Surround speaker for living room HT

[waris]

For rear surrounds place the owm3 directly on the side wall, half foot away from back wall and about 2 feet above ear level.

This is what sounded best in my hall with these speakers with a layout very similar to yours.

MaSh

You mean the side surrounds. Right?
I don't have rear surrounds.

 

[waris]

Surround speakers are part of the 5 in 5.1 floor level speakers and should be placed at ear level. If you have surround and height channels configured, the surround if not at ear level will clash with the height channel. If one does not have a height channel, then placing the surround a bit higher won't be that much of a problem.

So I should put them at ear level. Can you suggest a position too. Corner of the wall or on the side wall parallel to listener. Although for first option I can put the left surround on the wooden partition. However for second option I will have to out left surround ( from listener perspective) on the left wall which is at higher distance. Also this may cause problem in the movement .

 

[waris]

@waris

Understand that you have a 3.1 setup and now would be adding OWM3 as surrounds. Given the room specs, I think you can consider one of these options. Ideal height of mounting speakers would be 4 to 5 feet from the ground but less that 6 feet. Would recommend the side walls.

After this I guess you want to procure 2 more speakers to be used for Atmos effect. Besides getting in Ceiling speakers which are tall in terms of their housing case, why not look at getting 2 way / 3 way Car Audio speakers? You can check the specs and accordingly get the best ones which can fit in the false ceiling. Car speakers are lighter and being used for Atmos effects would do. Let the sub and main speakers handle all the low bass frequencies. See if this is doable!

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Hi @efernand1 ,
Thanks for the detailed diagram.
If I mount surrounds on side wall left and right will at un equal distance from MLP ( by 2 ft).

For ATMOS ,I assume car speakers will require some sort of housing or can we mount without them.
Can you suggest a model/brand. Because of covid situation I may not be able to shop around .
I was looking to add one more pair of OWM3(or similar) for ATMOS and mount them on side wall and angle them towards listener.

 

[MaSh]

You mean the side surrounds. Right?
I don't have rear surrounds.

Yes if its going to be just 1 pair of surround.

MaSh

 

[waris]

Yes if its going to be just 1 pair of surround.

MaSh

Ok. Thanks for the clarification. Since I will be adding ATMOS channels. Do you think I should put the speakers at ear level. Also I was thinking if I put the side speakers 5-10 degrees in front to have more dispersion ,specially when two people are watching.

 

[MaSh]

Ok. Thanks for the clarification. Since I will be adding ATMOS channels. Do you think I should put the speakers at ear level. Also I was thinking if I put the side speakers 5-10 degrees in front to have more dispersion ,specially when two people are watching.

Atmos channel speakers will be on the ceiling and the surround would be on the sidewall facing the sitting position. There is no need to angle them. They have a good angle of dispersion.

Start with a simple setup and build on it as you get more comfortable with the setup. I would suggest that you start with a simple 5.1 setup and add atmos later on if speakers are not already bought.

MaSh

 

[ssf]

So I should put them at ear level. Can you suggest a position too. Corner of the wall or on the side wall parallel to listener. Although for first option I can put the left surround on the wooden partition. However for second option I will have to out left surround ( from listener perspective) on the left wall which is at higher distance. Also this may cause problem in the movement .

It is quite rare that in a HT set up in a living room will be able to follow all the guidelines of Dolby. Compromises will have to be made. But the good part is that in spite of the compromises made, one will still get a good immersive sound. So, it is ok to place the surround speakers at ear level if possible, else, placing them a foot or two higher is also fine. It is ok if both the speakers are not at the same distance from the MLP as the receiver will adjust the levels of the speakers during calibration.

So, go ahead and place the speakers at the best possible position that you can even if it deviates from the dolby guidelines. It will still give you a good effect. As mentioned above, getting 5.1 right or as close to right is the first step.

 

[waris]

Thanks everyone for your time. So I will put the speakers to the side at ear level or slightly higher.
ATMOS speakers are not purchased yet. Main restriction is ceiling depth of <3 inch.

 

[jbkakadiya]

I have mounted in the corners slightly above the ear level (just less than 1 ft) and I am getting better effect compared to mounted on side wall.
You may consider following locations and try first before mounting permanently.

 

[waris]

I have mounted in the corners slightly above the ear level (just less than 1 ft) and I am getting better effect compared to mounted on side wall.
You may consider following locations and try first before mounting permanently.
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I think I may also mount in same way as if I mount one speaker on the wall(sofa side) the other speaker too will go on far side and u think that will cause problem in movement for my elderly mother.
Thanks