If the framed opening on the right is somewhere between 6'-8" and 9', one begins to get a sense of the scale of this space. Everyone's taste and preferences are personal, but I find this space exceedingly tasteless and unappealing. It looks like a freshman interior design project gone awry! No offense meant, just an opinion. Really good luck with this!

First off, thank you. It's refreshing to hear when somebody knows that television surround sound does not go into the ceiling - however music is right at home there. I'm guessing this is somewhere around 20' x 30' split down the middle. To decide on the number of speakers you'll need to think about where you'll be in each area, and if the stereo sound and image will be correctly presented in that space. I think it will be 4 speakers, though. Don't know if this is raised ceilings or not but plays a major factor in layout as well. Speakercraft has been a good middle of the road installers brand and I'm surprised they now sell through retail online. Martin Logan of course has a very good reputation with their electrostatic speakers but does that mean the standard in-walls are worth the price? I don't know. What I do know is that the ceiling/wall, the acoustics of the room, and the placement, are now part of the equation. I've done speaker calibrations on high end speaker installations, average, and low end speaker installations and it's a toss up - there are just too many variables. Going the Sonos route and Zigbee is fine but may create complexities you may just not want to deal with. What about a second zone from your main receiver? If not, another receiver may be a simple setup for this area - many have auto calibrate modes. Bose can be great for a plug and play setup but tends to be a little too proprietary for my tastes. Look around a little and see what else is out there.

I agree with davidandkasie. you should put the cables in before the sheetrock goes up. to accomplish this you need to decide where the tv & surround sound speakers are to be placed. if you are not sure about this, hire a local contractor who specializes in this. you might find one who will come to your house, size up the situation & give you a free estimate. Another option is to go to this website: crutchfield.com. They have a lot of info on the website about personal theater design. Incidentally, their prices are pretty good, although not the lowest, and ther customer service is terrific. In fact, if you called their 800 customer service #, you will probably get good answers to your questions.

Happy accident? "although the measurements were a bit off which is why the mantel is wider on the sides than across the top" Seriously, it actually looks like a deliberate design detail! I think the mantle would appear too heavy if it was the same width as the sides. Looks much more modern this way. Nice to know your cabinetmaker followed your specs to the "T"! Were the cabs build out of 2x's or 2" face-frames? I was actually planning to build an 8.5' long bookcase out of 2x12's in the bedroom - both because I can easily create a unique design, but more importantly because the price of 1xs has skyrocketed (just to trim the patio doors was over $200 a few months ago - the same amount of wood was about $100 2 years ago).