[Sandman]

I have been meaning to post a thread in here for a while so here it is.

My kti consists of Samsung LE40A556, Onkyo 505 reciever, Sony BDP-S350 Blu-Ray, Humax Foxsat HD satalite reciever, Xbox 360, BK Gemini Sub, Kef Eggs 2005.2 speakers.

The 360 is used as a media center extender and it networked to my media pc upstairs in the spare room.

Edit 12/01/09: Wall mounted front speakers

[wingnut121]

like it very much, how is the tv treating you i have the 32" version.

well done

[chrisnic0]

Whats the sub like mate thats on my shopping list?, nice setup btw

[askpackers]

Looks great mate. Although you might need to have words with the wife putting things on top of your sub Also watch the little one doesn't get their hands under the sub as they can be quite distructive when they put thier minds to it. Heard from a friend when someones system suddenly lost base wonder why. Turned the sub over and a massive hole in the speaker cone. OOOPS. Thats it for horry stories have fun.

[Sandman]

Thanks for the comments guys,

Wingnut: Yeah I am very happy with the TV, was a abit worried about some comments I have read about 24p support but cant say it bothers me, there is a bit of judder but I can live with it. Blu-ray, BBC HD and xbox all look superb on it. I posted a screen shot but it really doesnt do the screen justace.
Chrisnic0: For the size of the box and the price the sub is excellent. You really will be amazed at the bass that comes out such a compact box.
askpackers: Tell me about it, that is why the rear speakers are wall mounted (they were on stands until a couple of weeks ago).

Looks great! Very tidy. Nice sofa too. Do your balls vibrate on the sub when it's pumping out at full volume?

I mean the ornamental balls, of course! Well, they look like balls to me.

[borrissey]

Looks good

[Riverslide]

I like it at lot, nice setup, looks really good.

[Spiderkid]

Great set up Sandman. I always like to see a nice AV set up which integrates well with the rest of the living space. Cute kid too! How old? I've spent the last month or so trying to get everything out of kiddie-height range as my 6 month old son will be tottering about in no time... although I expect I've wildly underestimated his destructive potential!

Did you ever consider wall mounting the fronts and the centre to get them closer to ear height? I suppose the advantage of the Eggs is that you can easily tilt them upwards. Anyway, good job all round, must post mine up soon.

[Sandman]

I had thought about wall mounting the front and centre speakers but the wall they are on is solid brick/block so chasing the wires would be a nightmare. The cables for the tv were chased into the wall before it was plastered.
Loena (my baby) is almost a year old now although she was born 13 weeks premature so is really only 9 months if you known what I mean.

[POSTal6]

nice tv,i like'it

[Movieman21]

[quote=Sandman;8566984]I have been meaning to post a thread in here for a while so here it is.








That is so nice well done, would look so much better with speakers on the wall next to tv and below.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Movieman21

That is so nice well done, would look so much better with speakers on the wall next to tv and below.

Thats it, the speakers are going on the wall. looks like a trip to b&q for me tonight. Anyone know the best tool to use for chasing cable into a solid brick/block wall?

[.digital]

very nice mate, nice tv.

[Spiderkid]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Thats it, the speakers are going on the wall. looks like a trip to b&q for me tonight. Anyone know the best tool to use for chasing cable into a solid brick/block wall?

You can buy expensive chasing tools which do just that, but at several hundred pounds they're normally used when you're rewiring a whole house! A cheaper method is to use an SDS drill with a special channeling attachment like this Armeg SDS Plus Channelling Chisel 30mm - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys

However for such a small job even that is overkill. In your situation I would recommend you take the speaker cable up the wall behind the cabinets on either side, then bring them horizontally across where you're mounting your speakers. That why you'll only have a tiny bit of chasing to do, if any!

If you keep your front speakers in a similar horizontal position but just move them up the wall a few feet so that they sit just below the line of the bottom of the TV, and your centre up so it sits just below the TV (try to keep them on the same horizontal plane) then I don't even think you'd need to do any chasing if you're clever about it. The cable for the front speakers will only be a few centimeters from the cabinets (similar to your rear speakers) and the cable for the centre can hide behind either one of the fronts, pop up behind the TV and back down behind the centre.

You get the speakers on the wall, and keep the better half happy cause there's no dust! (Other than drilling the holes for the brackets... but you can always use dust bubbles, which actually work! DustBubble.com, home of the disposable dust collector for drills.). Good luck!

[DJWhiteWolf]

Very Nice I have been thinking about units like yours.

WW

[h4.]

... nice set up

[Sandman]

Well, following the advice, I wall mounted the front speakers tonight. I am pretty happy with the finished look now and am happy the speakers are now further away from sticky hands.

I havent chased the speaker cable yet, I took this pic before connecting up the cables. I have a deadline of saturday to get the cables chased (going to the footie and the wags are coming here for lunch).

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by DJWhiteWolf

Very Nice I have been thinking about units like yours.

WW

the units are the classic Billy Bookcase from Ikea. Adding the glass doors to them really makes them look a lot classier (IMHO). The TV unit is also from Ikea, I think it called LACK or something like that.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Spiderkid

You can buy expensive chasing tools which do just that, but at several hundred pounds they're normally used when you're rewiring a whole house! A cheaper method is to use an SDS drill with a special channeling attachment like this Armeg SDS Plus Channelling Chisel 30mm - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys

However for such a small job even that is overkill. In your situation I would recommend you take the speaker cable up the wall behind the cabinets on either side, then bring them horizontally across where you're mounting your speakers. That why you'll only have a tiny bit of chasing to do, if any!

If you keep your front speakers in a similar horizontal position but just move them up the wall a few feet so that they sit just below the line of the bottom of the TV, and your centre up so it sits just below the TV (try to keep them on the same horizontal plane) then I don't even think you'd need to do any chasing if you're clever about it. The cable for the front speakers will only be a few centimeters from the cabinets (similar to your rear speakers) and the cable for the centre can hide behind either one of the fronts, pop up behind the TV and back down behind the centre.

You get the speakers on the wall, and keep the better half happy cause there's no dust! (Other than drilling the holes for the brackets... but you can always use dust bubbles, which actually work! DustBubble.com, home of the disposable dust collector for drills.). Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, after playing for a while we (Mrs Sandman) decided it looked better to have the fronts either side of the tv the centre below it. I like you idea of running the cable behind the units. I think I will still chase a small length of the cable just so there is none visible at all.

[Sandman]

Sorry for all the posts, I have mocked up this photo using photoshop to see what it would look like with the speakers all at the same vertical level. I am now not sure what I prefer but I need to decide before I chase the cables in the next couple of days. Help me decide please.

[Ambient Fish]

Looks good Sandman, IMHO the set up looks best with the left and right speakers on either side of the screen and the center below

[Spiderkid]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Thanks for the advice, after playing for a while we (Mrs Sandman) decided it looked better to have the fronts either side of the tv the centre below it. I like you idea of running the cable behind the units. I think I will still chase a small length of the cable just so there is none visible at all.

Glad to be of some help! I have to admit I prefer your second set up with the speakers on the same horizontal line below the TV. It might look a tad odd, but you should get better sound as the speakers are all at the same height, and presumably around about ear level when you're sitting down. With that configuration you won't need to do much chasing at all.

[Gezzah]

Personally...............and its only my opinion.....I reckon you would get better sound separation and it might look good too if you had left/right mains on the outside of your cabinets..same level as lcd tv with ,as Ambient Fish says..centre below.Try photoshopping that combo first!

[Spiderkid]

Originally Posted by Gezzah

Personally...............and its only my opinion.....I reckon you would get better sound separation and it might look good too if you had left/right mains on the outside of your cabinets..same level as lcd tv with ,as Ambient Fish says..centre below.Try photoshopping that combo first!

The speakers would have to be a fair way out from the cabinets though, otherwise a portion of the sound will be reflecting off the side of the cabinet and never reaching you.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Gezzah

Personally...............and its only my opinion.....I reckon you would get better sound separation and it might look good too if you had left/right mains on the outside of your cabinets..same level as lcd tv with ,as Ambient Fish says..centre below.Try photoshopping that combo first!

I did think about it but the right speaker would be a little close to the dining area for my liking.

[Grangey.]

that looks really good!

If it was me, as others have said I would have my L/R either side of the lcd and the centre below.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Grangey.

that looks really good!

If it was me, as others have said I would have my L/R either side of the lcd and the centre below.

thats how I have it see post 18.

[ajwatson]

wicked clean and tidy setup dude

How to you get on with the sub shaking those glass cabinents?

[bigdady1955]

Great setup! Very neat and clean. I love the job you did mounting the widescreen on the wall. I wanted to do the same with my family room t.v. but wouldn't dare try to fish the wires through the wall. With my skill (or lack of) the wires would start off in the family room and come out of the bathroom wall. As far as your speaker placement is concerned, I agree, post 18 is better. Although not ideal as is, I disagree with moving the L/R speakers way over on the side of the bookshelves. With the speakers so far from the screen, you will lose the connection with what's on screen and what comes out of the side channels. An example is when you have a character talking on screen. As he moves off-screen still talking, the sound will follow him off screen and then jump way over there. Also, there are instances where the sound is coming from the half-way point between the center and L or R speaker. With the sides so far from the screen, your soundstage will be adversely affected. Here is a little snippet from an article on speaker placement.
...the goal of all speaker placement for movie soundtrack playback and multichannel music reproduction -- even stereo -- is a smooth, consistent and unbroken soundstage across the front, coupled with a sense of envelopment in the ambient surround effects. In other words, you're after a sense of location, whether that is suggested by what's on-screen, by the recording venue or even the dry, intimate acoustic of many pop/rock studio recordings.

An Essential Guide to Home Theater Speaker Placement

You should be proud of the job you've done!

Best
Bigdady