I'm thinking of if I should put two more Dali Altecos on my rear wall or in the ceiling further towards my couch. My back wall is about 30cm(~ 1 foot) further back than my front wall. I'm concerned that I wouldn't get the same height feeling if they're too far away from my listening position.

I also considered putting them above my surrounds on the wall but worried this might not create enough separation.

Any help is appreciated!

9 years ago when I moved into my home I started with a 5.1 set up. I’ve made a few upgrades over the years, and now have a 5.1.4 set up. Looking to complete upgrades before GTA6 drops by adding a new TV, and possibly another subwoofer. Current gear list:

Sony X900E 65” ( I sit 13’ away)
Denon X3900H
HTD Level 3 F/R/C
HTD HDX65 Atmos
Fluance AVBP2 Surrounds
PSA V1811 Sub

I have an approximately 4k USD upgrade budget.

Wondering what would make a bigger impact. Have my eye on the LG C6H OLEDs for a TV. Should I get a 77” and another PSA sub, or get the 83”. My man cave space is a really suboptimal layout in my basement. The sub I have sounds impressive everywhere else in my house, but less impressive than it should in my basement man cave. Was hoping the second sub would help out.

Bonus questions: on the LG subreddit, I’ve been seeing a lot of posts about uniformity issues with the C6H panels. And people bringing them back. Having hard time figuring out if this is an exception or a common occurrence. Anyone have better insight?

PSA no longer makes the V1811. I’m assuming getting their current 18” offering would work well enough. Any feedback with mismatched subs?

The Fluance surrounds are bi pole speakers. Thoughts on bi pole for atmos content. Should I consider swapping these out?

Appreciate the thoughts.

Hey everyone! Setting up a 5.1 system, but I have open walkways both behind and on the sides of the couch. Floor stands or side wall mounts aren't an option as they would block the paths. 
My surrounds are a pair of Energy RC-10 bookshelf speakers. Since I can't do flush in-ceiling speakers, I'm planning to mount the RC-10s directly on the ceiling using heavy-duty swivel mounts, pointing them down toward the couch. 
(I'm also wall-mounting the TV soon and placing the center speaker and receiver on a media console under it). 
Has anyone mounted heavier bookshelf speakers on the ceiling like this? Any specific ceiling/wall mounts you would recommend that can safely hold ~13 lbs (6 kg) at an angle? Thanks!

Hello Everyone:)

I recently had a issue with my 7 year old LG 55” led tv and decided to upgrade. I want to emphasize that I am person who almost never buys anything new and rather buys broken things and fixes them. However after looking around I figured that with TV’s so many things have changed over the years and I’d rather have a warranty. So after googling for what feels like ages I settled on the 65”” TCL Q6K pro. I absolutely love it and HDR/ Dolby Vision movies look incredible. However the sound was not great and that led me into the rabbit hole of home cinema Audio. So for 50€ I managed to find a deal on used Yamaha RX V471 and a DynaVoice Magic Sub 8. For another 80€ I got a mixed lot of 2 Infinity Beta HCS Satélites, 1 Beta HCS center channel and 2 Infinity Alpha 5 speakers. 1 Amazon package later I had the wall mounts, cables and banana plugs. Currently with the TV I am 730€ in and have this setup. Now my question to the collective wisdom of this amazing subreddit: is this a good enough setup and I should cool it down with upgrading it ? And if anyone has enough knowledge about this receiver and what setting work best on non Dolby movies aka presets. Thank you so much in advance and yes yes I know that the place is a mess but we love our clutter :)

I purchased a brand-new Marantz AMP 30 for $4,000 plus tax just two months ago. Unfortunately, the amplifier suffered a catastrophic failure during normal use.

The unit would suddenly shut down in the middle of playback, with the power indicator blinking red five times. It became completely unusable.

I sent it to Marantz for warranty repair, expecting either a proper repair or a replacement comparable to the nearly new amplifier I purchased.

Instead, Marantz sent me a refurbished B-stock AMP 30.

The replacement box explicitly states:

“U Refurbished” “1 Year Limited Warranty” “Minor Cosmetic Defects”

It also came with a "B-Stock Quality Check" card stating that the unit passed operational tests but may have cosmetic blemishes.

To be clear, I paid over $4,000 plus tax for a factory-new, premium amplifier that lasted only two months before completely failing. Now, instead of having my nearly new amplifier repaired or receiving a new replacement, I have a refurbished unit of unknown age, usage history, and potentially lower resale value.

1. Is a refurbished replacement really equivalent?

I understand that warranty terms may allow manufacturers to provide refurbished replacements. But for a $4,000 amplifier that catastrophically failed after just two months, I find this disappointing. I didn't purchase a refurbished amplifier, and I certainly didn't expect to own one two months after buying new.

1. What happened to my five-year warranty?

The original AMP 30 came with a five-year manufacturer's warranty. The replacement box says one year.

Does my original warranty remain valid for the replacement serial number, or did I effectively lose nearly four years of warranty coverage? I've requested written clarification from Marantz.

1. What about resale value?

Even if the replacement works perfectly, a refurbished B-stock unit is not necessarily worth the same as a two-month-old unit originally purchased new.

I'm curious what others think, especially anyone who has dealt with warranty claims involving Marantz, Denon, McIntosh, Anthem, or other premium audio brands.

Would you consider a refurbished B-stock unit an acceptable replacement for a $4,000 amplifier that completely failed after only two months? Or would you push for a new replacement?

I'm building a new home and looking for recommendations on a hardwired, multi-zone whole-house audio system speaker placement. I'd like music throughout the house, independent zone controls, and one-way paging from my phone through the same ceiling speakers. (The family room TV will have a completely separate surround sound system). I'm still under construction, so wiring is flexible. I've attached my floor plan and would appreciate suggestions on ceiling (or wall) speaker placement for now (can discuss equipment later). Thank you for the help!!

I’ve been going back and forth for months reading reviews, watching videos. I think I have it narrowed down. I’m deciding between Paradigm Monitor SE (Atom fronts and 2000C center) and Klipsch RP II (RP-500M II fronts and RP-404C II center) for a 3.1 build with a Denon AVR-S720W (Audyssey only, no manual EQ) and an SVS SB-1000 Pro. The center has to stay under about 7.25" tall. I did look at polk SE and Reserve but the dialogue sounds a little further away and probably harder to hear at lower volumes.

I mostly listen quietly, around 60–75 dB, so dialogue clarity and detail at low volume matter most to me. From online demos the Klipsch sounded a little too forward and the Paradigm sounded just right, but I worry the Paradigm will be too neutral and boring. I like hearing detail, some energy and rich male vocals.

Has anyone owned or compared both, especially at low volume or with Audyssey? Which one kept its liveliness when you turned it down?

Hello guys just got my Phillips home theatre system out from the attic and after setting it up it's starts to crackling and popping about after a minute or so.

The loudness of the crackling increases and decreases along with the volume.

After switching it off/putting it on standby it comes back in 5 6 seconds but after completely switching off it and unplugging the power cable it again takes about a minute for it to start the crackling.

I am not exactly an electronics engineer but I believe it might be a bad cap on the amp board.

I believe there are people way more knowledgeable than me here so I would appreciate any guidance on this.

I am using an Apple TV 4K as the media player. The AVR is a Denon X1700H and the tv is a Hisense. Apple TV connected to one input of the AVR and TV connected to the HDMI output of the AVR.
It’s very sporadic, probably once or twice per week. Sometimes it solves itself by rewinding a few seconds but most times I just have to turn everything off and on again.
Other times, the screen becomes split horizontally with two distinct levels of brightness, not sure if that’s related though.
Is it the AVR, is it the TV, or the Apple TV?

I have an xpa5 I got bought used back in 2015 as a daily driver. The past few years hissing has become an issue in all speakers in my 5.1 setup. I have unplugged it from the amp and plugged it into my avr and the hissing is gone. Someone mentioned it could be a bad power supply? Would it be worth sending this to Emotiva for repair? I have emailed them regarding this but won’t hear back till next week. Not sure if anyone has had issues or if this is worth even considering.

I have a small 46" TV and a Onkyo TX-SR393 with a 4.1 speaker system and it worked in a smaller room but would like to upgrade to a nicer system.

Upgrading the TV to a 75" that fits in the niche (waiting for BF deals but looking at a TCL QM7L Pro). Also going to redo the entertainment area below the TV to fit the center speaker, the media center, and a few gaming systems (right now it fits nothing).

The speakers are more problematic because there's no good way to place them away from walls and still be in the correct spot. Thinking of a set of Klipsch RP-8000F II for the front, a RP-504C II for the center, and RP-600M II for sides. The problem is the RP-8000F and RP-504C are all ported in the back and require distance between them and the wall, so they really don't fit.

Is not having the porting open very problematic or ok for generic TV/Movie/Gaming duties where absolute sound fidelity isn't necessary?

If it's a problem, can someone suggest a set of non-ported or front ported speakers they suggest in a $1500 price range (for a 5.0 setup, already have a good sub)?

Bought a house and am able to use an upstairs room that is 18'L x 12' W x8'H

Room is going to have to double as a room to display my steelbooks as well. to hide those from the projector light I am going to do curtain tracks in the ceiling and close them when its movie time. All the windows in the room have storm shutters so I can close them for light control.

Doing two rows of 3 person loveseats. Back row with an 8" Riser. there is 30" to the rear of the first set of seats.

Drawing above shows 7.1.4. But have questions at the end for that...

Equipment I am thinking of ( after reading some posts here)

Xigmi Horizon 30 projector
120" Screen (haven't picked out yet but will drop from the ceiling)
OnKyo Rz-50 (if doing 7.1.4)
Fronts will be RP-8000F I
Matching center: RP-504C I
Celings will be C34E MKII
Sub will be Sub: Starke Sound 15"
Rears and back: Klipsch R-5800-W II

Couple questions:

Are the R-5800's a good choice here? There isn't much space in the walkways so I was trying to keep the surrounds from protruding out too far.

Is 7.1.4 worth it over 5.1.4 to go from RZ-30 t0 RZ-50?

Thoughts on AVR placement?

Any other thing stick out as not a good choice?

Caveat; utilizing speakers sources through MediaMarkt (due to an upcoming site-wide 19% sale, which I can then stack an additional 19% discount through VAT exclusion).

Recently moved into my new house, and trying to get setup. Read through the FAQs -- but the majority of the recommendations for items in different price ranges are based on US supply.

There are recommendations for brands for European markets, but not which specific items (and items within a given brand can vary drastically in price to performance).

Already settled on the Denon X1800H for the receiver. Heard recommendations in other posts for ELAC 6.2, but aside from that I'm struggling here.

Any recommendations would be welcome.

the instruction has mounting holes guide depending on the size of your vesa.
And it mostly shows CENTER (using the top holes and bottom slotted holes symmetrically)

My goal: EYE LEVEL while sitting on a couch.

ISSUE: the tv rack will be too high because my TV 4 Vesa holes is too low instead of the usual CENTER.

My concern: I plan to put the 4 holes of my tv on the lowest part possible. Can the bracket handle it? chance of tipping because it was not center?

Specs of the rack: the mobile tv rack is rated up to 90kg and 90inch tv
My TV: 8kg and 55inch

The diagram is to scale. Total width is 10'. The centre of my seat is in line with the middle stud. The 4 lag bolts will be going directly into the two studs (no drywall). To centre the TV with my seating position, it would mean putting the TV quite off-centre on the wall plate.

Is this fine?

How off-centre / close to the edge of the wall plate can I hang the TV?

Does this layout mean the left two lag bolts will carry all of the load, since they sit between the two "hooks" on the back of the TV?

If it matters, the TV is Sony Bravia 8 77" and the mount is Sanus VLT6-B1.

My setup is HP Omen with 3070ti with hdmi 2.1 connected to Denon AVR x3800H connected to LG 75QNED90. When i try to change 4K 60 to 4k 120hz the resolution changes to 1080p. All HDMI are 2.1 on the TV. I have my Series X connected to another HDMI which is connected at 4K 120Hz flawlessly. The HDMI cable is 2.1. What might be the issue and how to resolve it ?

I have an Apple TV as well as a Denon 3800h with Dirac Live supporting a 7.2.4 setup.

Recently, Dirac took away the ability to increase/ decrease volume of individual channels, so I’m kind of stuck.

Should I use enhance dialogue via Apple TV, is there another way to increase volume of my center channel?

Any help is appreciated!

Hi im setting up my first home theater rn and i got a Cambridge Soundworks BassCube 12S off Facebook marketplace and it works good most the time, but sometimes starts making noises on its own, even with all inputs unplugged. They then randomly go away I haven’t really noticed a pattern of when they start and stop, does anyone have an idea on what the issue could be? I looked it up but theres no clear answer on what could be causing it

Pictured is the set up in my house. I never got to see how the previous owners had it set up, but now that we’re settled in, I’m interested in getting this set up and working.

I have 6 of the circular speakers and 1 of the rectangular ones (which I assume is the sub/bass?). The cords coming out of the wall are in the other room, on the far side from the TV. Not only is it in a different room, but it’s also much too far to run any type of cord directly into the TV. There’s only 1 bundle of cords, I just took multiple pictures so you can see the labels written on them.

I’d love to complete the set up and use what we have built in. I’ve asked ChatGPT, Gemini, and a couple of friends with different surround sound set ups at their house.

What do I all need to make this work? From what I’ve gathered, I need a 7.1 receiver and potentially some type of remote extender… can anyone confirm this or offer a correct solution? Any links to trusted products I’d need would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Tired of my TV's lame internal speakers, I decided to hook up my ye olde Yamaha receiver and 5.1 speaker system. In the past I just dealt with the "fake make it up as we go 5.1" sound but this time around wanted to get it to pass actual 5.1 information.

The problem is that my receiver only supports 1080 (and the HDMI out is dead anyway). Originally my plan was to:

• Roku >----HDMI ---- >TV
• TV >-----OpticalAudio-----> Receiver

I have, for the life of me, not been able to get the system to pass the 5.1 correctly. I've messed with a TON of settings both on the Roku and the TV and the receiver and it never quite works. My googling tells me that it maybe is doable but also maybe is not and it'll be hard to determine if it actually is doable.

Feeling clever, I ordered a 1x2 HDMI box, figuring I'd send one HDMI signal to the TV and the other for audio-only to the receiver.

This sort of works except (and I should have predicted this) the receiver can't even decode the audio portion of the 4K signal so I need to set the Roku to spit out 1080P. Happily, when in 1080P mode it does pass the 5.1 information correctly.

I really don't want to buy a whole new AV receiver for this project, so here are my current ideas

• Buy an HDMI audio extractor (although this makes me nervous, since now I'm back to TOSlink and that seems to be dicey, but maybe it'll work better from a dedicated device?)
• Buy an HDMI downscaler to stick between the 1x2 and the AV receiver to convert 4k into 1080P. My conern, however, is that this also won't pass the audio cleanly.

Thoughts on plan A vs plan B vs a better idea you have?

Edit: Looks like the OREI XD-3000 claims to support 5.1 audio formats. I think sticking this between the 1x2 and the receiver will do the trick.

Video of it in action: here and here

I had made an initial version of this during my theater build out but it used a single actuator and became unbalanced and just didn't work as well as I'd hoped

The basic design is a wood panel below the screen that sits slightly in front and hides an extruded aluminum frame that is raised up to mask the bottom black bars of scope content. The frame has a velvet slip cover that slides over to soak up the light. It's controlled with a zooz zen17 smart relay controlled through HA.

The first iteration used lens memory to shift the image up and push the top black bar off the screen. But since then a madvr envy core has been added. I use the contact image height feature to just shift the image up and avoid the lens memory delay and inevitable drift. This also allows for automation as I can pull the output aspect ratio from the envy as a trigger in HA.

Verizon 2.0 changed out the single actuator for a pair with optical sensor feedback and a sync controller from FIRGELLI automations. Setup was super simple and the controller allows you to dial in the limits so you can have it stop at the right height ever time .

The new actuators are quicker but louder. I built an mdf box and filled it with rockwool to try and mitigate the noise (I'm not concerned about heat cause they run very infrequently with long breaks between). I also added some mlv to the bottom to help minimize sound transmission to the floor. They're not silent but I'll keep working on that .

I need to tweak the automations for shifting aspect ratio movies but I'm very pleased with the initial results. It dramatically increases immersion losing the black bars and automating it helps with my laziness once my butt hits the seat.

So my 2023 shield is acting up lately and I'm starting to look for a replacement.

I mainly use Plex and Disney+, Streams (BE), ... and I have a Marantz Cinema 50 with a 5.1.4 setup and a Samsung QLED 4K 65 inch Q95T (2020)

Had my thoughts set on a Dune HD Homatics Box R 4K Plus but with the new apple tv 4k out and seeing mentions of an Ugoos AM6B Plus I don't know what to pick.

My ideal solution is to use android tv with my apps and be able to do lossless towards my Marantz so it will handle the decoding instead of the box.

Any tips/suggestions?

We're building a 16x20 deck in Iowa with gently sloped roof, and I thought about adding a sound system. I could hire someone but I've also thought about doing it myself—but I'm not sure how complex it would be to do it right.

We'd use it for a variety of things: streaming music, perhaps a TV or outdoor movie projector.

I'm leaning toward four speakers in the corners with wire going to an outdoor receiver, though maybe two speakers are enough? I think I'd prefer in-ceiling speakers to mounted ones, so they aren't in the way. The high side is 10'6" tall and the short end is 8'6". I'm not sure a slope like that requires angled speakers. I've also been reading about adding boxes with acoustic foam.

I wondered if a receiver like the Fosi BT20A could be mounted on the ceiling and have the wires run to it. It would be out of the way of any weather. I could enclose it in a plastic shell, but I've also heard they need airflow (not sure how much though). And I'm also not sure what speakers can tolerate Iowa temperatures.

Hey guys was hoping maybe to find answers here Im at my wits end. Im running a Tamaha Rx A780 reciever and just inherited a Rotel RB 9908X amp for my front R and L Klipsch towers. Once the RCA cables are plugged in to the amp I get a hum. It doesnt fluctuate with volume abd ut doesn't even have to be plugged in to the reciever to hum. I have unplugged everything I can to eliminate ground loop possibility and even moved my amp farther away from all the other components. I thought it may be tge amp so brought it to a shop but when the tech plugged it in to his source no hum what so ever. What else can I check? I bought nice sheilded cables as well. Don't judge my wife's Halloween decorations all over my stuff I lost that battle lol