5.1 Home Theater, with all In-Ceiling Speakers?

[r3dline]

Alright, check this out people. A buddy of mine and his dad are wanting to put a decent home theater in their basement. I forget the exact dimensions, but it was something like 50 x 30 feet. A rather large room...

Anyway, they want a nice rear projector HDTV and 5.1 surround. His dad, however wants the two front mains mounting in the ceiling...and two rears mounted in the ceiling, and the center sitting above the TV...with a sub sitting on the floor...

I, personally, told him (in kinder words) he was crazy, and that with a room that big he would want some towers to direct the sound outward from the front. Not to mention that if the two front mains are sitting up in the ceiling and the center is sitting down lower, isn't that going to sound awfully funning when something moves across the screen, dipping in the middle and then coming back up?

I ALSO figured that there would be no way he's going to get the full sound that he could get from towers as the mains.

But what do I know? That's why I ask you folk.

What does everybody think of this? Will the in-ceilings work for all 4 channels with the center on top of the TV?

If so, any suggestions on in-wall speakers? The local shop (which sells Klipsch, Polk, and such) suggested Pardigm in-walls. Any ideas?

Please help. Thanks.

[wasch_24]

First off I really like your signature kinda' like CYA.

If he is willing to cut a hole in the ceiling why not just cut a hole in the wall on the left and right of the TV facing the viewing area. If there is an entertainment center there then he should get bookshelf-sized speakers and put them in the Ent. Center. Sometimes we have no other option for the rears and surrounds to be put in the ceiling. But I'm pretty sure that putting the fronts in the ceiling would sound absolutely dreadful. Granted he may not notice because it's better than the TV speakers-maybe, but as the saying goes if you can't do it right then it's not worth doing (or something like that).

Also, I'm not sure that in-wall speakers will sufficiently fill a room that large.

Personally I had to mount my surrounds on the ceiling, I really didn't want to. Ya know what though, it actually sounds pretty good like that. Especially if it's raining in the scene or something is flying overhead. Granted, ear level effects are kind strange but you really don't notice after a while.

[Bryan]

Would on-wall speakers suffice, such as something from Magnepan? Uncertain of in-walls or in-ceiling speakers.

[poneal]

I think he will be fine with in ceiling or in wall. He may have to add an extra pair of surrounds with that size but probably not. Many companies offer these types of speakers w/sound quite good IMO. For some reason, many think that in ceiling/wall speakers should be shunned but this just isn't so.

[nightflier]

If you do have to use in-wall speakers, make sure you don't buy the least expensive ones. You want the kind that you can adjust to point in a certain direction. This is particularly usefull for rear speakers as your will want to adjust them to give you the best surround effects for your listening position.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

For some reason, many think that in ceiling/wall speakers should be shunned but this just isn't so.

I disagree for many reason. I just name a few.

1. In ceiling speakers are terrible for imaging width and depth. Our ears are designed to process information better in the horizontal plane. As the sound gets higher above our heads, Head related transfer distortions start to appear, fogging up imaging. Also pans will not be smooth if their are profound height differences between the L/R speakers and the center.

2. A 30'x50' room is the size of my old screening/mixing room. I know of no in ceiling speaker that will be able to fill this size room full of even moderate sound without distorting on peak levels. This room will require 3 subs just to hold down the bass department. Even THX certified in walls will not be sufficient for this size room.

3. In wall/in ceiling speakers are more suitable for house wide easy listening environments. They are not REALLY designed for serious critical listening. Also it is not a good practice to have a huge distance between the subs, and the main speakers as you would in a in ceiling/in wall mains, and floor sitting subs setup. It prevents a smooth transition to the sub from the mains.

This are just a few reason why they should be shunned, especially in this particular setup.

[AVMASTER]

if in-ceiling mounting is the ONLY option, i'd use :
Speakercraft AIM series
Niles DS series
or all five channels with KEF ci200.2qt
The best solution would be towers up front with matching center and sub( possibly twins for that size room ) and 2 pair of either the Speakercraft or Niles in-ceiling for surround.
If in-wall is the route he'd perfer, i'd look for 3-way with adjustable tweeter and back enclosure for fronts and matching center (as big as possible ). Keep this in mind, how in-wall/ceiling speakers will sound can only be known AFTER their in place

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Geys
This room is 30'x50' , do any of you realize how much power is going to be needed. Does anyone realize that he needs speakers with an extremely wide dispersion pattern, or is going to need alot of speakers for coverage in that room. This room is the size of a small theater, it will require either a single or dual 18" subs with about 600-800wpc, to get good clean sound, and have some headroom for peaks.

Even if the gentlemen was to partition off a little space, the speakers and sub will "see" the whole room. I know of no in wall/in ceiling speaker that can output the amount of sound needed to fill this room. You would probably burn up the speaker during peaks.

In this particular installation, in walls/ceilings just don't work unless he is willing to use alot of them.