Ceiling Speakers

[brainsmile]

Ok so I'm starting to think about the new house being built and how I want to do the speakers in the upstairs bonus room.

The loft size is 22' x 22' so it's a good size. I went with some JBL 6" 2 way speakers in my current house family room, living room and loft in the ceiling and a sub in the corner. But I'd not sure if there is a better brand to consider or speakers to consider. I am also wondering how I should configure the room and where the speakers should go. Preferrably flush with the ceiling/walls.

Here's a pic of how the house looks upstairs.

http://www.lemonizer.com/upload/uploadsJune/untitled1.jpg

[Apex]

Niles/Speakercraft makes some good ones.

[revil]

Nice house Layout. what's the other floor look like?

[ray]

BS has got a gigantic house! He posted the floorplans a couple months ago. Now if only he'd show up at the next G|A get together...then we can finally put a face to the name...

[brainsmile]

Well here's the first floor

http://www.lemonizer.com/upload/uploadsJune/untitled2.jpg


It's going to end up being 4600 sq feet with 6 bedrooms/5 bathrooms and a 3 car garage. We're converting the 4 car garage into a bedroom and 3 car garage instead.

The best part is that the back yard is a decent size (approximately 70 feet wide and about 42 feet deep). Most of all the back yard is completely private. No back yard neighbors with a view so I don't have to worry about other people BBQing and keeping my windows closed. The closest house to me is at least 0.25 - 0.50 miles away. All in all God has blessed us. (yes I do believe).

As for any parties at my place... I highly doubt that. Wife is not really into that. :D But enjoy.

Any suggestions about speakers are welcome.

[brainsmile]

Niles/Speakercraft makes some good ones.

any suggestions as to where I should postion the speakers and how many?

[ufcrusher]

I would second the Niles recommendation. We have them at my fathers house and they are great. When I was working at Goodguys, it was always the wow speaker (ceiling) that I would use to get people to step up from the cheaper Boston Acoustics or Klipsch speakers.

As for placement, its all going to depend on what you are using the room for. If you are using it as a media room, then you are going to want to set it up one way. However, if you are just trying to get sound into the room, then its another. So which is it?

http://www.nilesaudio.com/products/speakers.html

I would also recommend putting in Intellipads in each room.

http://www.nilesaudio.com/images/IntelliPad.jpg

We have them in most rooms of the house to control the equipment which is all kept in a central cabinet.

You should also see about running your wire before they put up the drywall. Most home builders WONT let you do it because they want the huge markup, but it doesnt hurt to ask.

[Apex]

any suggestions as to where I should postion the speakers and how many?

You should really call Jason K. from OneCall. He's an expert with this stuff.

That's the thing with in-wall installs. You don't want to make a mistake. Hehe.

[brainsmile]

I'd like it to be the place we watch movies... for when the kids get older and wanna get the full effect.

As for running wire they already nixed that idea. I will have to PAY for prewiring it

[attgig]

As for any parties at my place... I highly doubt that. Wife is not really into that. :D But enjoy.

Any suggestions about speakers are welcome.
but you got one of those rooms ready for me whenever i drop by SD right? ;-)

[ufcrusher]

I'd like it to be the place we watch movies... for when the kids get older and wanna get the full effect.

As for running wire they already nixed that idea. I will have to PAY for prewiring it

Well then you want to set it up as a theater. You need to determine which way you are going to want to face. Now there are multiple levels of systems you can go with. For example, most systmes that you see for sale right now are 6.1 or 7.1 systems. This correlates to 6 or 7 distinct channels of sound plus the sub line.

For the most basic system you are looking at a 5.1. I will use this to describe set-up. So with a 5.1 system you have 5 individual speakers plus the sub. The 5 speakers are 1 center, 2 front, and 2 rear. Proper placement of the speakers involves determing where you are going to sit and then aiming the speakers so that you are sitting in the convergence of all 5 speakers. . (6.1 adds a center rear, depending on the manufacturer there are plenty of different other speaker configs - some with 2 front centers, 2 rear centers, mid-room speakers, etc.)

IMHO, ceiling speakers are not the best for HT applications. They are great for music but for HT, you are better off going with traditional speakers for your front and center....and then use in wall speakers for your rears. Place them so they are lower in the wall right about your ear level. However, many of the in wall/ceiling speaker manufacturers have upgraded their equipment to allow for better HT use. I just have never tried any of it.

[attgig]

I'd like it to be the place we watch movies... for when the kids get older and wanna get the full effect.

As for running wire they already nixed that idea. I will have to PAY for prewiring it
yeah, that's what they told my friend...we sneaked in one saturday and put in the wiring. it's still there.

[brainsmile]

well I suppose if you can time it so that they do the dry wall the next morning then you're golden... if they (supervisors) have time to inspect the house then you might be in trouble. Plus if they do rip it out it's too late to order the wiring... then what?


but you got one of those rooms ready for me whenever i drop by SD right? ;-)
didn't you want to marry my sister in law :P




IMHO, ceiling speakers are not the best for HT applications. They are great for music but for HT, you are better off going with traditional speakers for your front and center....and then use in wall speakers for your rears. Place them so they are lower in the wall right about your ear level. However, many of the in wall/ceiling speaker manufacturers have upgraded their equipment to allow for better HT use. I just have never tried any of it.

anyone else agree with ufcrusher's opinion?

[Apex]

They're good for piping music throughout the house. Not great for HT, not great high end music.

[brainsmile]

bah... I want something more for HT and less foo foo stuff

[chrissy]

It's going to end up being 4600 sq feet with 6 bedrooms/5 bathrooms and a 3 car garage. We're converting the 4 car garage into a bedroom and 3 car garage instead.



And I was stoked about getting 2000 sq feet... and that includes the garage :blush:

[brainsmile]

I'm sure you're getting a better price ... take comfort in that. :D

[ufcrusher]

BS, you have a wealth of knowledge in the people who participate in this forum. You have people who have higher end systems (10,000+) range, mid range (several thousand dollars), and low end. The mid range and higher end people mostly have some experience to give you and can help with your decision making.

Most of my experience comes from the many years of setting up and maintaining our systems and then on top of that 3 years of selling home audio/video equipment.

If you want our help, I am sure you will get it, but as Apex mentioned for home installs, placement in the walls is key since you cant just move them around easily.

[brainsmile]

Yeah I know... I'm sure my wife would kill me if I started punching holes in the wall.

[Apex]

Yeah I know... I'm sure my wife would kill me if I started punching holes in the wall.

And it wouldn't even be a quick, painless death, if she's anything like my wife.

[LPMiller]

Well here's the first floor



The best part is that the back yard is a decent size (approximately 70 feet wide and about 42 feet deep). .


That can't be right. A house that big, and that's your back yard. I have about 2600sq feet total with my house, but my yard is much larger than that. Hell, it's 100 feet from the house to the sat dish. Granted, I'm on 2.5 acres of land, but 70x40 seems small, unless I'm just picturing it wrong.

[brainsmile]

that's just a guess I have no clue how big it is. :)

but remember this is southern california... yards are small

Keep in mind 2.5 acres out here WITHOUT a house is a million bucks.

With and you can tack on another 1 to 1.5 Million.

[ShawnLee]

Hmm, so ceiling speakers are for ambient music? I always thought it'd be cool to have a house with them, but I guess not. It's amazing what you can learn in these forums.

[ialsohaveadream]

And I was stoked about getting 2000 sq feet... and that includes the garage :blush:

Eh, don't feel bad. I'm at 1500. Stupid skyrocketing home prices. :(

[brainsmile]

so are there any ceiling speakers you'd say are not made for music only but more for HT?

Specific models and makes would be appreciated

[ufcrusher]

Did you go to the Niles website through the link I provided above? You can read about the different speakers and what their primary design is for. As I mentioned earlier, I havent tested any of the newer (last 3 years) ceiling speakers, so I cant tell you what would work or wouldnt, I would be looking at specs.

If I get some free time, I will peruse the site myself to see if any seem good to me, but I dont know when that will be.

OK, I did a quick look, they have HD ceiling speakers.

"HD high definition loudspeakers

The HD group of loudspeakers offers superior sound quality and durability, using advanced components and circuitry. These speakers excel as primary speakers and for Home Theater applications. Their weather-resistant construction also makes them ideal for moist environments. "

[brainsmile]

ok I'll take a look thanks

[Showtime]

Back in the day, my friend had some sweet JBL ceiling speakers. They were sweet cuz you didnt even notice them until the movie started and then it took a minute to realize they were up there. Sound was pretty decent IMO, but the good thing was no visable wires etc.

Oh and enjoy your bbq free zone while you can cuz after I win the lotto im moving next door with my bbq and loud rap music. ;)

-jel:halo:

[brainsmile]

why in the world would you want to live next to me? :)

hope you like Christian music and people knocking on your door :P

[vf4 player]

Hmm are you trying to put a HT in your Living Room or Family Room?

It looks like you have between 240 (Living) and 400 (Family) Sq Ft so your theater room wont be too large. Are you looking for something cost effective or something custom?

For cost effectiveness I would recommend Polk's line of in-wall speakers. I have a pair of them installed in my bathroom ceiling and powered by my home theaters Yamaha RXV-1400 on Zone 2. The volume is controlled by an in-wall volume control knob in the bathroom. (If you use Niles the electrical box must have a greater depth than a standard box; please keep that in mind since I originally bought a Niles volume control only to have it jut out an extra 1/2 inch.)

Polk has a unique retention mechanism that makes installing the speakers a very easy process.

If you want ceiling mounted but not necessarily in-wall I would recommend the Mirage Omnisat. The Omnisats will create a very large soundfield for the small space of your theater. Mirage Omnisats have been compared to Martin Logan's in sound dispersion. They are also highly recommended if you look for Omnisat reviews on google. These are the best to get if you do not want to worry about speaker placement/position and would like fluid open sound.

www.avscience.com in the speaker forums is a good place to look too.

[Showtime]

why in the world would you want to live next to me? :)

hope you like Christian music and people knocking on your door :P

Oh I love Christian peoples. Despite what they think, they are all human like the rest of us heathens.

-jel:halo: