New Home Theater Room (In Wall Speakers)
|
New member Username: TriksterutUtah Post Number: 1 Registered: Aug-06 | Hey everyone, My first house with a home theater!  It was there when I bought it and the guy took his custom B&W speakers so I have empty holes in the wall. I'm looking for suggestions for in wall speakers. It's setup for 6.1 and it's all framed in in 2x4's and sheet rocked (say about 4.5" deep). Center - 14x51" Front-L&R - 12.5x51" Sides & Rear - 12.5x24" The room itself is about 17'x25' with three tiered seating. I was going to purchase a dual-zone higher end Denon receiver. I love HK stuff but I was told the newer Denon's are something to look at Any thoughts? I'm not sure I can afford more than 4k or so (I know on the cheap for nice stuff but I just got the house! <g>). I had a local custom shop give me a quote for custom MDF boxes and some in-wall speakers (single driver) of 4k. I would like to get really nice speakers for the front and center channel and perhaps cheaper speakers for the ambients. Is that ok to do in normal theater circumstances? Jeremy |
|
Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 957 Registered: Dec-03 | If someone is steering you to Denon, walk away! Your first impulse for Harman Kardon is much better. Every six months, Denon puts out new receivers with all kinds of new features, and a year later, those features are gone and there is a new set of "features" that replace the old ones. But the sound remains dull and flat. Absolutely no depth to the soundstage. Further, Denon uses undersized power supplies, so if the receiver is rated at 100 wpc, you will only get 100 wpc if you are driving only two speakers (and that 100 wpc may only be at one frequency--1kHz--and not across the entire audio band!). If you drive a 6.1 system, you can expect a 30% drop in power across all channels (this is a common problem with receivers made by the major manufacturers of AVRs). H/K is among the very few that do not have this problem--their specs are honest. Other makers who fit this category are Marantz (high end only, not their budget models), NAD, Arcam, Outlaw (www.outlawaudio.com), and Rotel. Now, each brand of receiver has its own sound. For example, most of us agree that Yamaha tends to be rather bright sounding (a rise in the upper midrange, 2-4kHz) which make the receiver sound impressive in the showroom, but a lot of people later suffer from audio fatigue because they didn't choose a speaker with a more relaxed sound to balance the sound. H/k has a very rich (very warm) and relaxed sound, so a speaker that is a little more forward sounding and a little brighter is the best choice. Before I forget, yes, I not only think that you can get away with cheaper speakers for the surrounds, I did that myself and they sound great. Regardless of what a saleman may tell you (I had a salesperson insist all had to match just yesterday), the rear speakers are for ambience and special effects--they do not put out primary information, which comes from the fronts. So, given your budget, here goes. Let me suggest a system I think you will really love. 1. Monitor Audio Gold In-Walls for the fronts and Monitor Audio Bronze in walls for the rear three speakers. The beauty of these speakers is that they are fully enclosed. You see, the problem with in-wall speakers is that as the rear cavity behind the speaker varies from speaker to speaker, the frequency response of the speaker can vary considerably. A good installer can minimize this problem with time and insulation, but that adds to the cost. These MAs have their own back box which means each speaker will sound like the other ones. This will give you a uniform sound across both the front and back. Furthermore, they are very easy to install. Here is the website where you can see the speakers: http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/home_cinema/custom/index.htm Now, if you need a source for them, contact Kiefs, the dealer who suggested them to me (I ended up doing something different because I couldn't get a space large enough to fit my front three speakers as in-walls and had to go with speakers on the wall) and who sells at a nice discount. Their phone number is (785) 86-KIEFS (website is www.kiefs.com). Ask for Ed Hawkins the manager. The cost for three golds across the front and three bronze across the back is about $1500-1600, I think. It has been awhile since I priced them. My other choice here would be Triad (also back-boxed), but they can easily eat up your entire budget. Check them out, nevertheless. They do sound very nice. 2. Harman/Kardon AVR 7300 receiver: Smooth as silk with raw power. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=Harman+Kardon+AVR+7300 I think this may be last year's top of the line, but it is a really sweet receiver for $995. If you want this year's model, look into the H/K 645 for about the same amount of money. Other choices here would be an NAD T763, which is also an extremely wonderful receiver to listen to. Has a power supply like a small electrical power station, and it also has a very warm, dynamic sound. It would cost about $1100-1200. If you go above $1500, it make no sense to buy a receiver. At that point, you should get separates like the Outlaw 970 pre/pro and the Outlaw 7125 amp--about $1600 for the pair, and better than any receiver. www.outlawaudio.com Good luck! |
|
New member Username: TriksterutUtah Post Number: 2 Registered: Aug-06 | Wow that was a very impressive and well thought out reply. I will look at the links and see what I can find out. Thank you very much for the time you put into that Jeremy |
Main Forums
Today's Posts- Home Audio Forum
- Home Video Forum
- Home Theater Forum
- Car Audio Forum
- Accessories Forum
- All Forum Topics