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 It's still about a foot out from the wall, and my weekend goal is wire management (pack of zip ties sitting on the counter right now). Very happy overall.
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Mar 10, 2011 03:10
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Faikon posted:It's still about a foot out from the wall, and my weekend goal is wire management (pack of zip ties sitting on the counter right now). Very happy overall. Do yourself a favor and go get a roll of velcro instead. You'll thank me later if you ever need to change any components or cables.
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Mar 10, 2011 21:01
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I just want to thank jonathan for his awesome advice. I contemplated buying the Pioneer VSX-820-K, and the Pioneer Front LR and Center channel speakers for about a week. Then when my wife saw Faikon's setup. She said it looked nice and I pulled the trigger on the receiver and cables from monoprice. I'll pick up the speakers at Best Buy since I couldn't find them on Amazon, but I can't wait for everything to come together! Will post pics and how I like them when everything gets setup (in about a week). Edit: The VSX-920-K was $5.05 more than the VSX-820-K, so I bought the 920. Ducttapeismagic fucked around with this message at 06:27 on Mar 11, 2011 |
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Mar 11, 2011 06:02
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Nevermind!
SeventySeven fucked around with this message at 03:17 on Mar 18, 2011 |
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Mar 18, 2011 03:14
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What would be a good alternative to a Rel T-3 in terms of price and quality? I ordered one a little over a month ago, but it was back-ordered and is still back-ordered, and frankly I'm tired owning a bunch of components I can't set up until I get a sub.
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Mar 20, 2011 01:51
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Is the Pioneer VSX-520 decent? I just bought a new Samsung 46' LED and want real audio for the first time, but I'd like to keep it under $500. I've decided on the Pioneer SP-FS51-LR's because they fit my layout and I think a 2.0 setup should work. Besides which receiver I buy, I have a few questions. (Setup is the aforementioned TV on a HDMI cable box, a PS3 and a Wii.) a. Is 2.0 the way to go after all? This is primarily going to be for TV and gaming--we don't watch a lot of movies and rarely buy/rent blu-rays. Do I need a center channel? Can I use the TV as a center channel speaker or does it need to be directional? With the range of those speakers will I need a sub? b. I'm assuming the way this works is that I plug my components into the receiver and the receiver outputs to the TV so I don't have to switch the input on both the receiver and TV every time. Correct? c. Are wireless rears any good? Should I look into that? right now the main barrier to a 5.1 system besides price is the challenge of wiring up the apartment. We have an untrained puppy and are moving in six months, so a decent job probably isn't worth it Honestly I considered a sound bar, given that we're cheap and not audiophiles by any means, but a modular system seems like the way to go so I can reuse components later if we expand. Also, if I'm completely off base and people want to recommend a setup in the $500 ballpark please do, I'm not married to any plan yet
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Mar 20, 2011 02:59
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King Bahamut posted:Is the Pioneer VSX-520 decent? Yes. quote:a. Is 2.0 the way to go after all? You don't need a center channel if you don't have any audio sources that make use of it. It's easy enough to start with a 2.0 and get one more speaker if you want the center channel later on. You can't use TV as center channel: you need to connect all your speakers to your receiver via speaker wires. Do you need a sub? It's a matter of personal preference. Try without one at first, you can always add more speakers later. quote:b. I'm assuming the way this works is that I plug my components into the receiver and the receiver outputs to the TV so I don't have to switch the input on both the receiver and TV every time. Correct? Yes. You should also have HDMI control option somewhere in your TV settings, which will automatically turn your TV on (or off) when you turn your receiver on. That practically eliminates the need of TV remote. quote:c. Are wireless rears any good? No, not really. You need power to run speakers: either "wireless" speakers will have a power cord that you need to plug in somewhere or they eat batteries like crazy. As far as I know, there simply are no wireless speakers that have a decent solution for this problem. quote:Honestly I considered a sound bar, given that we're cheap and not audiophiles by any means, but a modular system seems like the way to go so I can reuse components later if we expand. Your base setup looks good. It's easy to expand by getting more speakers if you feel you want more audio channels.
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Mar 20, 2011 03:35
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King Bahamut posted:Is the Pioneer VSX-520 decent? I just bought a new Samsung 46' LED and want real audio for the first time, but I'd like to keep it under $500. I've decided on the Pioneer SP-FS51-LR's because they fit my layout and I think a 2.0 setup should work. Besides which receiver I buy, I have a few questions. (Setup is the aforementioned TV on a HDMI cable box, a PS3 and a Wii.) -The pioneer 520 model is basically the 820, minus one hdmi input, minus the ipod/iphone interface, and lacks the auto-calibration/room correction features. If you can swing it, go with the 820, even if it means waiting an extra paycheque. a) Go 3.0, Any digital stream, including xbox/ps3 or cable box, will take advantage of the center channel. And, when you use the dolby prologic or other modes on the receiver, it will figure out dialogue from stereo tracks and mix it into a 3.0 (or 5.0 or 5.1) setup, and do a good job of it too. Music listening really sounds better when you upmix a stereo audio source to include the center channel. Much wider sweet spot, fills the room better and the soundstage becomes much more realistic in most cases. You can always order just the left/right speakers and add the center channel and maybe a sub later on. b) some people dislike this setup, but this is the way hdmi components are intended to be used. It's the simplest setup wiring wise, and convenience, and wife factor. I have it set up this way and I like it, others may disagree. c) I don't like wireless rears or subs. In your situation I would run a 3.0 or 3.1 setup, and then add wired rears once it is convenient. quote:Honestly I considered a sound bar, given that we're cheap and not audiophiles by any means I wasn't either. When I had my "755watt" sony home theatre in a box setup, I thought it was great. The only reason I upgraded is that I wanted hdmi connections, and then decided that I wanted big gently caress-off type speakers to make the room look cooler and impress my guy friends. Once I finally turned it on, ran auto calibration and then demo'd "Master and Commander" opening scene, at that point I think I turned into an audiophile. It really isnt that hard to make a living room sized home theatre sound better than a movie theatre. A decent set of speakers that are well placed and calibrated, some minor room treatments (area rug, DIY picture textured wall panels) and a subwoofer or two that are able to put out really low tones, and you will have a sound system that will most likely better anything at a public theatre. EDIT: just read the post above mine. You could follow his advice as well and be happy. I tend to like to spend a bit more money on the receiver if it means lots of extra features. jonathan fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Mar 20, 2011 |
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Mar 20, 2011 03:39
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Thanks a lot guys. I think I might go with the 820--the fiancee wants an iPod interface, an extra HDMI is probably a good idea, and I like the thought of auto-calibrating it. Works in the budget too. I'll look at the store but I assume I can use the first post-mentioned "banana plugs" here. At $79, the center speaker in that Pioneer series is probably the logical buy
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Mar 20, 2011 03:55
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King Bahamut posted:Thanks a lot guys. I think I might go with the 820--the fiancee wants an iPod interface, an extra HDMI is probably a good idea, and I like the thought of auto-calibrating it. Works in the budget too. I'll look at the store but I assume I can use the first post-mentioned "banana plugs" here. At $79, the center speaker in that Pioneer series is probably the logical buy I bought the 920 and love it so far. When I was shopping (2 weeks ago) the price difference between the 820 and the 920 was like $6. It might be worth looking into for future-proofing. Yes, you'll be able to use the banana plugs mentioned here. They were kind of loose, but tight enough that they will stay unless you move the cables a lot.I also bought the Pioneer LR and Center channel that you are thinking about purchasing. I love them. I'm still working to get more low frequencies, but I think I'll have to go get a sub for the sound that I want. We watched Inception on our new 3.0 set and WOW! The difference between this set of speakers and TV speakers is like night and day. Definitely worth the money, and as jonathan mentioned in his post, connecting all components to the receiver is the way to go. Gone are the days where my wife fumbles through the inputs on the TV, even though they are labeled. She turns the receiver on, and the TV comes on and is set to the right input. Then she presses the button on the remote that is conveniently labeled DVR and she's watching TV like normal. She loves it. Ducttapeismagic fucked around with this message at 05:56 on Mar 23, 2011 |
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Mar 23, 2011 05:54
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FINALLY got all my gear talked about on page 1 and spent several hours setting it up. Here's a picture! I ran in to some troubles straight up because the Polk CS1 is a lot bigger than I thought it would be (I originally thought I'd be able to have it sit in front of the TV). I ended up having to put it on shelf on the TV bench and ended up pulling out the drawer and adjusting the shelf height so that the receiver could fit below it. At least Ikea furniture is flexible in that regard. I am a little worried about how this may affect the sound quality and positioning but it's the only feasible solution without dumping more money in to this project. My favourite part of the set up is the old Macbook Pro under the cable box which is going to basically just be a media player. I'm currently controlling it using Rowmote Pro on my iPhone which is the best $5 I've ever spent (I don't have a wireless keyboard/mouse handy). My next goal is to coherently organize all my media on my hard drives and set up Plex. Thanks to everyone in the thread!
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Mar 30, 2011 08:40
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So how does it sound? We need more testimonies in this thread!
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Mar 30, 2011 09:11
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Well, it sounds a lot better than the TV speakers I upgraded from!  I gave it a shot using a HD source last night and I have to say it sounded pretty drat good to me at least. I'd definitely describe the bass from the Monitor60s as sufficient, especially for my apartment. The main issue I'm having right now is sometimes dialogue is a little quite and "loud" scenes are too loud. I haven't had a chance to read through the manual but is there some setting I should play with first?
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Apr 1, 2011 23:49
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jonathan posted:My recipe for a budget build that will still destroy a $2800 Bose setup: Would upgrading to this speaker system (plus a nice receiver) be an upgrade, sidegrade, or downgrade from Logitech Z-5500's? The control unit for the Logitech system has been randomly shutting itself off for months now and I'm trying to decide if I should go through the hassle of a return/replacement or just get a better setup.
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Apr 2, 2011 16:20
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well excuse me, princess!
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KracKiwi posted:Would upgrading to this speaker system (plus a nice receiver) be an upgrade, sidegrade, or downgrade from Logitech Z-5500's? The control unit for the Logitech system has been randomly shutting itself off for months now and I'm trying to decide if I should go through the hassle of a return/replacement or just get a better setup. When we talk about better sound, what we mean is a more accurate reproduction of the source material. That logitech system is basically just little sattelite speakers that are really only good about putting out high frequencies, and then you have a smaller sub that doesn't go very low (below 35hz) and doesn't do (above 500hz) well. So when that system plays back a or movie, you'll get loud boomy bass and high frequencies, and lots of "holes" on the frequency range. The big speakers will do a much better job at recreating the entire frequency range offered by your source material. Will it be an upgrade ? Yes. Will it sound better ? That depends on the material. lovely low bitrate mp3's will sound worse, and quality material will sound better.
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Apr 2, 2011 17:23
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How important is it to match a sub to the rest of your speaker system? I am lucky enough to be inheriting a pair of Polk LS50s and surrounds (I can't remember the model number on these), and I am thinking about adding a sub to help out the low end.
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Apr 3, 2011 08:17
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TheChimney posted:How important is it to match a sub to the rest of your speaker system? I am lucky enough to be inheriting a pair of Polk LS50s and surrounds (I can't remember the model number on these), and I am thinking about adding a sub to help out the low end. Most subs are highly configurable and have controls for setting the frequency cutoff and phase. The only speakers that you really need to match are your fronts and center channel.
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Apr 3, 2011 17:19
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Subs will never match normal speakers because they operate within a different frequency range. Where as your front 3 all share the same frequencies and it is more important to match those. For subs, bigger is better. I have this one: http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/synergy-sub-12-overview/ You can find them on craigslist used for dirt cheap sometimes. I've seen them as low as $180 unopened. In my room I can hear it down to 21hz which is pretty good for a relatively inexpensive sub. I leave the crossover "wide open" and let the receiver handle the crossover duties. I cut off my tower speakers at 80hz which is the thx standard and let the sub handle everything below. If you want to spend a bit more money on a new sub, http://emotiva.com/ultra_sub12.shtm is a good deal. It's a sealed forward firing sub instead of a ported downward firing sub. I havent heard it myself since they're mail-order only, but AVS forums and the klipsch forums both give it great reviews. The website states it will do 110-113db, which is louder than reference volume peaks. I don't know if it a "better" sub than the klipsch sub 12, but in theory it should be slightly more accurate and dig down a little lower on the frequency range. Keep in mind that most home-theatre-in-a-box type subs don't go below 35hz or so. If you havent experienced a sub that goes down into the low 20's or even high teens, you're missing out, for music and movies it adds a new element in the form of bass tones that you didn't know existed in songs. "Down - New Orleans is a dying whore" is a good example. Even in my jeep with subs, I never heard the weird "sub bass" noise during the intro to the song. I see a lot of ads on craigslist from people saying "Selling sub, tried it for a few days but it is too loud for my apartment". Personally I think this is silly. If the bass is too loud, turn down the level of the sub! I have mine DB matched to the rest of the system, like how it should be set up, and you don't even hear the sub, all you hear is lower frequency extension. If the sub is "too loud" or overpowering the rest of the music/movie, it means something is not set up correctly. A smaller sub wont fix the issue, it will just limit you from hearing ALL of the track. In my apartment, my 12" 300watt sub has the gain/volume set to about 10 o'clock.
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Apr 3, 2011 19:18
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jonathan posted:When we talk about better sound, what we mean is a more accurate reproduction of the source material. That's not strictly speaking true, but for the purposes of this thread it might as well be. When the starting level is a pair of $50 computer speakers, the most obvious advantage of getting a proper system is the clarity and resolution of sound: ie. more accurate reproduction of whatever the artist originally wanted you to hear. There's a limit to accuracy, however. If you measure your speaker output you'll notice that the curve is not exactly flat. If it were, you'd most likely think the sound is "weird". Most of audiophile language (warmth, life, openness etc.) concentrate on describing what the curve sounds like. The key to getting a "good" system is finding a curve that you personally prefer. There's one place where differences in sound become obvious to everyone and that's solid state vs. tube amps. Solid state amps are way more user friendly and they're what everyone here really wants as their first system. Tube amps have a distinct sound that people usually describe as "warmer, fuller" sound. While solid state amps are more "accurate", some people prefer tubes for their sound. I have a tube radio in a wooden casing dating back to 1970. I love the sound. To me it sounds warm and personal, despite being mono and technically very basic.
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Apr 4, 2011 08:49
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Hob_Gadling posted:
I don't want to get deeply into this discussion here, but I think that in a perfect recording setup, a speaker with a perfectly flat response would be better, however, source material is not recorded with perfectly flat microphones, and when the levels are mixed and the album mastered, it's done by an engineer working with speakers that arent perfectly flat, and in all likelyhood they cater to a consumer that has a speaker setup that is far from flat. So a flat speaker would end up playing material that sounds wrong because it wasn't really meant for a speaker set up that way. Or not, I'm not an audio engineer or even a musician so I could be way off.
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Apr 5, 2011 02:52
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I own a 1978 Concept 16.5, so I have all of you beat soundly unless someone has a tube Mcintosh from Roger Russels reign.
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Apr 5, 2011 08:48
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I think this is still $250 with a coupon. I think I'm going to get this guy. http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/accessories/538283781/denon-avr-591
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Apr 27, 2011 21:56
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So I had picked out components and planned to buy them as they come on sale. So far I have the Onkyo TX-NR609 receiver and the Polk Audio CS1 center channel speaker (1.0 sounds better than I expected  ). I just bought Polk Audio Monitor 60s for the front speakers on Newegg (on sale today!). I had intended to get Monitor 30s for surround, but the Monitor 40s are on sale for the same price as Monitor 30s today. If I got those for surrounds instead of Monitor 30s, am I going to hate them because they're ridiculously big and awkward? I would be getting two pairs for 7.1.
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Apr 28, 2011 13:58
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Erwin posted:So I had picked out components and planned to buy them as they come on sale. So far I have the Onkyo TX-NR609 receiver and the Polk Audio CS1 center channel speaker (1.0 sounds better than I expected There are a ton of people who will tell you that matching speakers is the way to go. So they use something like 7 klipsch heresay speakers all around. I prefer an omnidirectional rear/surround speaker to spread out the sound a bit, however, I can't really argue that it would be BETTER than big directional speakers behind. Basically, if you can buy a bigger more efficient speaker for cheap, do it. You can't really go wrong. You just might be wasting some of their "potential" by using them as a surround.
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Apr 29, 2011 06:03
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I want to purchase a stereo receiver for my bedroom that would allow wireless streaming from my computer. I know there are options like consoles, etc when you have your television hooked up. Are there viable options for a wireless hookup with just a receiver and my speakers? I like this receiver for instance:http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-8255B-TX-8255-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B001AMSPQI/B001AMUFMA But it does not seem to have a wireless streaming option.
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May 6, 2011 00:35
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 After reading this thread and the reciever thread, I've taken my first step into having an actually decent AV system! I've decided to stick to a 3.0 system due to living on the 2nd floor for now.
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May 6, 2011 19:47
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kimcicle posted:
I'm looking into getting my first real home audio system and I'm pretty much decided on the Onkyo TX-NR609. Will be great to know how it all sounds when it's set up.
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May 7, 2011 13:43
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iloveyouall posted:Are there viable options for a wireless hookup with just a receiver and my speakers? Logitech Squeezebox.
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May 8, 2011 20:40
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I would like to upgrade from my lovely inside the TV speakers to a decent system. I could comfortably spend anywhere from 5 to 700 on a 5.1 system, or even just a 3.1. Mainly listen to music, watch TV, a few movies and games. But most movies tend to stream over netflix, and would that even be surround sound? If I'm very rarely watching actual discs do I care about anything more than 3.1? My main issues after reading the OP is I'm clueless as to where to keep track online. Any good sites that post daily deals on home theater gear? Or sites that just have reasonable prices all year long? I would really like it if I could get a reasonable deal just off of Amazon because of my Prime membership and rewards points. I don't really have much desire to go to a store and listen to a bunch of stuff because I know anything is better than what I have right now. Like if a home theater in a box was decent I would get one. Can I find good speakers on amazon? Do they sell 3.1 sets that are any decent, so the only other thing I'd need is a receiver? Just really looking for low hassle. Happy to research one or two specific components, like making sure I get a good receiver but it feels kind of overwhelming to research it all.
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May 10, 2011 20:02
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Reading through the thread some more I'm just going to go with the setup jonathon posted. It sounds like it would be good, and I can afford that in my budget. I'll repost when I've I bought it and set it up (not until I move in a month).
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May 11, 2011 12:01
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Chin Strap posted:Mainly listen to music, watch TV, a few movies and games. If music is high on your priority list, consider spending the lions share of your budget in front speakers. 2.0 is the best possible setup for music. 3.0 and 3.1 are for sources that utilize the center channel. Movies with surround sound do: generally their speech track is on the center channel. TV depends mostly on the channels you watch. Do they send stereo (2.0) or surround signal? Center channel is useless for TV if you only get 2.0 audio. Amazon sells decent enough speakers. Take a look at Polk, Klipsch, Infinity or Energy brands. We recommend you listen before committing because you're effectively buying an expensive set of items that last potentially a decade completely blind. That said, one example set from Amazon: Polk CS1 center channel speaker ~$80 Polk Monitor 60 floorstanding speakers ~$250 Denon AVR 591 5.1 receiver ~$275 + cables for aforementioned ~$10-20 extra, depending on what you need. 50 feet of 12ga speaker wire is $10 on Amazon. Banana plugs for 3 speakers are another $7,50 or so. Get these first. After listening to this setup for a while decide if you want a subwoofer. You can get one later on easily enough. Same with surround speakers: if you want them, it's easy enough to get a pair later on.
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May 11, 2011 12:11
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Hob_Gadling posted:If music is high on your priority list, consider spending the lions share of your budget in front speakers. 2.0 is the best possible setup for music. 3.0 and 3.1 are for sources that utilize the center channel. Movies with surround sound do: generally their speech track is on the center channel. TV depends mostly on the channels you watch. Do they send stereo (2.0) or surround signal? Center channel is useless for TV if you only get 2.0 audio. Thanks! Where am I going to find the different brands to listen to though? Would Best Buy have mots the major brands you are talking about? How am I really supposed to judge how much better one set sounds over another? I'll definitely blow most my budget on the 3.1 setup, as movies are tertiary to me so I see the surround sound aspect as more novelty than necessary.
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May 11, 2011 12:25
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Chin Strap posted:Thanks! Where am I going to find the different brands to listen to though? Would Best Buy have mots the major brands you are talking about? Actually yes, they seem to have a selection of speakers that should be large enough. I don't know how good listening facilities they have (small hi-fi shops often have a dedicated listening room) but anything is better than nothing. From the list of speaker brands that Best Buy has, try MartinLogan, Pioneer, Polk, Klipsch and Energy. They have the speakers jonathan mentioned on previous page, give them a spin. If you get the chance, try listening to B&W 683 speakers with a Marantz amplifier. That's my dream setup (well, I'd love a pair of 802Ds but they're way above my budget). AC/DC - Thunderstruck sounds just about perfect on that. If you want a setup for mostly music, you could take a look at their little brothers, 685s. quote:How am I really supposed to judge how much better one set sounds over another? With your heart, my dear friend, with your heart! Bring your own music and judge for yourself. If you can't hear any difference between two setups, get the cheaper one. You're getting a system for yourself; you are the best person alive to say whether something sounds good to you.
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May 11, 2011 13:24
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If I'm looking for a setup for a computer, should I just be looking for bookshelf speakers + woofer?
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May 11, 2011 14:50
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Gadamer posted:If I'm looking for a setup for a computer, should I just be looking for bookshelf speakers + woofer? Depends on what you want. I have 2 floorstanding speakers and an amplifier connected to my computer since at least 80% of my use is music. 2 bookshelfs + subwoofer is a perfectly valid setup also.
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May 11, 2011 20:51
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this summer i'm looking to upgrade my setup and i was looking at the infinity p363 series speakers for fronts. Anyone have any experience with them? or should i just get the polk 60's (or 70's) film_critic fucked around with this message at 21:15 on May 11, 2011 |
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May 11, 2011 21:13
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Crosspost from the quick audio questions megathread. I guess that thread isn't very popular? I'm buying a new house and it has a media room pre-wired for 5.1 surround sound in the ceiling. From what I've read online so far, it's seems like the consensus is that I can get away with the rear speakers in the ceiling but the front, center, and sub are better off not being in the ceiling. What's the A/V Arena verdict on this? And if in-ceiling is satisfactory, am I losing out in getting Monoprice speakers like these as opposed to something like these?
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May 11, 2011 21:24
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B1axident posted:I'm looking into getting my first real home audio system and I'm pretty much decided on the Onkyo TX-NR609. Will be great to know how it all sounds when it's set up. Sounds great! I was worried there wouldn't be enough bass, but it's plenty for my small apartment living room. Only downside is that my TV now looks small compared to everything else in the room. I'm not exactly an audiophile, but I'm glad I'm no longer using the TV speakers.
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May 11, 2011 21:59
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I'm crossposting this from the A/V setup, because it's more of just an A/V porn thread. I'm trying to decide how to setup my home theater in my new apartment. I see two possibilities mainly, but drat is 7.1 annoying to setup. I think this not to scale picture I drew would be the best option for wiring and the theater design, but maybe not for the use of the room. I liked having my cable modem, router, and switch on my TV stand like I did in my last apartment so I could network my 360, PS3, and computer together. I think I might drill a hole through that right wall and run a cable into my roommates room and then do one more ghetto from his room to mine. The only coax jack is on that 10'6" wall so I'd put a rug where that lower right entrance is and run the cable under it along with that lower on-wall speaker cable, and the speakers on the stands. I don't know what to do about the cables that would be going to those ones on the stands though. Something to cover them up? There would also be a speaker wire running up the wall to the side speakers. Last time I didn't have a problem because there was a porch door and window that they ran against so you couldn't see them. Putting those on stands wouldn't really leave much room to walk there and people are already going to have to watch their head I think. Right now I only have the one couch, but I was thinking of getting another and putting it along that top wall. The 6'5" viewing distance I calculated for my 50" TV doesn't leave much room for another couch though especially in this setup. If the room is 20 feet and the couch is only at most 10 feet total from the wall, it seems kind of silly to have half the room empty. The other option would be to put the TV along that 10'6" wall. After making this picture, I'm actually starting to think that's a better option. What do you guys think? Any tips on what to do with cables? 
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May 12, 2011 00:16
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jmoney posted:I'm buying a new house and it has a media room pre-wired for 5.1 surround sound in the ceiling. From what I've read online so far, it's seems like the consensus is that I can get away with the rear speakers in the ceiling but the front, center, and sub are better off not being in the ceiling. What's the A/V Arena verdict on this? Agree. The conventional wisdom is that you want to place center speaker either behind the picture (if you have a silver screen that allows it) or right below it. The reason for this is the fact that it sends out very directional audio; the effect of seeing someone speak but hearing their voice come out somewhere else is strange and distracting. Since it's recommended to place your front speakers on (roughly) the same level as your center, mounting them in the ceiling is usually out. It's not nearly as bad as ceiling-mounted center, though. Rears are only for ambient effects. As long as they're symmetrically placed it doesn't really matter how high or low they are. Bullet bouncing off the roof creates as much ambience as bullet bouncing off the floor. As to losing out, it's hard to see. Generally speaking you can get by with very modest surround speakers since there's so little audio coming out of them. I use personally surrounds which cost about $50 for the pair and am completely happy with them.
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May 12, 2011 07:43
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