Home Theater Furniture arrangement etc and speakers (1 Viewer)

[JordanC]

I'm moving into a Condo Apartment: (900 sq. feet)



I wish to put the Home Theater System (51" Rear Projection HDTV 16:9, Axiom VP100 Center, Axiom M22 Mains, Axiom QS-8 quad firing surrounds, Axiom EP-175 sub) in the area marked "Salon". The area north of that will be the dining room.

I wish to have the eletrician set up the wires in wall and ceiling or wall mount the speakers. (I am running extras for 7.1 anyway for future upgrades).

My original plan based on the Interior Designer's specs was having the couch on the wall shared with the bedroom with the t.v. on the wall near the kitchen:



My original question was, do I wall mount or ceiling mount the speakers. However it hit me that 20' is likely too far away for an ideal viewing distancefor a 51" t.v.

So someone suggested the following:



(Brown is a table)

or even this (keep in mind this faces the large floor to ceiling windows).



I am looking for the best sonic/viewing/aesthetically pleasing arrangment.

 

[STLMIKE]

I would not put the table in the living room, and have it in the dining room. This will give you more space to work with in the living room. I'd go with bookshelves, media racks, etc. on that back wall.

I would not put the TV up against the windows -- especially since you have a balcony. You don't want to look at the back of a TV, or a bunch of wires.

I would try to maximize the distance between the primary seating area and the surrounds -- so in that sense, I like option 2 (just w/o the table). I think that in option 1, you're too close to the surrounds.

One thing to remember, however, is that if you decide to go w/7.1 later on -- if you keep the sofa against the bedroom wall, you're not going to have a good place to mound your side surrounds (unless they're ceiling mounted).

If you want 7.1 and if you put the seating area on the opposite wall near the kitchen, you can mount the left side surround on the wall to the right of the kitchen door. Not sure what you can do with the right side surround, as that would depend on the windows, sliding door, etc. You'd then have plenty of room on the back wall for the rear surrounds.

The other thing to think of is a 6.1 system -- in that case you can keep the sofa on the wall shared w/the bedroom (which I think would be more aesthetically pleasing considering that is the area you will see from the dining room). With 6.1 you'll still be able to take advantage of DTS-ES and DD-EX formats.

Mike

 

[JordanC]

What about ideal viewing distance?

 

[STLMIKE]

Jordan,

I think 15 feet would be sufficient for a 51" TV (this is for your primary seating position -- the side facing sofa will always be an issue). Of course, further would be better, but I would rather be 15' from the TV and 5' away from the surrounds -- than right up against the surrounds and 20' away from the TV.

I have a 50" projection in my living room and am about 13 ft away in the primary seating positions. I have a 53" TV in my basement and am about 25' away in the primary seating position. I don't know that one is preferable to another in terms of video. However, in my basement, my surround speakers are about 5' away where in my living room they're about 3' away -- and I like the basement layout better even though it is 5.1 (I use 6.1 in the living room).

You can always play with the distances. If you don't put a table behind the sofa, try 16'/4' or 17'/3'. It just depends on the best combination of what looks best, sounds best, and what's the best layout for the room. Whatever you put behind the sofa (instead of the dining table) will also come into play. I just like the look of a sofa out in the middle of the room if possible, instead of pushed up against the wall.

Mike