Well guys, the time has arrived for me to throw down my hard earned cash and finally get my home theater started. I feel like I've been on this and other forums forever (read:lurking) doing too much reading and too much planning (as if there is such a notion). My girlfriend thinks I'm a crazy obsessed geek and I think I agree with her. But, I would like some of you who are much smarter than me on this audio/visual stuff to take a look if you have time and see if I've missed anything or if you have any better ideas.
To follow along please see the jpg diagrams and photos in th HT folder at:
http://community.webshots.com/album/109804667bgmVCV
(Photos should be live within 30 min)
Anyhow, my room is approx. 17.75'x24.5' with walled areas in two corners (one is a storage area/stairs other is reserved for a bathroom), leaving me with a main area of 24.5x12.5-ish. There is a big built-in in front that I am removing. There is also a 3'7" wide low part of the ceiling that houses some pipes and vents. The ceiling is finished with a office-type foam rectangle deal. Also, there is a 5.5"x5" wood post and a metal 3" pole located alongside the seating areas. I will have a couch, loveseat, and chair with ottoman to shuffle around.
Equipment:
Projector (either Panny AE700, Tosh MT700, or BenQ 7700 most likely)
DIY 96-100" Screen
Asend CBM-170s x 4, CMT-340C
SVS PB10-ISD
Harman Kardon AVR-435 (depending on the price I can find)
Other stuff DVD/Xbox/PC etc.
Since this is the wonderful audio forum, I am really asking for help in placing the speakers. I tried to plan it so the fronts can image well for as many seats as possible (3ft forward and 2ft from the side walls). I employed the "golden triangle" rule (1-1-1)...I hope that was a correct way to go. I will upgrade to 7.1 eventually but the side surrounds will be doing 5.1 duty for now (few months). I have no idea where the sub will go. I am also curious if the 170s with the PB10 will be fine in a room this size, I am assuming yes.
I am having a hard time deciding where to place the rears to best fit the room & provide the best sound. I'm thinking a few feet above the listeners on the wall (omnimount?), and for the surround backs a ceiling option would be fine b/c the ceiling light foam blocks that pop upwards (if that makes sense) and I can cut them easily. I am just not sure what distance would be best for the 4 surrounds. I'd like to get the surround backs as far back as possible (back wall) for 7ch stereo while playing darts, but the HK-435 manual says no more than 6 feet. DOH! And the for the side surrounds I'm not sure how close to the seating to put them and how wide to place them (See diagram).
Anyhow, if anyone can shed some light on what I should do, and what would be best, I would greatly appreciate it. I want to do this right the first time.
Thanks a ton,
Jon O.
PS: wow I wrote a lot, sorry - and there was a lot of questions in there. Do I need to write an outline? heh.