Hello all.  I looked a lot through the website and the possibilities are dizzying.

Exsiting home.  I am at the planning stage of a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker arrangement.  Probably 7.1, since the speaker wires are already there for the rears.  Planning to have a Yamaha 3800 or comparable Denon AVR, probably also with use of an old Yamaha M-80 power amp I have for the front L&R.  So I need speakers that can take whatever power this would involve.

Room is a family room: W,L,H are 10' x 22' x 8.5'  W(idth) is a soft number since on one side there is no wall in the viewing/listening space, just a big open room to the dining room with the actual wall close to 30' away. 

 I have two main issues:

1. The side surrounds have to be in-ceiling.  The reason is that there really is only one side wall and a floor standing speaker just won't work.  (The rears can either be in-wall or on-wall, but since the wall is an outer wall, I'm thinking on-wall.)  I need help with matching the mix of in-ceiling, on-wall, and possibly in-wall speakers (see #2, below) as far as sound and overall acoustic compatability.
2. The "PIA entertainment center" cannot be entirely removed (WAF), so I have to live with it.  But it can be modified.  There is no proper place for speakers at present.  There are doors below and to the sides of the TV and drawers directly below the TV which could be used to place LCR speakers.  I have seen some info on using acoustic deadening materials to fill in the void around speakers in a cabinet and using regular speakers behind "fabric".  I have also seen a recommendation to basically create a "wall" at the front of the cabinet and use in-wall speakers.  Either of these could be done and the placement of LCR would be very acceptable (all in a line below the TV and close to ear level.)     Then there is the issue of the sub and where it would go.  It could be a regular floor standing sub.  With the mixing of the speaker types I need some help , OK, a lot of help, in choosing the models that would sound right together.

Budget is not yet determined, but I have a feeling that anything under $2,000 is highly unlikely.  I really don't know prices, and the website isn't very helpful in that regard.                                     

Anybody?

Just need to know best way to deal with a cabinet and what speaker models to match that with in-ceiling surrounds and on-wall rears.

Well first off,

Welcome To The Forum.

It really would be nice to have a budget as that would likely set the boundaries as to everything needed.  Also if the budget would include both speakers and receiver. 

kjgarrison:

but I have a feeling that anything under $2,000 is highly unlikely

Well it that said, is it totally out of the question to use a wall mount speaker for the side surrounds?  I seen that you have a wall on one side but you can have the other speaker mounted from the ceiling, might not be WAF.

I would said that with everything considered that you will have to go with a bookshelf type of speaker setup.  Would will have to use the dimensions for the area where these would go to determine which speakers will fit.  One thing to point out is that you will be place a speaker inside of a cabinet so you might have a problem with the sound.

Here is the page for all the bookshelf setups, http://www.klipsch.com/products/lists/bookshelf-systems.aspx?viewall=true.  Now remember these prices are retail, if you go into a store and are able to pay cash you should be able to get a discount.  I got about 15%-20% off my setup for doing just that but you have to ask.

James

jamesV:

Well first off,

Welcome To The Forum.

It really would be nice to have a budget as that would likely set the boundaries as to everything needed.  Also if the budget would include both speakers and receiver. 

kjgarrison:

but I have a feeling that anything under $2,000 is highly unlikely

  Did you mean over?

Well it that said, is it totally out of the question to use a wall mount speaker for the side surrounds?  I seen that you have a wall on one side but you can have the other speaker mounted from the ceiling, might not be WAF.

I would said that with everything considered that you will have to go with a bookshelf type of speaker setup.  Would will have to use the dimensions for the area where these would go to determine which speakers will fit.  One thing to point out is that you will be place a speaker inside of a cabinet so you might have a problem with the sound.

Here is the page for all the bookshelf setups, http://www.klipsch.com/products/lists/bookshelf-systems.aspx?viewall=true.  Now remember these prices are retail, if you go into a store and are able to pay cash you should be able to get a discount.  I got about 15%-20% off my setup for doing just that but you have to ask.

James

Thank you James.

No I meant "under".  I mean I don't think I can do what I need to do with Klipsch speakers that can handle around 100w for under $2000.  I certainly hope I'm wrong, but I think it's more likely that I'm way too low.

This doesn't include the receiver.

It is exactly the point you made about speakers in a cabinet having a problem with sound that I posted.  That's why I asked if there is a way of putting other materials inside the cabinet with the (bookshelf/stand alone) speakers to correct that issue, or (as I have seen mention of) is it better to make the front of the cabinet into a "wall" (which I assume would mean strengthening the "doors" and adding acoustic treatments to the inside) and using in-wall speakers.

And finally, after the front sound stage/cabinet questions are answered, I need to come up with a combo of the front stage speakers, subwoofer, in-ceiling side surrounds, and on-wall rears that would have compatible specs to make a coherent speaker ensemble.

If you are indeed looking at in-wall speakers, a piar is for sale in the "Garage" area.  Here is a link, http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/101248.aspx.

James

I appreciate your remembering me with these in-walls.  Thanks.

But I don't even know yet if I should be thinking in-walls at all, not to mention which in-walls.  I need a coherent speaker setup, from the front to in-ceiling side surrounds, to possible on-wall rears.

I know you asked for the dimensions and pics of the cabinets before you can recommend between my two alternatives of:

converting the front of the cabinet into a "wall" and using in-walls

 Vs.

putting bookshelf speakers inside, surrounded with acoustic treatments and an acoustic fabric where the doors currently are.

I sort of thought Klipsch had peeps watching these forums to help out with questions like mine.

You should call Klipsch if you want their support individually:
1-800-KLIPSCH

For what it's worth, finding speakers to handle a certain amount of power is the wrong way to select speakers. It is almost always better to have more power available in the amp than in the speakers so as to prevent the amp from clipping. A clipping amp is usually more dangerous to a speaker than a clipping speaker. That said, at normal listening levels you'll only be using somewhere around 1 to 10W of power from the amp (meaning you're gonna have a lot of headroom that is usually unused).

As far as the situation you've described so far, nothing will be "ideal" and it's not quite clear to me what exactly you're trying to do (pictures/drawings would really clarify things).