Suggest me a 5.1.2 atmos setup for about 1.5L

[heatednemz]

Hi Members,

So as the title suggests, I'm in the market for a good atmos (5.1.2) setup that fits my budget. (Audio Only)
I move into a new home in about 6 months and I can finally have a home cinema setup that I have always wanted and this will be my first home theater setup.

I want to preface the post by saying that I haven’t yet auditioned anything and everything I write below is based on ‘internet research’. I'm no audiophile by any stretch of imagination and I am not chasing the perfect sound stage, but I do enjoy good movie immersion with boombastic bass, and that's the motivation for this purchase.



The Requirement :

• I want immersive audio for about 85% watching movies and 15% music. All of my content will be consumed on OTT with the occasional movie running on my Plex server.
• I want enough bass to be felt in the bones but it also has to be balanced and not overpowering everything else.
• Woofer has to be concealed into a custom built TV unit (Non negotiable by wife) but will have a mesh door
• All speakers will be wall mounted, none of them will be placed on a surface.
• I don't have the space for floor standing speakers, so it will have to be bookshelves.
• Sofa is flushed to the fall, so ideally non bulky surrounds speakers.
• Rear speakers have to be a little more subtle/smaller if possible, even if it means compromising on sound a little bit.
• Aesthetics are important to me, boxy looking speaks are not ideal, but its a compromise i’m willing to make.

The Room
My TV room is about 13 feet by 9 feet with a 10 feet ceiling. I have also attached an image to understand the layout.
The longer walls have a window and a door so I have 9 feet for viewing and seating.





So the diagram and its content are not to scale, but I want to bring attention to the surround speakers. If I mount them on the back wall instead of the side wall, they might protrude past my head. Instead I plan to mount them on the side walls facing the sofa. Is this okay?

The Front LR speakers and the Center speaker will be mounted at ear level, Center speaker will come under the TV (As of posting this, it will be a 65 inch Bravia 3 2024 model)

The red semi transparent dots are height/Ceiling speakers. I have to move them overhead the sofa instead of the midpoint between the tv and the viewer because of the fan and cassette AC obstruction. This is not ideal but its what I got to work with.

The Budget
Front (LR) - 30K
(C)enter - 25K
(S)urround LR - 20K
(W)oofer - 40K
AVR - 45K
Ceiling - 15K

This goes slightly above my budget and i would like to dial it back to 1.5 instead of 1.75 lakhs. 1.75L is the hard limit on what i'm willing to spend.
I've mostly decided on the Height speakers to be the JBL 6IC and the AVR to be the Denon S760H.


The Short List
So it comes down to the 5.1 then, here my options and thoughts :
LR = Front Left, right , C = Center, SLR = Surround Speakers, W = Woofer

1. Assembled

LR = Q Acoustics 3020i
C = Q Acoustics 3090Ci
S = Sonodyne Sonus 3540
W = Taga Harmony TSW 212SE

This is an assembled system that just about fits the budget.
+ I love how the Q Acoustics look
- Slightly over budget
- Sound signature won’t match across the surrounds

1. JBL

LR = JBL A130
C = JBL Stage 135C
S = JBL A120
W = JBL A100P

+ Consistent signature across speakers
- Boxy look as compared to Q acoustics

3. ELAC Cinema 12 Package
+ Consistent sound signature
- Not much information online
- Boxy


The Confusion:

1. People say you can always turn down the bass on the 12 inch sub instead of getting a 10 inch. My room is small so I'm wondering if a 12 inch is overkill?
2. My Woofer will be inside a tv cabinet, which will be closed with a mesh door. Does port location matter? What are my options?
3. Do the surround speakers matter that much? Not asking whether I should have them but whether it’s necessary to match the sound signature?

The Advice I’m looking for:
Like I said, I am a novice and this is the first step. I want to narrow down on the selection to at least 3 before I start auditions.
I am open to more models and combinations that fit in this budget.
Looking for critique, recommendations and advice from owners or people who have had experience on these models. T.

Thank you for reading the long post and all recommendations in advance.

 

[Nash07]

Hi Members,

So as the title suggests, I'm in the market for a good atmos (5.1.2) setup that fits my budget. (Audio Only)
I move into a new home in about 6 months and I can finally have a home cinema setup that I have always wanted and this will be my first home theater setup.

I want to preface the post by saying that I haven’t yet auditioned anything and everything I write below is based on ‘internet research’. I'm no audiophile by any stretch of imagination and I am not chasing the perfect sound stage, but I do enjoy good movie immersion with boombastic bass, and that's the motivation for this purchase.



The Requirement :

• I want immersive audio for about 85% watching movies and 15% music. All of my content will be consumed on OTT with the occasional movie running on my Plex server.
• I want enough bass to be felt in the bones but it also has to be balanced and not overpowering everything else.
• Woofer has to be concealed into a custom built TV unit (Non negotiable by wife) but will have a mesh door
• All speakers will be wall mounted, none of them will be placed on a surface.
• I don't have the space for floor standing speakers, so it will have to be bookshelves.
• Sofa is flushed to the fall, so ideally non bulky surrounds speakers.
• Rear speakers have to be a little more subtle/smaller if possible, even if it means compromising on sound a little bit.
• Aesthetics are important to me, boxy looking speaks are not ideal, but its a compromise i’m willing to make.

The Room
My TV room is about 13 feet by 9 feet with a 10 feet ceiling. I have also attached an image to understand the layout.
The longer walls have a window and a door so I have 9 feet for viewing and seating.
View attachment 86757




So the diagram and its content are not to scale, but I want to bring attention to the surround speakers. If I mount them on the back wall instead of the side wall, they might protrude past my head. Instead I plan to mount them on the side walls facing the sofa. Is this okay?

The Front LR speakers and the Center speaker will be mounted at ear level, Center speaker will come under the TV (As of posting this, it will be a 65 inch Bravia 3 2024 model)

The red semi transparent dots are height/Ceiling speakers. I have to move them overhead the sofa instead of the midpoint between the tv and the viewer because of the fan and cassette AC obstruction. This is not ideal but its what I got to work with.

The Budget
Front (LR) - 30K
(C)enter - 25K
(S)urround LR - 20K
(W)oofer - 40K
AVR - 45K
Ceiling - 15K

This goes slightly above my budget and i would like to dial it back to 1.5 instead of 1.75 lakhs. 1.75L is the hard limit on what i'm willing to spend.
I've mostly decided on the Height speakers to be the JBL 6IC and the AVR to be the Denon S760H.


The Short List
So it comes down to the 5.1 then, here my options and thoughts :
LR = Front Left, right , C = Center, SLR = Surround Speakers, W = Woofer

1. Assembled

LR = Q Acoustics 3020i
C = Q Acoustics 3090Ci
S = Sonodyne Sonus 3540
W = Taga Harmony TSW 212SE

This is an assembled system that just about fits the budget.
+ I love how the Q Acoustics look
- Slightly over budget
- Sound signature won’t match across the surrounds

1. JBL

LR = JBL A130
C = JBL Stage 135C
S = JBL A120
W = JBL A100P

+ Consistent signature across speakers
- Boxy look as compared to Q acoustics

3. ELAC Cinema 12 Package
+ Consistent sound signature
- Not much information online
- Boxy


The Confusion:

1. People say you can always turn down the bass on the 12 inch sub instead of getting a 10 inch. My room is small so I'm wondering if a 12 inch is overkill?
2. My Woofer will be inside a tv cabinet, which will be closed with a mesh door. Does port location matter? What are my options?
3. Do the surround speakers matter that much? Not asking whether I should have them but whether it’s necessary to match the sound signature?

The Advice I’m looking for:
Like I said, I am a novice and this is the first step. I want to narrow down on the selection to at least 3 before I start auditions.
I am open to more models and combinations that fit in this budget.
Looking for critique, recommendations and advice from owners or people who have had experience on these models. T.

Thank you for reading the long post and all recommendations in advance.

Hey,
If you are in Goa , I would suggest getting in touch with iCHOS #9823117659. When I visited the his demo room he had almost the same setup as you are looking for.

 

[fLUX]

It's best to audition as much as possible and form an opinion while you take inputs from the forum.


Of the options you have listed I would prefer the Qacoustic based system by a margin over the other two. They are quiet a few levels above a HTiB system, I can vouch for the same as I moved from a Polk TL1600 based system to Qacoustics , it might overshoot your budget but will a good investment nonetheless. Surround speaker mismatch is a non issue , as long you get the settings right you will not feel much of a difference tonality wise.

Subwoofer inside a cabinet will rattle the cabinet too , won't sound the best. If possible would recommend to keep it outside on the floor itself.

 

[suku_patel_22]

I like QA speakers. I don't think therenis kuch difference between 3010i and Sonodyne.

Subwoofer in a TV unit is not a problem, I am doing it image attached. However,

• It needs to be front firing. Down firing will cause rattles in TV unit.
• Needs to be sealed, the rear port will cause boominess inside a cubby.

So, in my opinion, get a sealed, front firing subwoofer and you should be fine.

A mesh in front of the speakers is a bad idea. It will instruct the sound. Been there done that, and will suggest to avoid.

In your layout there is space in the corner to place the subwoofer in the open, and also not be visible. See if you can convince her. I didn't have any space and hence went with this approach.

For your room size a 10 inch is fine. I am using REL HT/1003 MKII in a similar layout and very happy.

 

[dr_rocket]

From where are you getting 760H for 45k? Hope not from amazon, as it will be devoid of warranty

 

[Phani24]

From where are you getting 760H for 45k? Hope not from amazon, as it will be devoid of warranty

Yes with bill and warrenty we can get it even less we can get with complete warrenty and bill

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

At this price I would just get a q995C or q995D soundbar from Samsung and call it a day. I have very large speakers in my living room which are connected to a decent amp and when I demoed the Samsung I was literally surprised how good hit was for movies. I would say the subwoofer is decent but won’t break your bones like the large ones. But I don’t think keeping any sub in a cabin is a good idea a

 

[Spinekar]

Do the surround speakers matter that much? Not asking whether I should have them but whether it’s necessary to match the sound signature?

doesn't have to match your fronts, just get a good set of speakers for surrounds

most important part for this room to be good will be room treatment, else because of the size and reflections it will be a mess, hope you have planned for that

 

[heatednemz]

I like QA speakers. I don't think therenis kuch difference between 3010i and Sonodyne.

Subwoofer in a TV unit is not a problem, I am doing it image attached. However,

• It needs to be front firing. Down firing will cause rattles in TV unit.
• Needs to be sealed, the rear port will cause boominess inside a cubby.

So, in my opinion, get a sealed, front firing subwoofer and you should be fine.

A mesh in front of the speakers is a bad idea. It will instruct the sound. Been there done that, and will suggest to avoid.

In your layout there is space in the corner to place the subwoofer in the open, and also not be visible. See if you can convince her. I didn't have any space and hence went with this approach.

For your room size a 10 inch is fine. I am using REL HT/1003 MKII in a similar layout and very happy.

Thanks for the reply. I am going to try and convince the wife to keep the woofer outside, but plan to slowly convince her at the auditions this weekend.

 

[heatednemz]

doesn't have to match your fronts, just get a good set of speakers for surrounds

most important part for this room to be good will be room treatment, else because of the size and reflections it will be a mess, hope you have planned for that

Yes, we are treating the wall behind the sofa unit for a little sound dampening/diffusion and maybe a rug. Nothing too crazy because it's still primarily a living space and not dedicated home theater room.

 

[heatednemz]

From where are you getting 760H for 45k? Hope not from amazon, as it will be devoid of warranty

Thanks for bringing this to my notice, I wasn't aware of this.
I was indeed planning on getting it from amazon, but I think now I will get it retail with most of the equipment.