Self build house - new set up.

superjohng

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Hi.

Its been a long time since I used these forums, previously for AV equipment discussions and advice and selecting tvs.

I'm currently building a house and looking to select some hifi equipment and get some assistance in where I should should be researching.

I have a large vaulted area which is a kitchen and open plan living area, I'd like to add a speaker system here preferably wall/ roof mounted which would fill the space well and be loud and of good quality but doesn't need to be audiophile perfect.

It also extends out to a canopy covered area which will be outdoor bbq, seating area etc.

We only stream music these days (I hear some of you cringe) we have some cds but can't see us ever getting them out apart form nostalgic reasons.

Hence I was looking for some input on an amp and speakers and what things I should be thinking about. We have other rooms and may extend the system but multi room is not hugely important.

What is important is ease of use, it must be able to go loud, loud enough that I'm scared to take it to max volume but still be clear.

Likely I want to turn on my phone,.hit Spotify,.select.a track and then jack the volume up and enjoy..the ability to turn on zones or not would be helpful..so to include outside.

Preference is a separate amp and wired speakers. I know sonos might tick the box here but I do t know why I just don't but into it and the ability to do what I want and get it loud. A simple set up is.ok.

To add we.will have a TV in that room and adding a soundbar that can be incorporated would be good.

Midrange and some good bass also essential.

I'm thinking I'm asking a lot in a simple system which requires more thought but any advice appreciated.

Thanks.
 
In building your house, would you be able to arrange it so that you had a pair of speaker baffles built into an internal brick or breeze block wall?

So that the rear of the speakers were firing into a utility room, or some such arrangement?

If so, this would offer you a very simple and elegant speaker solution. With the possibility to get great bass, thanks to the infinite baffle arrangement.

It's the sort of solution that was in vogue amongst American millionaires in the 1960's.

When you think about it, speaker cabinets are stupid things when compared to a pair of panels built into a wall.

All you'd need is some good quality drivers, and a crossover (if you didn't go for a full range driver solution).

I could give you a few suggestions for great drivers. Or for good drivers at reasonable prices.
 
A schematic or pictures of the room will help with suggestions, and we also need to know your budget.
 
I'd like to add a speaker system here preferably wall/ roof mounted which would fill the space well and be loud and of good quality but doesn't need to be audiophile perfect.

It also extends out to a canopy covered area which will be outdoor bbq, seating area etc.
Frankly if you want hi-fi (sound quality in high fidelity) forget ceiling or wall mounted speakers. They may pass for AV systems but not hi fi ones. By all means install ceiling speakers under your outdoor canopy as you are less likely to be critically listening to music while your get to work with your BBQ, but please install "proper" speakers in your living room.

PS - Nothing wrong with streaming your music, but please not from mid-fi Spotify!
 
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In building your house, would you be able to arrange it so that you had a pair of speaker baffles built into an internal brick or breeze block wall?
Unfortunately not - the walls are SIPS panels, with no brick or block, so it's just thick insulated panel so need to be wall mounted/ floor standing. I could build the wall out in places in other rooms but not this main space.
A schematic or pictures of the room will help with suggestions, and we also need to know your budget.
Sorry yes - shoudl have added those. See below.

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Frankly if you want hi-fi (sound quality in high fidelity) forget ceiling or wall mounted speakers. They may pass for AV systems but not hi fi ones. By all means install ceiling speakers under your outdoor canopy as you are less likely to be critically listening to music while your get to work with your BBQ, but please install "proper" speakers in your living room.

PS - Nothing wrong with streaming your music, but please not from mid-fi Spotify!
@Hear Here thanks. Not even like normal speakers just mounted on brackets?

Spotify is just what we use for ease which works well, but would be interested to hear of other alternatives.
 
Crikey. That's quite a lot of space to fill. Budget?

And to be clear you'd like something:
1. That can play pretty good sound throughout the room and BBQ area or
2. Something which sounds fantastic sitting in a particular position (please mark where) and can be heard everywhere else?
 
Crikey. That's quite a lot of space to fill. Budget?

And to be clear you'd like something:
1. That can play pretty good sound throughout the room and BBQ area or
2. Something which sounds fantastic sitting in a particular position (please mark where) and can be heard everywhere else?
Budget - basic likely maybe £3k ideally, but stretch if required. If I am kidding myself on with that, then f please feel free to say!

I would say play pretty good throughout the room, as we never stop to sit down and constantly on the move. Likely I spend most of my time in the kitchen area, but would sit down and listen when folk are in or having a party.

For the BBQ area speakers can just be placed outside, it's all a covered canopy area, but nice to have the option to include them so music can be hearing as you move in and out but be turned off when not outside.

The main space is fully vaulted and completely open I don't know if that will help or hinder here?

Thanks for the input @gava
 
This is actually quite difficult to do properly. By volume you have probably 6-8 times as much as most hi-fi speakers are designed for, plus an outdoor area too.

The disadvantage of mounting hifi speakers on the wall is that they are really not designed for it, they are designed for a listening distance of a few meters (2-6 perhaps) angled slightly in towards the listener and at ear height, in a room of average dimensions. And they will sound at their best in a single position or the width of a sofa at best. If you direct them downwards from a wall mount then most hifi speakers sound horrible. You can get round this somewhat by using Coaxial design speakers which have much better concentric dispersion patterns. Like the KEF speakers for example.

In order to get your kind of space filled with music from normal hifi equipment you are going to need something easy to drive with large boxes and preferably horn mid/tweeters. The Klipsch heritage line will work to fill a space that large, but they are expensive speakers. The La Scala should cope, but those are 14K. My brother has a pair of Heresy IV in his place and they work pretty well, but they are 4K for the speakers.

The obvious DIY option is to use something like Sonos and keep adding speakers until you fill the space properly. You would probably need 4X the Sonos FIVE, plus a sub and an outdoor speaker or two. You could probably do that for around 3K. You could do this yourself. And their outdoor speakers look okay so could be wall mounted indoors too.

Really for best results with wall mounting I'd use outdoor speakers, two or 3 pairs indoors and one pair outdoors. You will likely need some Crown amps, DSP, a sub or two. Definitely needs a professional installation. But budget wise this will fit.

You could also go for a pro PA type of solution, using just a pair of CBT style speakers indoors, this will fill the entire space with good sound, with a sub. You should get a professional installation using either route.


The more I look at that space though.. even one of the bigger arrays with bass extension would be very suitable.


 
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The area of your room is a little bit larger than my listening rooms. The difference being that I don't have a kitchen area in mine. And that the room layout for fireplaces / stoves / windows / doors are better in mine for speaker and listening position placement.

With your kitchen, doors, french windows, stove, TV, positions, you've made that room about as awkward as possible for good 2 channel speaker positioning. Is the room layout set in stone?

Are your thoughts to have the speakers firing down the length or across the width of the room?
If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, it would be better if they fired down the length of the room, from the french window end.

In my listening room, as gava has already quite rightly said, I found that small speakers, like Linn Saras sound too much like they are shouting to be heard and are giving you a letter-box type window onto the musical performance. Large to huge (well engineered) speakers with large to huge woofer area are much better for filling rooms as large as yours with authority.

Something with high quality multiple 12" or single 15" or bigger woofers, would provide the best musical experience in your room, but I'm struggling to see where they could be fitted in?
You could go for Altec 604's or 605's mounted high up in custom cabinets and firing downwards solution? But even then I'm not sure where a good place to mount them would be with your existing plans, due to the tiny corner wall dimensions next to the dining table and the stove location.

If you go for small speakers, because that's all you can fit in, that would be understandable. Just be aware that the sound quality will suffer as a result compared to fuller sized speakers.

For the BBQ area, I'd recommend separate speakers outside. Small ones. Maybe some professional speakers that are rated for outside use? It's a pain moving your main speakers outside every time you want to listen to them.
 

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