340's and kids - what do you suggest?

[Derek]

Hi Guys,

It has been awhile since I've posted here, mostly because I've been too busy enjoying my great sounding speakers! However life changes and now I have a dilemma so I though what better place than here to ask for advice.

The room where my 340's used to live is now a family/play room. I say "used to live" because I was worried about the speakers tipping over. The stands were already filled with sand, but unless they are physically bolted to the floor (not going to happen), tipping them over is still a possibility, even if very remote. So I have removed the speakers and are currently using the tv's speakers for the left and right channels. I still use a 340c above the tv for the center channel. As I'm sure you could guess, this setup sucks.

A little ad on avsforum for orb speakers caught my eye and got me thinking - what can I replace the 340's with that is small, safe (meaning mounted up out of the way) and not super expensive? These speakers would be in a 6.1 home theater setup that is used only for tv/movies. I've ruled out orbs because their freq. response kind of sucks.

The obvious solution to my problem would be to get rid of the kids (and perhaps the wife) but I don't think that will fly (and will ultimately cost a LOT more). :D

My first choice would be to install in ceiling speakers for the left and right channels. I already have in ceiling proficient c660's for the surround speakers, and they work great in that role, but how would they work for the main channels? They are angled so that the sound is directed more towards you, not straight down. What about the center channel as well?

I'm kind of wishing I didn't sell my 200's. They might be perfect for this solution. What about the 340's? Any ideas for those?

Anyone think of an option I missed?

Thanks for your advice!

Derek

[Quinn]

Anyone think of an option I missed?

Thanks for your advice!

Derek

Sell the 340 and wall mount a pair of 170SEs.

[Gov]

You can wall mount the 340's using a B-Tech BT-77 mount. I did this and I know some other Ascend owners have as well. Although this is not ideal, it will work especially if you run them "small" crossed over to a sub. If you do a search on this forum, you can dig up the old threads on this.

[Derek]

Good thoughts, but I don't want to mount 340's or 170's on the wall. 200's would be about as big as I'd want to wall mount.

[curtis]

How old are your kids?

It would take a fair amount of rough play to knock them over if filled with sand. If the kids are capable of running into them and knocking them over even if filled with sand, I would worry about the TV too.

[Derek]

A little over a year. The tv is a crt rp and is very stable. I'm not worried about that.

One of the issues I see with the 340's is the flimsy piece of cardboard used to secure the 340 to the stand. I've been thinking of replacing it with a piece of aluminum or plywood, but it still won't prevent them from tipping over.

If I can get a speaker up on the wall, then it eliminates the problem of tipping over, plus there won't be any fingers poked though grills/cones/etc.

[curtis]

A little over a year. The tv is a crt rp and is very stable. I'm not worried about that.

Not tipping the TV over, but about pushing the screen itself. If child can generate enough force to knock over the 50+lbs stand, he can certainly damage the screen.

I understand your concern, here's is my thought, your 1 yr. old is probably no more than 15lbs, it is going to take at least a couple of more years before he/she can generate enough leverage to knock over the 50 lbs stand.

I have a 9 year old and 7 year old, and the speakers have never been an issue, but I make sure I do not do anything to make them interested in them, they still do not know the grilles come off. The kids have always had speakers in the house, so maybe they think nothing of them.

What about some kind of screen/barrier in front of the speakers/TV/electronics? I have seen that before.

Oh, and congrats on the kid!

[audibleconnoisseur]

ensure them if they cross this moat they will suffer a painful experience or have to get a job! :eek:

tough call! If you are handy, the 340 only need a minimum of 6-8" clearance to perform pretty well. try an L or triangle brace at a stud so it is sturdy and build a simple platform for them, place them up and sit them on the platform so they can sit level and steady. this would allow you to keep what you have and get them mounted higher although they would stick out a bit.

other option i know you have touched on is getting another pair of 200's and mounting them INSIDE the wall so they are flush with the wall or using wall mounts. i have a pair that I can't use now so if you need them I can offer to resell them to you and ship if you wish and Dave F. is ok with me doing so. Simply the same price and shipping I paid is what I will request.

let us know if you were able to get them up or what job your kids qualified for!

[Derek]

Thanks Curtis!

She has banged on the screen lots of times, but it is flexible enough to deal with it. Besides the tv is 6+ years old it I wouldn't be sad if if needed to be replaced... :)

I don't know about your kids, but mine is 32+ lbs (she's huge) and very strong. Pushing over the speaker would not be a problem for her if she thinks it might be fun.

9 and 7 year olds are probably a lot easier to deal with because they can understand you!

I've thought about a fence around the tv before, but we are afraid it would take up a good amount of extra space in an smallish room.

All good ideas, though!

[Derek]

audible,

I like the moat idea!

Flush mounting anything in these walls would be a major pain in the butt. I wouldn't mind putting in wall speakers there, but the construction of the house makes if very tough. It is a concrete block house with only about ~1.5" of space between the sheetrock and the blocks. I'd have to bust a hole in the block in order to mount them.

Also, the area where the center channel would go is solid concrete. :(

[curtis]

I don't know about your kids, but mine is 32+ lbs (she's huge) and very strong. Pushing over the speaker would not be a problem for her if she thinks it might be fun.

Yeah...I was way off on my weight figure...what was I thinking! :)

[kinggimp82]

are you afraid she will knock the whole stand over or just knock the speaker off the stand?

[Derek]

are you afraid she will knock the whole stand over or just knock the speaker off the stand?

Either scenario is unacceptable.

[kinggimp82]

Either scenario is unacceptable.

i was wondering if the stand is real solid and the speaker just slides around if pushed?

[FibreKid]

I have had my Ascends for about 2 years now and I have a 4 yr old little boy. We have an entertainment center with a rear projection dlp and the 340s for left and right to the sides of the entertainent center. The speaker on the left is also sitting on my sub. Up until last December I had a plastic fence in front of the entertainment center that wrapped around the speakers. (Toys R Us i think) It didn't look the best but it was only about 20 months and I was able to keep the speakers. My Sub is also down firing for the obvious reason :-)

[Derek]

i was wondering if the stand is real solid and the speaker just slides around if pushed?

The stand is pretty solid because of the sand, but the speaker can move around on it because of the way they are mounted together. That was why I was toying with the idea of replacing the cardboard strap with something stronger.

However, once the speaker is more firmly attached to the stand might make it easier to tip over.

[Derek]

I have had my Ascends for about 2 years now and I have a 4 yr old little boy. We have an entertainment center with a rear projection dlp and the 340s for left and right to the sides of the entertainent center. The speaker on the left is also sitting on my sub. Up until last December I had a plastic fence in front of the entertainment center that wrapped around the speakers. (Toys R Us i think) It didn't look the best but it was only about 20 months and I was able to keep the speakers. My Sub is also down firing for the obvious reason :-)

I've seen these fences there. Initially we tried this but due to the layout of the room, it blocked a doorway and made it difficult to walk around the room.

[Derek]

I did an experiment this morning with my three in-ceiling surround speakers where I hooked them up to be the left, center and right channels and watched some movies.

The left and right channels sounded pretty good. It wasn't obvious that the sound was coming from above. The center speaker in the ceiling was much worse, though. You could definitely tell the voices were coming from the ceiling. Additionally, the dialog wasn't as clear as it is with the 340c, but I would have expected that. I didn't try any music as we only use this system for tv and movies.

So it looks like my best (and probably least expensive) option will be to get two more proficient c660 in-ceiling speakers and use them as my left and right channels. As an added benefit, I can now place the left speaker further away from the tv and hopefully improve the imaging some. The ideal spot for the left speaker would be in the middle of a doorway, so I've had to place both front channels right next to the tv.

I'll try my 340c with the in-ceiling speaker to start with and see how closely it matches sound-wise. Proficient makes a center channel to go with their in-ceiling stuff, but it probably isn't anywhere near as good as the 340c.

Anyone interested in a pair of 340's and stands?

[Classpro]

Rather than a moat, how about an electric fence and a shock collar around the kids' necks?

Unfortunately, ceiling speakers for fronts would not do it for me. No imaging at all. You might be satisfied for movies, but music would be terrible.

My kid (now 7) has never harmed speakers. But until they are old enough to understand "don't touch the speakers or you're dead," there is a risk.

[curtis]

My kid (now 7) has never harmed speakers. But until they are old enough to understand "don't touch the speakers or you're dead," there is a risk.
For me, I think it helps a lot that when we are all in the same room with the audio equipment, that I don't make a big deal out of any of it.

The most interest that my kids have are how to turn it on, changed between the DVD or STB, and the volume.

[BGHD]

Have 340SEs + tp24 stands, 50lb sand each, 3 yo and 1 mo. No problems at all. Initially, I considered wall-mounted 170s for L/R for kids/safety too, but am glad I went w/ the 340s.

A metal brace for the back of the 340 seems like a good idea + maybe some earthquake putty. Otherwise, personally I'd go w/ wall-mounted 200s over in-wall/ceilings. But I can't picture your room/setup and have never really heard inwall/ceilings used as mains, so I hope it works for you.