Hi Sam, I am no expert, but when I did mine in my house and it turned out nice. 1. Speaker wire 16 gauge, I used banana plugs and wall plates. http://store.svideodotcom.com/a30602rd.html http://ehdmi.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10425&style= or eBay 2.If you are running your computers to a wired router you need to run CAT5 Cable and get keystone jacks for the wall. http://www.wisebuynow.com/product_info.php?products_id=50 http://www.9thtee.com/networking.htm "also have jacks for your cable if you are going to run your cable to a few rooms and to your router for the computers" or eBay It's just a starting place to look, you can probably get better pricing if you shop them around. I hope this will help. canman1355

Hi: 5.1 (& 7.1) is used for the audio program on digital video sources in home theater systems. It was designed, and the sound is mixed with the intention that the front speakers are at ear level to the R/L of the screen and that the rear speakers are about three feet above ear level on the rear wall. And, it is very directional! Music is two channel (excluding DVD-Audio) and only enhanced by the receiver if desired to create more spacial ambiance. But other than R/L it is non-directional. I have attempted to make the best of a bad situation for customers who had speakers installed in the ceilings during new construction and then tried to use them for 5.1 sound. I can tweak things on higher end equipment, using test discs, measurement equipment & black magic to make it better but it is never really right. The number one problem is that onscreen dialog is hard to make out on ceiling installations. Oh, I almost forgot.. reflections! Coming from the ceiling directional sound can reflect on walls and surfaces and cause all kinds or anomalies. I have even had to suggest hanging tapestries and other things to reduce the reflections. So, for music, ceiling speakers are great (the sound almost showers over you) but for surround sound, they just ain't gonna work! I hope you can find somebody truly professional in you area that has worked with these issues and can suggest other alternatives.

We have the "black bats" in our gathering room too, which is where the television is located. When my husband talked of installing the surround system, we looked at some of the new ones on the market. I really liked the Sony system, where the speakers are slightly larger than silver dollars. The sound quality was not that great. The Bose systems weren't either, unless you went in the 2K range, which we were not willing to do. We looked at the wall installed speakers, but neither one of us wanted to cut large holes in the walls when later we might want to change out the speakers. My DH and I discuss all the improvements and even decor together. In only two rooms of our home however, do his desires carry more weight than mine-the office and our gathering room. I get my way in the rest of the house because he trusts my opinion and is pleased with the choices I've made. I nixed a television in our formal living room and the master bedroom. I sometimes gave him choices among the fabrics and furniture in our home; knowing no matter which he chose, I would love either one because I had found them first. However, in the office he puts whatever he wants on the walls. I chose the fabric for the daybed and drapes, and the bookcase. We chose the file cabinet together, and we are still looking for a new desk that fits our decor but is what he likes best. (and I am the one who works from home!) In the gathering room he chose the television (52" flat screen) and I furnished the rest of the room as I wanted. So...to make a long story short, he got his way on the surround system. The speakers look exactly like yours except the center speaker is mounted below the flat screen on the wall. I also wanted to think about getting new white ones, but they looked cheap to us. We decided to stay with the Polk Audio black ones we already owned on our light neutral walls with white crown molding. When he first put them up, I didn't like them at all. But I loved my husband more, and guess what? Now that they've been up a little over a month, I really don't pay that much attention to them any more. You may very well find the same thing for you, once you stop looking at them all the time (my eyes were always drawn to them in the beginning). Our room is only 12x12, no where near as large as yours appears. Like Parma said, surround sound is important to us, for watching films as well as college football. We chose the quality of sound over the look. It's what works for us, but each person is different. Once you get your room decorated as you like it, you may find you don't mind the speakers as much as you do now. Since he bought the television and mounted the speakers while he was home for 20 days of leave (first in a year), the wires are still hanging down from where he tested the system. I'll REALLY love it once the electrician runs the wires and moves the component equipment to the back corner of the room! LOL Hope this...

Hi, This could make for a long comment so I'll be brief: 1) ARC: Don't use it. No one in the industry does as it isn't reliable. 2) Go wired whenever possible. 3) The "best sound system" is very subjective. We have systems that clients have spent upwards of $300K on that we would classify as "best". We have other clients that have $500 set-ups that for them is the best they can afford. This is really dictated by your budget and your needs. It is definitely best to consult with a professional to determine what best fits your home/lifestyle and budget. What part of the country are you in? We may be able to help or recommend someone, depending on where you're at.