How to make surround sound speakers less lame looking
lilylchen
7 years ago
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torreykm
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agolilylchen
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Cathedral Ceiling in MB and surround sound in family room
Comments (5)When we were building our house, the architect originally designed our MB with a 10' ceiling like the rest of the house. Dh realized that since our MB is basically in a one-story wing off the back of our house...we could take the ceilings all the way up to the roofline. We thought it would look so grand. Well, after it was dry-walled, it looked ridiculous. So plain. So we had to spend several thousand dollars to have beams installed to at least give it some interest. So then it looked pretty. And they laid the HWs, and stained and finished them, and it looked prettier still. And then we moved in. And even with an area rug...OMG, we feel like we sleep in Grand Central Station. Not cozy at all. And every snore and cough is magnified...the whole first week we lived in the house I would be asleep, hear a crashing sound, leap out of bed to find out what mirror or light fixture fell...never figured it out. Then one night, it happened again, but dh was awake. He said, "well, I figured out what the crash was...I coughed and you bolted up like you were on fire." Sorry for the long story, but that is my cautionary tale against cathedral ceilings in bedrooms. Do a pretty coffer on a normal ceiling instead....See MoreCentral Vac, Surround Sound, or Whirlpool Tub?
Comments (25)I've only been in my house a week, but I gotta say, central vac is the greatest invention of all time. My wife and I have two dogs, and have always used a Dyson...no matter how good the filtration mechanism (and I'm not sure Dyson's are all the great), the machine still needs to exhaust...and the finest dust is recirculated right back into the room...with the central vac, it's WAY more powerful than the Dyson, and it exhausts to the outside...NO smell, VERY quiet, powerful, and no bag or canister to unload every use... As for Surround Sound, I've got it; it's nice (and can be impressive), but I don't feel like I have a better or more functional house because of it... Whirlpool tubs are totally overrated and yucky in my opinion. Some people canÂt live without them (my brother and his wife for example), most have them but never use them. If you love to soak or have a medical condition that warrants one, go for it...but if you do, at least get an air tub that self-purges...I've seen black gunk come out of way too many whirlpool tubs over the years......See MoreA good surround sound system that won't break the bank?
Comments (18)jejvtr, FWIW: The arrangement I suggested for the surrounds is directly from DOLBY LABS specs. Now if they who invented Dolby Surround don't know where the speakers should go, then I suppose no one does. Crutchfield? Now there's a true professional outfit. Sort of like Best Buy/Circuit City for the internet. Gauranteee they know ALL there is to know (sarcasm if you don't recognize it) about AV systems. "You offer such great advice and in such a polished tone, it makes me want to hang on your every word, follow all your threads and responses - let me guess you are in your 20's and you really do "know it all" don't you? (sic)" I'm sorry I don't come across with a "polished tone" as you would like. But it REALLY bothers me when someone NOT in this profession gives such glaringly incorrect advice. I have a difficult time being politically correct when dealing with ignorance. My bad that. But I can't see sugar coating it. Out of ignorance you gave bad advice. And, to me, giving bad advice is stupidity. I equate that ging of bad advice with giving road directions when you really don't know the way. Not a smart thing to do. And FYI I actually do not claim to "know it all". And, unless I started in this industry before I was born, I am not some 20 year old (30 or 40 either for that matter)....See MoreNew surround sound/ceiling speakers questions
Comments (7)Not an area of expertise for me, but with no replies I can fill you in a little. Wireless systems are making inroads, the technology and transfer rates are getting there...but "wireless" speakers, while they don't need speaker wire, still need line voltage, or household current, to work. If you can't get your specific system hammered out, at least try to anticipate the locations of your speakers, as well as the location of your theater/TV components. Then you can at least run speaker wire through the walls/ceilings. The drywall crew can do their thing, and then when your speakers do get installed the speaker wire will already be in place. Conduit for "future proofing" could be an option, but in your case, just running the speaker wire now would suffice. You could even run wire below the floor for seat rumblers. Subwoofers can be located most anywhere, but you'll usually need line voltage available so the subwoofer can be plugged into the wall, plus a cable running from the receiver to the subwoofer. If you have your screen location chosen, you'll typically want: 1) a center speaker, located centered and just below the screen. 2) front left and front right speakers, located...yup, to the left and right of the screen. 3) left and right rear surround speakers. if the room is open behind the seating area, then these are usually put in the ceiling. 4) subwoofer. As far as sales people giving you the ambiguous design vs budget run-around...yeah, that happens. It is good to have a ballpark estimate, as systems can run form a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. However, it seems like you're just doing surround "TV" versus a full-blown home theater, so they should winnow their offering to you based upon the practicality of what you are trying to accomplish. The best thing to do is to hear the speakers and decide what sounds good to your ears. In a basic setup, decent in-wall and in-ceiling speakers can be had for roughly $150 each, +/- $25. You can get a very good free-standing subwoofer for $250-$350. Mongo...See Moreblfenton
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