7.1 speaker placment

[Aztec Pilot]

Hi Guys,

I am finishing up a basement theater. The theater is a rectangle with 3 walls . It is 14' wide with a 136" screen. and goes back 22'. There is no back wall. just a boundary where the theater carpet transitions to tile. I have a Onkyo SR606 receiver with 7 speakers. I have 4 floor stands and can get two more. The ceiling is a drop ceiling 2x2 accousitcal tile. 8' high.

I plan on having the center channel under the screen. The two fronts about 3' up on stands on both sides of the screen. The Sub about three feet in front of the screen, off to the left side. The sides at 100 degrees from the center of the seating area, on the wall at about 5'.

My problem is with the rear surrounds. If I place them in the back of the room, I have two options. Mount on the walls and angle them towards the center. Mount them on stands and place behind the furniture. I fear the latter would immerse the people sitting in that location with to much rear surround. If I put the speakers on stands about 3 ft behind the seating area, which i think is recommended, my kids will constantly knock them over.

I think my ideal location would be at the back of the room mounted from the ceiling at 7', angled down slightly. That would require an drop mount of 2' (approx) I can not find any.

Anybody here have any suggestions to make this room work??

[Cholly]

If you are going 7.1, the rears could be wall mounted 2 to 3 feet above ear level, and the two center surrounds ceiling mounted. Since you have a suspended ceiling, you'd have to come up with some means of hanging the mounts. One source of speaker mounts would be www.partsexpress.com -- I'd be inclined to think you could use 1/2" iron or steel pipe as a downrod, and a floor flange to which the speaker mount could then be attached.

[machavez00]

Dolby has an interactive setup guide.
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/home_entertainment/speaker-setup-guide/index.html

[spartanstew]

As you mentioned, your best bet is to mount them to the ceiling behind the seating area (4' - 8' back) and angle them slightly. I don't know of any specific mounts for that, but don't be afraid to get creative.

One other thing worth mentioning is your center channel. Do you have multiple rows of seating? Do you have a coffee table or anything else that's between the screen and the seating? I've found that it's better to mount the center channel above the screen and angle it down towards the seating area. This way it has a clear shot to the listeners and isn't blocked by other furniture or people. I'm assuming with 22' of depth that you have at least two rows of seating? Are you using a riser?

[Aztec Pilot]

One other thing worth mentioning is your center channel. Do you have multiple rows of seating? Do you have a coffee table or anything else that's between the screen and the seating? I've found that it's better to mount the center channel above the screen and angle it down towards the seating area. This way it has a clear shot to the listeners and isn't blocked by other furniture or people. I'm assuming with 22' of depth that you have at least two rows of seating? Are you using a riser?

No risers are planned. I plan on having a love seat in the back. With some chairs or Lazy Boys around the sides. Total seating 6 - 8 with nothing in the way of the enter speaker. Though, I may, now, mount it above. Great idea...

[Aztec Pilot]

Dolby has an interactive setup guide.
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/home_entertainment/speaker-setup-guide/index.html

That is a great link.

Now if I could find a ceiling mount to get it done!!!

[Aztec Pilot]

I wonder, if I mounted the floor stands upside down and bolted them to the floor joists, with the tube extending thru the ceiling???

Would speaker vibration be an issue???

[Cholly]

It shouldn't be an issue, but you might want to look into suspended ceiling light fixture mount bars. These mount between two cross tees, and have a threaded adapter for a fixture or extensions. You might want to check with a lighting supply house.