Just bought myself a new AV Amp and speaker system for the lounge to go with my existing 42" plasma, SkyHD and blu-ray player

a Onkyo TX-NR609 Amp
and Boston Acoustics Soundware XS 5.1 Both of them getting 5star reviews from What-Hi-Fi

Is my plan correct for placement of speakers

Should I place the Centre Speaker on the shelf below the TV or fixed to the wall near 'd' behind but central which is were I will most like place the subwoofer box on the floor

Side speakers will be on stands as there is a window to the right so i can not fix it to a wall bracket

Rear surround speakers are going e & f

This should be a pdf layout of my lounge

Its 7.2 surround so I have the option to add a 2nd subwoofer and a extra set of surround sound speakers, but i don't think my room will be large enough Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

How many ears do you have

I built a system a few years back and use the similar but older Onkyo TX-SR506 Amp. You will have realised by now that no one (unless they have a games room ) has what you could say as a 'perfect set up' with the double seat sofa facing a TV with the speakers either side and to the rear. I found the centre speaker (speech) worked best sited just forward of the TV base. Your left and right are fine (but in theory should be wider away from the TV) but the rear left and right should be behind you for the perfect 'helicopter flypast '. Also think your sub would be better away from the TV in the other options areas - your supposed to experiment with it's position trying different areas to see which gets the best effect.
As I said above very few have the perfect room but once it's set up you'll be impressed for sure
Oh and don't skimp on speaker cable and run all your appliances through a multi gang surge/noise filter

two , but i like to hear where the shots are coming from when i am watching movies

i always thought my blu-ray surround sound system was good, until my brother bought a decent setup, though his 7.1 surround sound speakers alone cost more than my whole new setup and he spent another few hundred on his front speakers then aswell and his amp ontop

This will also make integrating my Sky, AppleTV a lot cleaner too with less wires running all over the place Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

what about people with 8m x 6m living rooms , two triple sofas and a 50 plasma  At work
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They have provided me with 30m of speaker cable at £4.50 per meter (according to the website i bought it from), optical leads, a decent subwoofer cable which will limit the distance it will be away from my tv, and a could more HDMI cables too

With my speakers been small, i need to obtain some small/thin floor stands stands and get some floor spikes to stand it all on too Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

How to get great sound from any setup

Click Hear

I'll try that if it sOunds the same once it's all setup  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Peter Kay once said how he had a surround sound system and it was in use when he was watching Coronation Street.

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I have an Onkyo TX-SR806 in my front room but in our cinema room we have a good old Yamaha DSP-A1. Unless you have a room totally clear of all obstructions which you won't in a normal room you will never get the perfect set up speaker wise.

My Onkyo comes with a microphone you need to use to position it in the room speaker by speaker to give the room you have the best sound quality, your's being a newer model should also have this. It is fidly but worth it.

In the front room we have the centre speaker on the top shelf of the rack in front of the TV. In the cinema room we have the Kef Reference 200 centre housed in a rack all of which is under the wall mounted screen. (Past) Freelander 2 HSE 2010 MY In Rimini Red.
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Last edited by The Valeter on 11th Oct 2011 11:33 pm. Edited 2 times in total

npinks wrote:

They have provided me with 30m of speaker cable at £4.50 per meter (according to the website i bought it from), optical leads, a decent subwoofer cable which will limit the distance it will be away from my tv, and a could more HDMI cables too

With my speakers been small, i need to obtain some small/thin floor stands stands and get some floor spikes to stand it all on too

The problem I see is that you have your screen in the corner of the room. Any chance you can put it either hung above the fire or on the wall opposite the window? That way you can set up the speakers in a much better way.

I would place the centre speaker just under your screen. Sub can go anywhere out of the way.

Luckily for me I have a 6m x 4.5m dedicated theatre room with a roof mounted projector and a 96" (2m wide) screen so I no longer have this sort of issue.

BTW: The cheapest I can see these speakers at are $800 (~£500). RIP OFF OZ!!
Probably why I am going to buy from elsewhere when I eventually upgrade my system. Which, however consists of a Denon amp as well - only problem, it's too good and is lasting ages! The bloody thing won't break so no reason to exchange it just yet Just missing an HDMI socket though so my Apple TV is plugged into the 46" LED TV in the family room.


PS: Unless you have all the money in the world to spend, then you aint going to have the best of everything.
Just get the best you can and at the price you want to spend is my philosophy, and to me it looks like you have chosen well.
Let us know how it goes

With the fire surround and the fact I use the fire I don't really want the tv above the fire place as it will be too high and too hot, unfortunately it's in it's best location were it is, with the size of the sofa and reclining chair been bought for another house and brought here it's suits the room but no other way round

On speaker cable I believe my brother was told very expensive cable makes no difference to untrained ears or if your producing records etc

For my setup I think £4pm will surfice, just need to work out running with my hard floors now  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

does anyone know if speaker cable is waterproof?

I can run speaker cable along the top of the skirting board, or in the D-Line Trunking (neater) to get it from TV to 'f'

My issue is getting from TV to 'e' as i have oak flooring in the lounge, have to get past the fireplace which the chimney protrudes out, then the white marble slightly curved hearth and the fire surround.

So i can't hide it under carpet, attach it to the hearth in thin D-line trunking due to it been curved, can't take it up and over the surround as that would look

So i was thinking, out though the wall at 'd' clipped outside (or in exterior cable tubing if not waterproof) and back in below 'e' and to the speaker height, (yet to be determined) this would be the easiest option.

Or take them all (2x twin cables) up the wall above 'd' fish the wires under the floorboards at 'f' & 'e' and down to speakers, but then i have cables going floor to ceiling in trucking behind the TV (ugly) got to get it past the coving (cheap polystyrene stuff done by the previous owner that looks ok until your up close) and down through said coving again at 'e' & 'f'

If your wondering my current surround are wireless wi-fi ones so i didn't have this problems  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

If you can wait until Friday, I can ask Siri on the iPhone 4S