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House renovation: Help with 3.1(.2) vs 5.1(.2) vs soundbar

Hi all, I'm renovating our new house where we have a pretty 'special' area where we'll place the TV (LG 65 SK8500). It's a family room in the middle of the house, 3 stairs above the living room, and 6 stairs below the bedrooms. Notice there are three levels of ceilings in that area. I'm attaching some photos and the floor plan. We're spending lots of money on silly decorative stuff the wife insists on, but at least it gives me an excuse for spending a nice amount on home cinema. I also need to make decisions now, while it's still easy to crack up the walls open and move cables around.

I always dreamt of 5.1, but then I realized there won't be room for rear speakers, and even the side speakers might be too close. I then thought of buying a soundbar such as Sonos arc + sub or Yamaha ysp 2700 based on recommendations I saw. But now I saw some discussions regarding 3.1(.2) separates vs soundbar which really got me confused. I watch Netflix and my LG supports Atmos so I'd like an Atmos support if that's possible for my space as well (is it really that good?..). I also feel like moving wires around is old-fashioned so I tend to prefer wifi/ethernet based system but it's not a must. 

What do you think will give the best experience? In the case of 3.1, I can place the center below the TV (on a shelf in a cabin), and the sides can either be bookshelf speakers on the cabin sides (the cabin is 2 meters long), or they can be wall mounted on the wall and the pillar. I thought that atmos speakers could be mounted on the lower/upper ceiling above the tv/sofa respectively. I'm a real noob so let me know if I'm missing something. 

Room photos:
https://ibb.co/S6ttGfh
https://ibb.co/xSKj5PG
https://ibb.co/gt3jLjG
https://ibb.co/yWy0y9p
https://ibb.co/d2y6t7B

thenoob1
mahler123
3,357 posts
 
Why not do in wall speakers for rears and then you can have a 5.1?Rear speakers are mainly to provide ambience, and this is the ideal time to install them as you have noted since the walls are open.  They won’t take up any floor space.  They can be painted over to match any decor.
  I would get all the speakers from the same company so you get the best match, so I would concentrate on companies that offer both in walls and conventional speakers.  Mine are from Parasound.
  This is also the perfect time to Ethernet wire the home, so I sincerely hope that you are taking advantage of that
mahler123
3,357 posts
 
Regarding the rest of your post, you want the center speaker as close to listening seat ear level as possible.  I personally don’t have experience with Atmos, but consider in walls again here, this time in the fronts, with the drivers angled to produce the desired reflections.  Again, they don’t take floor space, and this is the ideal time to install unobtrusive wires, so take full advantage 
cissado
113 posts
 
If you run the in-ceiling speaker wires for the rear speakers, and you don't use them, it won't be a big loss. I suggest you do that and agree with a 5.1 system. It looks like a difficult space for it though.  Have the 2 surround speakers there in case. The 3 front speakers don't need prewiring. You need to decide between a 2 channel system and 5.1 at this point because the electronics you buy will dictate this. You can try 2 speakers and see if you like it in the space. If you want more, just hook up the rear in ceiling surrounds and a center channel at a later date.. If you decide anything higher than 2 channel, it might as well be 11 channel. That's just how the AV receivers come now. 

I have a 5.1 system and enjoy it very much. I also have in ceiling surround speakers but I have 8 foot ceilings. 


cissado
113 posts
 
Upon closer inspection of the pics, those rear surrounds will be difficult to place. If you can get cables to where you need them before construction is complete, I suggest doing it. Nothing else in terms of speaker wire for now.

The soundbar doesn’t look promising with that difficult space either, but I don’t know too much about how they work.

It looks like a nice 2 channel might be good for you. It’s a tough spot, good luck. Please let us know how it goes.

thenoob1 OP
3 posts
 
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the help! I’m attaching a visualization of the TV cabinet. I’m also adding a photo with the dimensions with respect to my head location: 3.3m to the TV and 2.5m below the ceiling.

I’m having a hard time to follow your suggestion for 5.1. How can I place the rear speakers given the sofa is touching the wall behind? It would mean they are 30-40cm behind my or my movie-partner's head if we're sitting at the corner. Isn’t it too close?

Also, regarding the left and right speakers -- does it make sense to place them as I’ve drawn (pillar and wall)? Or placing them on the cabinet is better? And regarding two atmos speakers in case of 3.1.2 -- does it make sense to place them as I’ve drawn, 2.5m above my head?

Markings and cabinet:
https://ibb.co/rc4WpCg
https://ibb.co/9yKC7x6


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