Tiny Theater: Which Ascends are the right choice?

[stretch002]

Cross posting from AVS Forums as I'm super excited to get your recommendations.

Hello everyone,
Thank you in advance for any help or insight you can provide. I have decided that Ascend speakers are right for me but I’m not sure which ones I should use based on my HT size and usage. Here are the particulars:

- Small dedicated room for home theater (11’ Wide, 12’ Deep with 9’ Ceilings)
- Room has one three foot opening on the rear left side. This is an arch which will have velvet for light control but the opening cannot be closed with a door etc.
- Single row of three seats positioned between 8’or 9’ away
- Building a baffle wall so I can use an AT Screen with the new Ascend speakers
-
Usage: 50% Video games (Xbox One/PS4), 25% Netflix/Streaming, 25% BluRay movies

Currently using Mirage OMD-15/OMD-5/OMD-C1 in a different and bigger room with two Hsu Subs. My intention is keep the subs and possibly use the Omni-polar OMD-5’s for surround duty. Want to choose my new speakers before building the baffle wall so I can save as much space as possible behind the screen. SO the bigger the speaker (340/Sierra) the smaller screen I will have to choose. That’s why I’m considering the 200’s as LCR.

My ideas:
1. HTM-200 for L/C/R and side surrounds or use a pair as Heights if I keep my OMD-5’s.
2. 340CMT C with 170’s L/R and HTM-200 for surrounds/Heights
3. 340CMT L/C/R and 200’s for Surround/Heights
4. Sierra 1 L/C/R with HTM-200’s as surround/Heights

What do you think or recommend? I have acoustic panels to help with reflections in my tiny room. Due to physical limitations I am unable to audition the speakers in person. Hooking them up and removing them later will be tough on me so I’d like to get it right the first time. Thanks so much for any guidance you can provide.

[curtis]

Quick question, and it just may be my ignorance, but if it is an AT (acoustically transparent) screen, I don't see how speaker size that affects the screen size since the speakers are behind the screen.

What am I missing?

[stretch002]

Quick question, and it just may be my ignorance, but if it is an AT (acoustically transparent) screen, I don't see how speaker size that affects the screen size since the speakers are behind the screen.

What am I missing?

Sorry for not being clear. The depth of the baffle wall will be built to match the depth of the speaker. An htm-200 with a depth of 6" saves me at least 4-6" in baffle wall depth vs the 340 at 10" depth due to the 4" difference in physical size and an additional few inches due to needing room for the port. My seating cannot be moved further back so if I need a deeper baffle wall for the larger speakers then my viewing distance to the screen is impacted. So an htm-200 system gives me a 100" screen at that viewing distance where as a 340/Sierra means I have about a foot less viewing distance so I need a smaller screen like a 90". So I'm debating on whether the bigger screen with 200's will be better in my room than a slightly smaller screen with 340's or Sierra's. Hope that makes sense.

Thanks again for your help!

[curtis]

Got it!

I would take the 340's and the 90" screen. The 340's and 200's have pretty much the same tweeter, and I think the combo would make a great HT setup with your Hsu's.

[curtis]

Are you also accounting for rear ports vs sealed?

[stretch002]

Are you also accounting for rear ports vs sealed?

I was thinking of leaving about 2" for the ports. Since it's only HT duty and I have dual subs I'm planning on crossing over at 80 so hopefully the ports won't engage much. I thought I read about a plug I could purchase to use with the 40's or Sierras. So my baffle wall would be 12" deep and I'd put the speakers behind it. Does that seem realistic? Should I ditch the AT screen and get a regular one and mount the speakers above and to the sides to preserve the larger screen? Or is the improvement of using an AT screen drastically better? Would 340's as LCR be a huge improvement over using the 200's as LCR? Budget is not an issue but I'd like to be sure I can get the best sound and biggest screen my tiny room will allow. Thanks again for your help!

[muzz]

With 11' wide you could just go on the sides/front of the screen and push it all the way back instead of having an AT screen(without speakers being in the pic at 100").
What projector do you have? I'm looking for throw distance.
I personally would go with full size mains(Sierra/340/S2, etc..) if at all possible, and 11' wide can give you a very large diagonal screen if you have a short throw lens that is capable.
Are there bass traps taking up the corners?

[stretch002]

Thanks so much for the help. It is really helping me!

I am using the Sony hw50es as a projector and it does a terrific job creating a large screen with a short throw. Given my room size it will be very easy to create a 100" 16:9 screen with a 12' throw distance. After thinking a lot about this I guess my question really boils down to two things:

1. Is the 340 a night and day difference over the 200 for home theater and gaming at medium volume levels in a tiny room?

2. Is the sound a LOT better using an AT screen vs mounting on side walls and above the screen?

So many things to think about! Thanks so much for helping me figure this out.

[muzz]

Isn't the entire length of the room 12'? If so, Projector central calculator shows 10' throw @ 1.51Zoom= 99" Diagonal, if you get 10' 1" you should have 100".
The Sony specs say the HW50ES is 18.263" deep, with cabling in the rear, you should still be able to get 100"......
100" Diagonal @ 16:9 is 87" wide( and 49" tall), 11'W room is 132" wide, so you should be able to keep the speakers out to the side of the screen, as you will have 22.5" on each side of the screen....although they will be forward of the screen, so you may get some reflection.
I guess it depends on what you really need/want, a completely clear floor up front with the speakers behind an AT screen that is 89" at 9' throw(1' behind screen), or a 100" screen, with speakers up front.
Where is your sub going again, and is there a stage already built?

[stretch002]

Thanks to the good advice here I have decided to forgo the AT screen and instead mount the speakers to the sides/above the screen. Great discussion! Thanks for helping me work through it!

I was going to buy either the 340's or Sierra's but am actually going to look into other brands due to the moderators over at AVS Forums. They have REALLY upset me and so I am making sure to purchase from companies who do not advertise there. Since I am building a whole new theater, AVS has cost its sponsors at least $10,000 or more in business. Its not Ascend's fault, but AVS needs to pull it's head out of its a$$.

In case your wondering what I did: I was selling my old speakers and bumped the classifieds thread (which was over a month old and on page ten). I received an "infraction" and two more for complaining about it.

Thanks again for the great advice! I hope you all enjoy the amazing speakers and fun hobby we all share!

[curtis]

FWIW....Ascend does not advertise on AVS.

[stretch002]

Oh wow! Hooray! I learned about Ascend over there and am REALLY happy to hear Ascend doesn't advertise with them. I'm a person who takes action and votes with my wallet so I was sad about having to choose something else. Now I don't have too! Thanks Curtis!

So I am now back to choosing between the 340's and the Sierra's. Since I'm mounting to the sides and top, I don't have to worry about speaker size or depth. Will the Sierra's sound significantly better for Home Theater and Gaming versus the 340's? I don't imagine I'll ever sit in there and listen to music but of course every movie and game has lots of it. I tend to listen at low volumes and the room will be acoustically treated. Most important to me is: enveloping and engaging sound with a large soundstage and good detail. What do you think?

[curtis]

For home theater and gaming, I would go with the 340's and put the saved money into subwoofers.

FWIW....Ascend doesn't advertise anywhere that I know of.

[stretch002]

Thanks again for the recommendations! I'll be ordering 340's LCR and 200's for surround today! So Excited! Any clue how to mount the 340 center speaker? I've seen L brackets mentioned but I'd like to angle the speaker down towards the listening position. I'm using BT77 mounts for the sides as I've seen a post or two with those. What do you recommend?

[Mag_Neato]

Thanks again for the recommendations! I'll be ordering 340's LCR and 200's for surround today! So Excited! Any clue how to mount the 340 center speaker? I've seen L brackets mentioned but I'd like to angle the speaker down towards the listening position. I'm using BT77 mounts for the sides as I've seen a post or two with those. What do you recommend?

Just doing a quick search I found one that looks pretty sturdy, though a little pricey, but you are saving some cash going with the 340's over the Sierra's.....

http://www.zzounds.com/item--KRKSTDX68A1?siid=124815&gclid=CJe6-__f38MCFe_m7AodihMA0w

[davef]

Oh wow! Hooray! I learned about Ascend over there and am REALLY happy to hear Ascend doesn't advertise with them. I'm a person who takes action and votes with my wallet so I was sad about having to choose something else. Now I don't have too! Thanks Curtis!

FWIW, Curtis is correct -- we don't advertise at AVS or anywhere else :)

[stretch002]

placed my order today for 340's LCR and 200's for surrounds as recommended by everyone. Thanks again for your help. I'll post my thoughts after I get them all set up in my new theater. I'd guess it will take me a few weeks. Fun stuff!! Thanks again for the recommendations and enthusiaism!!