Not Sure Where to Begin (1 Viewer)

[JSHeacock]

So I ventured over to the nVidia forums since I haven't been there for a while and, OMG, what a frickin' disaster. White text on black background with bright green borders. Everything is stylized - I couldn't spend 10 minutes there. It reminded me of the mess HTF was for a while when they jumped on the latest forum nonsense. I had to leave then and I have to do the same at nVidia. Only difference is they stand to lose money since it will influence my future purchases. I hope the new Roku that were just announced will be the answer when my Shield TV finally dies.

Sorry, just had to vent (since I mentioned the forum in a previous post). Why do all these companies think they have to change to these terrible forums is beyond me....

Ooof! You're right - it's kind of hard to look at that forum. The simpler, cleaner set up like this forum is easier on the eyes. I guess because nVidia is best known for its gaming-based graphics cards, they play up to that type of image.

 

[Todd Erwin]

I hope the new Roku that were just announced will be the answer when my Shield TV finally dies.

Not likely. I posted their new lineup yesterday here on the forum.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

John/David: Thank you guys so much. You've given me some really good information that I can cull through and it helps de-mystify a bit of what the guy at Best Buy was pushing.

John - Denon was my first choice but the guy waved me off and pointed me to Onkyo. I had read that Denon (and Marantz) were top notch systems. The BB guy kept trying to sell me on the Sonos connectivity with the Onkyo and I am not interested in a Sonos sound system throughout the house. Didn't seem to phase him so I appreciate the re-direct to Denon or Marantz.

I also appreciate you pointing me to the Dolby website - you're right: tons of good information there. I had not considered the ceiling mounted Atmos speakers (I am going with a 5.1.2 system as you surmised) but will now. I WILL NOT mount other speakers in wall...but I do agree, the bookshelves on stands aren't for me either. I had planned to mount them on the wall. Was a bit surprised they were mounted behind the viewer; I thought they were mounted 2/3rds of the way from the TV so thanks for pointing me to that set up pdf.

I had been looking at Polk audio speakers for the set up and again, got waved off by the BB guy as he pointed me to the Klipsch. I'm not married to any of them; just want a good sound at a reasonable cost. Again, thanks for dragging me back from the precipice on those speakers.

David: I appreciate the comments on the nVidia Shield streaming system. I had little information on them as far as their capability so glad to hear from someone who uses it that it's capable. I have a Roku and it's fine for standard 1080p stuff and has worked great for years so I was just going to go with the Roku Ultra not knowing if it was capable or not. I'll take the nVidia Shield any day if it works. So thanks for that.

Do you stream content exclusively from content providers or do you have your own stuff to stream as well?

Thanks for the breathtakingly fast responses - I was shocked this morning to find that I got something other than someone telling me to read more stuff before asking a question.

Regarding the Klipsch speakers being pushed by the Best Buy guy, be aware that Klipsch uses horn drivers that have a unique sound - - people either seem to love them or hate them. I wouldn't buy Klipsch without giving them a serious listen in a good demo room beforehand. Personally, I found their sound too harsh when I demoed them many years ago (the salesman was pushing Klipsch, too). A buddy of mine loves his, though, so it's definitely a matter of taste.

Take your time with your speaker purchase, since it will be the piece you have in your system the longest - - make sure you really like what you buy. I have owned 4 different receivers since buying my B&W 600 Series speakers, and I only swap out the receiver every 5 to 7 years. I have owned 4 displays in that time, too, and countless disc players.

 

[JSHeacock]

Regarding the Klipsch speakers being pushed by the Best Buy guy, be aware that Klipsch uses horn drivers that have a unique sound - - people either seem to love them or hate them. I wouldn't buy Klipsch without giving them a serious listen in a good demo room beforehand. Personally, I found their sound too harsh when I demoed them many years ago (the salesman was pushing Klipsch, too). A buddy of mine loves his, though, so it's definitely a matter of taste.

Take your time with your speaker purchase, since it will be the piece you have in your system the longest - - make sure you really like what you buy. I have owned 4 different receivers since buying my B&W 600 Series speakers, and I only swap out the receiver every 5 to 7 years. I have owned 4 displays in that time, too, and countless disc players.

Thanks Scott - that's good advice and not something I would have necessarily considered at the outset.

Sadly, the BB store in this town nor within 100 miles (at least) have a Magnolia room set up. They did have one but took it down and made it a scratch and dent/open box room.

It's hard to get a feel for a speaker system when the BB guy cranks the sound up so high that half the damn store can hear it. I'm always turning volumes down when listening to speakers, trying to catch the nuances and clarity of the sound coming from them. I'm not sure that's the way you should listen to speakers - it's just the way I prefer to judge them.

Thanks for weighing in!

 

[JohnRice]

I'm always turning volumes down when listening to speakers, trying to catch the nuances and clarity of the sound coming from them. I'm not sure that's the way you should listen to speakers - it's just the way I prefer to judge them.

That's exactly how you should listen to them. Sure, crank them up too, to see what they can do, but that's not what good sound is all about.

BTW, to emphasize what Scott said, I bought the main speakers I have in my HT in February 1993, and I have no intention of replacing them, unless I have to. I have had to have all the drivers except the woofers rebuilt multiple times each, because I do tend to drive them hard at times, and voice coils get cooked. My point is, like Scott was saying, you can keep a really good set of speakers for a long, long time. They are probably the most high value purchase I've ever made in my life. Even though they cost $4,000 (27 years ago), a pair of equivalent speakers today would cost about $15,000/pair, and if you spread out all the years I've been happily using them, it comes out to about $12.00/month. That's a pretty darn good investment.

Incidentally, the speakers I had before them were Klipsch, but those were what they now call "Heritage" speakers. Even though they also had horn drivers, they were quite different from Klipsch speakers now. They had hand rubbed, real hardwood veneers and large drivers, rather than the small, narrow models in the current regular Klipsch line. They do also still make many of their Heritage models. I had the Forté, which you can get a pair of now for $3,500.

 

[JSHeacock]

That's exactly how you should listen to them. Sure, crank them up too, to see what they can do, but that's not what good sound is all about.

Good to know. I had not thought about the longevity of speakers and I must admit, you and Scott have really given me something to think about when it comes to the speakers. I was looking for bargains but maybe that's not the route to go.

I cannot justify thousands and thousands of dollars a speaker array for a room that size but getting solid, reliable and long-lasting speakers (particularly those being mounted in the ceiling) makes a hell of a lot of sense.

Thanks.

 

[Bryan^H]

This has been reviewed very favorably 5.1.2
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-4-Drive...tmos+speakers&qid=1569416932&s=gateway&sr=8-7

$868

 

[JSHeacock]

This has been reviewed very favorably 5.1.2
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-4-Drive...tmos+speakers&qid=1569416932&s=gateway&sr=8-7

View attachment 63411

$868

Thank you Bryan. I appreciate the suggestion. I was looking at some of the Sony speaker systems and they seemed to have good ratings from users but I couldn't tell if those were actual users or shills.

Appreciate the effort my friend.

 

[Todd Erwin]

This has been reviewed very favorably 5.1.2
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-4-Drive...tmos+speakers&qid=1569416932&s=gateway&sr=8-7

View attachment 63411

$868

I had looked at the bookshelf speakers included in this package a while back and was disappointed that there is no mounting hardware, not even a screwhole, included on these.

 

[JohnRice]

Of course, that speaker set has reflecting Atmos speakers. Not in-ceiling ones.

 

[JSHeacock]

Of course, that speaker set has reflecting Atmos speakers. Not in-ceiling ones.

I was going to ask you about that. Reflecting ones could not be mounted to the ceiling pointing downward or are they designed solely to reflect off the ceiling?

If not, can any speaker be ceiling mounted and connected to the 'height' plug-ins on the Atmos-capabable AVR? Are Atmos speakers (other than those designed to lay flat and fire upwards) any different than a conventional speaker?

 

[JohnRice]

I was going to ask you about that. Reflecting ones could not be mounted to the ceiling pointing downward or are they designed solely to reflect off the ceiling?

If not, can any speaker be ceiling mounted and connected to the 'height' plug-ins on the Atmos-capabable AVR? Are Atmos speakers (other than those designed to lay flat and fire upwards) any different than a conventional speaker?

Reflecting speakers are designed to be placed on top of your L&R speakers. They don't have hardware to attach them to the ceiling, but you could always fabricate something. Atmos speakers aren't necessarily any different from other speakers, except that they don't need to reproduce low frequencies. It's just that in-ceiling speakers are best for Atmos, or, ones that attach to the ceiling on brackets. Ideally they just have very wide sound dispersion.

 

[JSHeacock]

Reflecting speakers are designed to be placed on top of your L&R speakers. They don't have hardware to attach them to the ceiling, but you could always fabricate something. Atmos speakers aren't necessarily any different from other speakers, except that they don't need to reproduce low frequencies. It's just that in-ceiling speakers are best for Atmos, or, ones that attach to the ceiling on brackets. Ideally they just have very wide sound dispersion.

Thank you John. That clears up a lot. I prefer to do in-ceiling mounted speakers as you've recommended. So the speakers I eventually mount there don't have to be 'Atmos-enabled' necessarily then, right?

 

[JohnRice]

"Atmos Enabled" typically (always as far as I've seen) refers to reflecting speakers. Either separate ones that sit on top of your main speakers, or main ones that have the reflecting ones built into the top of them.

I've never seen in-ceiling speakers referred to as Atmos Enabled, even though that's what you ideally use for Atmos.

 

[Todd Erwin]

Thank you John. That clears up a lot. I prefer to do in-ceiling mounted speakers as you've recommended. So the speakers I eventually mount there don't have to be 'Atmos-enabled' necessarily then, right?

"Atmos Enabled" typically (always as far as I've seen) refers to reflecting speakers. Either separate ones that sit on top of your main speakers, or main ones that have the reflecting ones built into the top of them.

I've never seen in-ceiling speakers referred to as Atmos Enabled, even though that's what you ideally use for Atmos.

You are correct - the term "Atmos-Enabled" refers to reflecting, upfiring speakers, and "Atmos-Enabled" should only be selected within the AVR speaker setup menu if they are being used in this fashion.

 

[JSHeacock]

You are correct - the term "Atmos-Enabled" refers to reflecting, upfiring speakers, and "Atmos-Enabled" should only be selected within the AVR speaker setup menu if they are being used in this fashion.

Thanks guys! That does answer all the questions I had about those speakers. And it makes sense now and will likely save me some headaches and challenges finding the ceiling speaker set.

You guys are the best!

 

[Todd Erwin]

If you can do in-ceiling speakers for Atmos, definitely go for it.

 

[JSHeacock]

If you can do in-ceiling speakers for Atmos, definitely go for it.

Yeah, I can. My home will be built over the next 9 months and I'm planning the media room/home theater for in-wall speaker wiring and 1 Gb ethernet connectivity network for streaming from a NAS.

The great guidance/advice I've received over the last few days from you guys has really helped me visualize what I need, how I should configure it, and how best to go about purchasing the components for it.

Do you guys have any strong feelings one way or the other of banana plugs over twisted speaker wire? Are banana plugs worth the cost or just more gimmicky?

 

[Todd Erwin]

Yeah, I can. My home will be built over the next 9 months and I'm planning the media room/home theater for in-wall speaker wiring and 1 Gb ethernet connectivity network for streaming from a NAS.

The great guidance/advice I've received over the last few days from you guys has really helped me visualize what I need, how I should configure it, and how best to go about purchasing the components for it.

Do you guys have any strong feelings one way or the other of banana plugs over twisted speaker wire? Are banana plugs worth the cost of just more gimmicky?

Let the builder run the speaker wire (to where you want it) in the ceiling, but purchase the speakers yourself. Builders are notorious for vastly overcharging for the cheapest speakers they can get their hands on.

Personally, I like banana plugs, but mainly because I do occasionally get to review new receivers, so it is more of an ease of use thing than anything else. Binding posts are usually more secure, although sometimes getting the wire to fit through the post and stay in place while tightening down can be difficult.

 

[JohnRice]

Make sure the builder uses CL2 wire. They probably won’t want to, since it’s probably not required for code, but the insulation on regular speaker wire will break down in time. The cost difference is minimal.

And you might as well go 12ga. You can get it from monoprice.com