Best place for a Sub in my mini Theater


I am finishing half of my basement into a 10’ x 20’ theater room. The viewing area is only 10’ deep. The tv and credenza will be recessed 2 feet so that they are flush with the wall. Picture them stuck in a closet.   I have in wall speakers for the fronts. Where is the best place for the sub and facing which direction? It’s front firing.

I can recess it into the wall and have it face the audience but it would be firing into a wall only 10 feet away.

I’m thinking maybe I should put it in the front left corner and have it fire towards the 20’ length but it may be blocking. A closet. 

The couch is against the back wall. What if I put it against the back left corner?

As you can see I’m a bit confused. 


craigert

Yeah, have the surrounds be in-wall on the back wall wouldn't work too well because the left/right surrounds should really be aimed directly at the listeners.

There is an additional "rear surrounds" channel that can be process in 7.1 processors, but you don't have the room for this.  You really need space behind your couch, since the "rear surrounds" are processor ambient sound that will be reflected around on the rear side walls.  These "rear surrounds" are fine being mounted in-wall.

If you have to or want to use in-walls for your surrounds, they are definitely best on the side walls, but as you said, there is a physical block at one of the locations.

I generally don't recommend in-wall speakers because once you mount them, you cannot move them.  There are some tweaks such as changing the position or toe-in that can improve the sound.  It just depends.  If you are putting the couch right up against the back wall, then I think you will be fine if you choose to place normal tower speakers for your fronts.  Regular speakers have a benefit in that they are completely enclosed.  With in-wall, you are basically putting them into an infinite baffle loose enclosure.  Not the best, but they work.  Though, with in-wall, you generally don't have a problem with tweeter refraction on the edge of the cabinets.

Also, with in-wall speakers, you are limited to using CL rated speaker wire, which are generally the low cost version and most of them are basic stranded (even Audioquest and Kimber).  Don't know what your budget is.

Another thing is room acoustics (including bass).  Can you give me the exact room size, including the ceiling height?

http://www.audiogurus.com/learn/speakers/speaker-placement/100


I found this informative article that speaks to my situation. If I use my bookshelves on the sides of me it’s a more direct sound. If I get another pair of the Monitor Audio WT-CP380IDC to match my fronts they have a dipole switch to get more diffuse sound for the surrounds since they would be firing from the back wall instead of from the sides. 

What do you think? 

I cannot see a "dipole switch" on that CP380IDC.  It would not be a dipole speaker because it only has 1 woofer and 1 tweeter. 

I have seen some "dipole in-wall" speakers, but they use small drivers that are angled into each other.  It's not going to be a true di-pole because a di-pole speaker really needs to be outside the wall in a cabinet so that the sound can reflect or "plane" directly off the wall itself.

You can look at the Silver FX di-pole surround, but it's really only dipole from 2.5khz up, since it only has one "direct firing" woofer.

The Gold FX does a better job at di-pole since it has two sets of midrange and tweeters - firing both forward and backward.  The "direct firing" woofer is find because it's very difficult for us to identify the direction/source of bass/midbass frequencies.

However, in your situation a di-pole wouldn't work because you don't have space behind your couch.  If you really wanted, the only way I see is to somehow mount a di-pole directly on the ceiling at the back of the room about 25% away from the side walls.  This way, it will reflect across the ceiling as well as the side walls.

My own preference is for direct sound on the surround speakers because it's more impactful and better resolution.  It all comes down to a personal preference.

Sorry I have you the wrong model number it’s WT380IDC. They are also enclosed.

i read that although the surrounds should be pointed at the listeners from the sides, they should not be directly in line with the head. It said it should be a tad behind so that it creates more ambient sound. Since the couch is against the wall, it is why I was thinking I could place bookshelves at the sides. 

I totally agree with you for having loose independent speakers to move around, but I already purchased the in wall speakers. I also have a set of round FX speakers for atmos.

ok don’t laugh but the ceiling height is only 7 feet high so 10’ x 20’ x 7’.

The thing is is that I already bought the in wall wt380idc’s.

Do I now stick them in the front, or stick them in the back?
Also, you are right in the switch. I thought they were dipole switches but it’s a boundary switch in case you are close to an adjacent wall I guess.

I am literally thinking about building a mini wall on the other side of the couch just to mount this thing on the side.

I’m assuming it would have to be out from the wall at least a foot and a half though so the wall would have to come out like 32”.