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Need suggestions for speakers, processor and amp

I am building a new house with a 17.5 x 20 ft family room that will have a cabinet built to house a rear projection tv and will have cabinets/bookshelves built on each side to house speakers and processor and amp. Cabinet will be on the 17.5 ft wall and left side of 20 ft wall will have fireplace while right side will have approx 15 ft of windows. Ceiling height is 10 ft and rear speakers will need to be in ceiling. Cabinet can be built to house either bookshelves or floor-standers. My wife prefers front speakers built in to cabinet, although I may be able to place floorstanders outside the cabinet on each side. I am also going to buy a subwoofer. I'm considering totems or spendor (local av retailer recommends jamo concert series)

I also need suggestions for preamp/processor and amp. I don't know whether to go 5.1 or 7.1 in this size of room (rear centers would also need to be in ceiling). I'm considering the new outlaw 950 and matching amp, but I've heard good things about rotel.

Any suggestions would be helpful.
thanks,
mark
msf

Showing 2 responses by gunbunny

gunbunny
43 posts
 
I agree that cabinets are not ideal places for speakers, and while I always don't agree with Natalie... I've never heard speakers in the ceiling that were as good as well placed monitors.

There are many good monitors for HT and some are great for music too. I prefer to only comment on speakers I've heard first hand and like Msf commented, I like Soliloquy. However, unless you can get them out of those cabinets and atleast 1-2 feet away from the cabinet and walls the only one I would go with is the Soliloquy SAT 5. These are outstanding sealed monitors and won't give you the trouble that rear ported speakers like all the other Soliloquys are. The Soliloquy S-10 subwoofer is outstanding. I just read a review on it that says it's is very comparable to the REL line, offering more slam than the Strata II and more refined than the REL Q-series subs.

I'm having a hard time getting the Soliloquy C3 center to work right in my system, but I don't think it's the speaker. I would bet that 4 Sat5's, a C3 center and 2 S-10 subs (or subsitute another Sat5 for the C3)would be incredible. If you get them away from the cabinet go with the 5.0 though which offer greater bass extension.

But this is just one option. While paradigm may be considered more mid-fi than hi-fi by some... I still like them. The Soliloquys are defintitly more refined though and are among the most beautifully finished I've ever seen.

I don't know what your wanting to spend, but the Pro Ac 1SC is a great speaker also.
gunbunny
43 posts
 
yes, the 5.0's are rear ported. I think the Sat5 would work great in the 17.5 x 20ft room, but I'm not sure about the larger room unless you put them on stands closer to your seating position. Regardless, in the larger room the 5.0 would work better.

I think that if you go with Soliloquy, you need to work it out with the wife if you get the basement or not. Because, with a room that size (basement)I would opt for atleast the 5.0 monitors or better yet, one of the floorstanders with the 5.0 as rears. But those rear ports would be BAD inside a cabinet. Also, the C3 center is rear ported, basicly a shrunken 5.3

Don't know what your plan is for video, but with a basement that size with no windows I would take a serious look at front projection.
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