Newbie help. Refurbishing - how to wire room for 5.x.2 / 7.x.2 / Dolby Atmos ?

tgeo74

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I am extremely poor at electronics and any audio related setup. I currently use the inbuilt TV speakers which I am aware is very poor.

I am refurbishing my living room and amd re-wiring and have an opportunity to add speaker wires and any power points required for wall mounted or ceiling speakers. Been doing some reading and am totally confused - should I wire for 5.1 or 7.2 or dolby atmos 5.x.2 etc?

I am not an audophile and am looking to spend a max of £1.5k for a full setup that I can hook to the TV and get good quality surround sound. My living room is 5m by 3.6m and the TV viewing distance is about 3m. The TV will be a 65inch mounted on the chimney breast. The room has a large opening into a second lounge and also has a sizable window and a door

Please could someone advise what wiring should I ask my builder to do? I need to supply him with speaker cables and show him a rough sketch. After my reading up, I am think of a 5.x.2 atmos enabled setup with 2 speakers on ceiling roughly mid-way between me and the TV and 2 behind me on the wall at about ear height on either side of the couch. The rest will be in front I guess for which I dont have to worry about the wiring.

Please could you advise if I am on the right track or please suggest alternatives. My room layut is in the sketch below.
  • Do I really need ceiling speakers? Will the ones that reflect of ceiling be good enough?
  • What type of cables should I buy for my builder? There appear to be many options. I was thinking of these (Amazon product ASIN B01C79XV5W)
  • Is there a good speaker and amp package I can buy for around the £1k mark? I can go up to £1.5k max but would prefer under £1k if possible
  • Should I look for a 7.x.2 system? WIll that be overkill for my relatively small room?

Any advise will be greatly appreciated!

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I have been continuing to readup and looks like a 5.1.2 setup may be suitable for my needs. Looks simple enough and I guess it should be good enough.

If if sounds fine, any advice on suitable speaker cables and any recommended systems would be very helpful.


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7.x.x would be a challenge with the window and opening.

Plus your budget.

So I would start with 5.1 and maybe pre wire for an extra sub and an atmos pair. Also go for the best AVR you can, which will give you the chance to just add speakers / sub when ready.

The new Encore range from Monoprice's Monolith Range is an amazing price point and performance. £1249.95 for the 5 main speakers.
 
7.x.x would be a challenge with the window and opening.

Plus your budget.

So I would start with 5.1 and maybe pre wire for an extra sub and an atmos pair. Also go for the best AVR you can, which will give you the chance to just add speakers / sub when ready.

The new Encore range from Monoprice's Monolith Range is an amazing price point and performance. £1249.95 for the 5 main speakers.
Thank you. I will start with that plan. Definitely written off anything more than a 5.x.x so its a bit clearer now. I will scout around for an AVR and wire for a 5.1 - thanks!
 
You don't need to be silly on an AVR or speaker cable. For starter systems like yours,contractor type cable 16/2 is absolutlely fine.

There is a new(ish) building reg that requires cables to be of a safe nature (fire, smoke, fumes, acidity etc) if you are burying into the walls & ceiling. Although you dont need to because of it being a refurb (unless building control is involved). But it is worth being aware of it and probably ensuring you have used it. It is called CPR and then has different levels of classification.

The guys at FS Cables should be able to help out and supply retail as well as us traders.
 

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