Optimizing HT layout

[cbrunny]

in a room that probably shouldn't be used for a home theatre.



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Numbers indicate inches. Total square footage of useable space is 328 sqft.

Red = window
Orange = French Door to outside
Yellow = hallway/room entrance
Brown box = Steel "I" beam across ceiling

This is a walkout basement. For the sake of this post, assume I can block 100% of all light from windows and doors when HT is in use, but preferences are to keep light able to enter when HT is not in use. The basement is not drywalled, but electrical, insulation, and vapor-wrap are in place. Ceiling is open.

Right now I have a 104" projection screen centred in front of the 38 inch window. I am considering moving the screen to mount on the 109" wall. The width of the 104" screen is 91" so it would fit there, and I think this would provide a more enjoyable viewing experience, plus optimizing the space of the room much better.

The question I have is about the speakers. Right now I am using a 5.1 setup. The speakers are nothing special, nor is the receiver. I do not have the funds to upgrade right now, but eventually I would like to buy something that can be more permanent - around the time the drywall goes up. If I were to move the screen to the 109" wall and place the speakers in a traditional 5.1 setup (rear ones would have to hang from ceiling), would this just completely suck? I'm concerned about how the proximity to the wall on the left and the subsequent lack of wall on the right would affect the quality of the sound.

Any thoughts are appreciated. If there is a better way to optimize this space, I'm all ears. Thanks.

 

[Anubis]

id do it the other way, put the screen on the wall next to the french door and cover up the window "47". this gives you a little more room to the left and right of the screen for speaker placement and will not interfere with the hallway. also in this setup you wont have a window directly opposite your screen

hanging speakers from the ceiling is fine

see purbeasts thread. his screen is next to a corner, and as long as you leave enough room for the speaker you should not have an issue doing that
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2281468&page=5

 

[cbrunny]

Thanks. I've been following that thread a fair bit already - he is doing some impressive work.

Hmm. he does seem to be in the corner a bit - not as far as I would need to be, but if he isn't having any problems with speakers that size, I'm assuming I wouldn't notice any problems with the speakers I have currently. Maybe I'll give it a go and see what happens.

 

[blackangst1]

Ideally in a rectangular room you want to make sure your primary seating is NOT in the center of the room. Meaning, the halfway point between your front and rear wall.This is a known null spot for bass, and can give some odd acoustics as well.

 

[cbrunny]

I gave it a go and moved everything. Three hours later, I sat down and watched an episode of House of Cards on Netflix. I did not notice any difference in the quality of the sound as i was concerned about - a very good thing! Now the room makes much more sense.