room with vaulted ceiling (1 Viewer)

[Willy_Loo]

I'm trying to setup my HT system into the living room with a vaulted ceiling. Dimensions of the room: 13-6 by 15-7.

On the far end of the room is a fireplace (which I don't use) so I plan to put my TV in front of it. That same wall extends straight up for 9 feet and that's where the vaulted ceiling starts. It stretches upwards at an angle until it hits the roof. I hope I'm describing this okay.

I was planning to put the front speakers on both sides of the TV and the rear speakers on the other end of the room. Both sets are floor-standing speakers. I call this "aligning the speakers along the length of the room".

My questions are:
1) given the above setup, how would the vaulted ceiling affect the acoustics?
2) or should I 'align my speakers along the breadth of the room'?

I know pics or a sketch would definitely help but I don't have/know a site to post them for public view...

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

GOOD FOR YOU! I’ve been wondering when someone was going to wise up and pretend that stupid fireplace doesn’t exist, instead of having it dominant the room or “use up” the best HT arrangement! Congratulations, Willy, you’re my hero!

It sounds like your front speakers are along the wall where the ceiling is the lowest? If so, that’s the way I’d do it, because the sound waves will be radiating upward (at least some of them will). If the ceiling is sloping the same way it will obviously cut down on reflections – at least for the front speakers anyway.

Personally I like “open” feel to the sound that cathedral ceilings give.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[frank manrique]

I would give my left nut to have a 10-12 foot high ceiling...in a rectangular room (like my current HT environ)...but vaulted/cathedral ceilings are the best next thing as far as I am concerned.

Just make sure the fireplace's "hole" is plugged, tho (you don't want to lose sound through that "vent," right?).

-THTS

"...hi, my name is Frank...and am an SVS bassaholic..."

 

[DavidCooper]

Well, I have a living room with a big vaulted ceiling that runs from about 8' up to 12' or so. The room itself is 15.5' wide by 25' long. My HT gear is located along the short axis of the room and I have NO problems with the sound. As a matter of fact I think the large vaulting slope really adds to the sound field above our heads. It sounds very open and wide....and fills the room really well.

Of course due to the size of the room I've had to go with a pretty big sub (SVS 20-39PC+) and I've upgraded my speakers a couple of times to get the room filling sound I wanted.

 

[Bob*S]

My new home has a great room with vaulted ceilings and I'm wondering what difficulties I might encounter. The front will be on a wall that is 9 feet tall on the left increasing to 14-15 feet at the right, approximately 25 across the front.

Bob

 

[Kenneth Harden]

I AGREE!

I am a huge residential architecture fan, and 99% of homes have a fireplace in the 'TV spot' In the Southwest, fireplaces are not used more than a few months a year, if at all, but they manage to be in the 'perfect' area. Stupid traditions die hard. How many people really get their money's worth out of a living room and dining room (instead of a more causal eating area and family room?). It seems a large breakfast area that doubles as a dining room (doesn't mean it can't be formal), a very well designed family/great room (doesn't have to be big), and a bedroom-sized (12' X 12') den/retreat would be PERFECT for most people. Figure, homes cost $100-200/sq. ft., and many living room/dining rooms can occupy 500 sq. ft. That is $50,000 - $100,000. Imagine what that would do if you inbested that money in a better kitchen, bathrooms, home theater, etc.

Read this book:

Amazon.com link:

It seems most people would be better off without a fireplace, but a very nice in-wall AV cabinet instead. How many people actually sit in front of the fireplace for hours on end? Not me, not anyone I know.

 

[Willy_Loo]

Thanks to you all. I feel fairly confident now I'm heading the right direction: "front speakers are along the wall where the ceiling is the lowest" (Wayne P. describes it best).