do about a small Home theater set up that can also do double duty for music since this is in the living room. The design of the room does not make a 5.1 set up very practical and will opt for a 3.1 so we can still get the center channel benefit when watching movies.

Now the "small" problem I have is that the loving room opens to the dinning room, kitchen and entry way which is about 6800 cu. ft. Seating from the TV is 12-15ft depending on where you sit.
My concern is purchasing speakers that can push enough air in that size room.

Budget is about $1000 for the front 3 channels,but could be stretched if needed, and $500-1000 for the sub and amp to power it.

Current potential set up:
Dayton Audio 18" Ultimax Subwoofer with SPA1200DSP - $900
RBH R55TiB for the left and right channels - $700/pair
RBH R56CiB for the center - $350
Total $1950

I'm open to any suggestions on speakers and getting the best sound for my dollar. Floor standing or bookshelf doesn't matter. Thank you for any help you guys can provide!
(I did include the floor plan to help show the way the room is designed.)

 

[Robert_J]

The SPA1200DSP is $600. Use a Behringer NU3000DSP ($280) and add another Dayton 18. Building the box from scratch will save you a ton but if you can't, for the same price of the Dayton enclosures you can get a Stonehenge enclosure from DIY Soundgroup.

Take a look at any of the kits from DIY Soundgroup also. They will even sell you the front baffle. Have Lowes or Home Depot cut the rest of the wood needed for the cabinet and you will have an incredible set of speakers and subs for well under $2,000.

I run the following:
3 of the Dayton IIIs as my front speakers - http://projectgallery.parts-express.com/speaker-projects/the-d-iii/
powered by 2 of these - http://www.musicgoroundroseville.co...QpfAbUzigp65Izma_9upbARZvdmW4A-EsfRoCNGbw_wcB
2 of the 15's in sealed cabinets - https://web.archive.org/web/20070623145031/http://www.tcsounds.com/tc3000.htm
powered by - https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Europower-Professional-Accelerated-Technology/dp/B001U5JFNM
sub equalizer provided by - https://www.music-group.com/Categor...cessors/Feedback-Suppressors/DSP1124P/p/P0124

It sounds great on anything from acoustic music to action movies with explosions.

 

[Casey Doremus]

The Beringer seems like a good idea. I can get the Ultimax 18 cabinet bundle for $400 + $280 for the NU3000DSP. Definitely cheaper maybe will step up to the NU6000DSP for $400 so there is good headroom for another 18" down the road.
I've built these http://speakerdesignworks.com/Singularity_1.html and been using them for a couple with good results. Just not sure I feel like building my next set but it might be the way to go as far as dollar to performance.

 

[Robert_J]

The most difficult part of building a speaker is the baffle. You can buy your own ready made baffle from DIYSG. You are just responsible for the other 5 sides of the box. They will even assemble the crossover for you if you want.

Yes, the NU6000DSP is really preferred by most over at a more active DIY speaker forum.

Behringer does overstate their amp power. You get 2/3 their stated power. My EP-2500 is running at 2 ohms stereo and each 15" sub is getting a little more than 800w of power. I can drive my system to concert levels (or close to concert levels if you go to rock shows like I do).