I'm in the early stages of planning for an eventual 5.1.4 surround sound system for Dolby Atmos.
I like the idea of overhead speakers just in front of and just behind my listening chair.
I'm not so sure about full range drivers though.
I have room for up to 8" full range drivers everywhere.
But would they be a good idea?
Not being able to "direct" the sound after installation.
I've got a medium sized room and want the side and ceiling speakers to all be good-to-go down to 80hz for reference volume listening.
I'm an Atmos newbie.
No experience with it yet.
But I'm a speaker geek and feel the need to start planning now. 😉
I like the idea of overhead speakers just in front of and just behind my listening chair.
I'm not so sure about full range drivers though.
I have room for up to 8" full range drivers everywhere.
But would they be a good idea?
Not being able to "direct" the sound after installation.
I've got a medium sized room and want the side and ceiling speakers to all be good-to-go down to 80hz for reference volume listening.
I'm an Atmos newbie.
No experience with it yet.
But I'm a speaker geek and feel the need to start planning now. 😉
Atmos would certainly be new to a lot of us - there may well be other forums offering more experienced advice with the degree of placement flexibility required for "optimal" results.
That said, if the spectral content of these additional effects channels is anything like the perimeter surrounds in "conventional" 7.1 or 9.1, I'd imagine a decent 6-8" full range should be more than up to the task. Note that the larger / more competent drivers may require more substantially rigid and isolated enclosures than simple in drywall ceiling install to deliver that low without turning the entire ceiling into a resonant membrane.
While a few years out of date in some respects, it wouldn't hurt to read this. GedLee LLC
The first few drivers that come to mind are the Alpair10P/Pluvia11 cousins, several Daytons, Fostex FF165WK. No doubt numerous other suggestions will follow.
That said, if the spectral content of these additional effects channels is anything like the perimeter surrounds in "conventional" 7.1 or 9.1, I'd imagine a decent 6-8" full range should be more than up to the task. Note that the larger / more competent drivers may require more substantially rigid and isolated enclosures than simple in drywall ceiling install to deliver that low without turning the entire ceiling into a resonant membrane.
While a few years out of date in some respects, it wouldn't hurt to read this. GedLee LLC
The first few drivers that come to mind are the Alpair10P/Pluvia11 cousins, several Daytons, Fostex FF165WK. No doubt numerous other suggestions will follow.
Thanks, Chris. I'll read the GedLee page this weekend.
I'm lucky in that my house is my own.
And is a two-story with the living room/theater room being downstairs.
So I have 12+"of ceiling depth, 16" of width and tons of length to fabricate an enclosure of suitable size in the ceiling. And am not worried about size for the rear side speakers.
The ceiling WILL come down so I can start routing tons of cat6, rg6, speaker wire, HDMI, etc.
And the ceiling enclosure part will probably come way before the AVR & speakers arrive.
Which is part of why I want to plan ahead as best as possible.
Because once those enclosures are built (by me) and installed... well, that will be pretty much permanent! 🙂
3/4" MDF at a minimum will be used. And I'm guessing I'll need vented to achieve flat down to 80hz.
The Eminence Beta-10CX 10" Coaxial Driver for $70 each would be in the budget.
Which btw, is <$100 per speaker. 🙁
I was hoping Faital Pro would have an 8" or 10" full range but I can't find one.
The Tang Band W8-2145 8" Paper Cone Full Range Driver looks within budget and pretty nice.
I couldn't find the Fostex you mentioned on Google?
I guess the best thing for me to do is collect a BUNCH of brand/models and then WinISD all of them to see which handle the power and xmax requirements for reference level down to 80hz.
Researching these things is most of the fun of home theater/speaker geeking.
That's crazy, right.
I'm lucky in that my house is my own.
And is a two-story with the living room/theater room being downstairs.
So I have 12+"of ceiling depth, 16" of width and tons of length to fabricate an enclosure of suitable size in the ceiling. And am not worried about size for the rear side speakers.
The ceiling WILL come down so I can start routing tons of cat6, rg6, speaker wire, HDMI, etc.
And the ceiling enclosure part will probably come way before the AVR & speakers arrive.
Which is part of why I want to plan ahead as best as possible.
Because once those enclosures are built (by me) and installed... well, that will be pretty much permanent! 🙂
3/4" MDF at a minimum will be used. And I'm guessing I'll need vented to achieve flat down to 80hz.
The Eminence Beta-10CX 10" Coaxial Driver for $70 each would be in the budget.
Which btw, is <$100 per speaker. 🙁
I was hoping Faital Pro would have an 8" or 10" full range but I can't find one.
The Tang Band W8-2145 8" Paper Cone Full Range Driver looks within budget and pretty nice.
I couldn't find the Fostex you mentioned on Google?
I guess the best thing for me to do is collect a BUNCH of brand/models and then WinISD all of them to see which handle the power and xmax requirements for reference level down to 80hz.
Researching these things is most of the fun of home theater/speaker geeking.
That's crazy, right.
I've not tripped down the Atmos rabbit hole yet, but my first question would be determining "optimal" placement of any surround channels to be permanently fixed in walls / ceilings, and how those might affect viewing seating locations.
Mind you it sounds like you've got a blank-sheet for this design, and if dedicated as a theater, that would be far less of an issue than for rooms with multi-use, door /window or traffic pattern constraints.
The enclosure volume and sealed or vented alignments will depend very much on selected drivers, so vented may not necessarily be mandatory.
Typo on the Fostex model number - should be FF165WK. - edit - looks like someone has already corrected that.
Mind you it sounds like you've got a blank-sheet for this design, and if dedicated as a theater, that would be far less of an issue than for rooms with multi-use, door /window or traffic pattern constraints.
The enclosure volume and sealed or vented alignments will depend very much on selected drivers, so vented may not necessarily be mandatory.
Typo on the Fostex model number - should be FF165WK. - edit - looks like someone has already corrected that.
MDF is not a great material for building speakers. Use quality plywood. For instance 15mm baltic birch is better than ¾” (19.05mm) MDF.
Yes, you will probably need to vent the enclosure, few FRs are designed for sealed use. The SEAS FA22 would work sealed (but exceeds your budget).
Chris made a typo, he meant FF165wk. A nice 6.5” fostex suited for 13-17 litre reflex, Frugel-Horn XL and quite a performer in Woden Victor (perhaps a bit big 🙂?)
You should consider smaller drivers as well, 8” tend to have less dispersion than say the Alpair 10.3 Chris mentioned (still on sale at Madisound fro an exceedingly good price).
dave
Note that among the suggested enclosures for the Eminence Beta10CX is a small sealed box for "mid/hi sat or vocal wedge" - but as as Dave alludes for the general class of FR drivers, that alignment looks to deliver limited LF response compared to their vented alignments.
https://www.parts-express.com/pedocs/more-info/290-502-eminence-beta-10cx-more-info.pdf
If the intention is to achieve THX reference levels at 80Hz on all channels, my concern with smaller FR drivers would be exceeding excursion limits.
My own personal 7.1 system does use all FR drivers -Alpair10.3 & P in the front row, Pluvia 7s in the front height surround, and A6 metals in the rear (teeny little sealed boxes). Room is approx 320ft^2, and moderately damped with upholstered furniture. I'v never had any issues with overloading the drivers, but even on peaks, my listening levels never exceed 90dB at the central listening position.
https://www.parts-express.com/pedocs/more-info/290-502-eminence-beta-10cx-more-info.pdf
If the intention is to achieve THX reference levels at 80Hz on all channels, my concern with smaller FR drivers would be exceeding excursion limits.
My own personal 7.1 system does use all FR drivers -Alpair10.3 & P in the front row, Pluvia 7s in the front height surround, and A6 metals in the rear (teeny little sealed boxes). Room is approx 320ft^2, and moderately damped with upholstered furniture. I'v never had any issues with overloading the drivers, but even on peaks, my listening levels never exceed 90dB at the central listening position.
The Beta 10cx is $70 but needs a hf driver and crossover. The Volt version at DIY Soundgroup is the best deal I know of since they have a low priced compression driver and matched crossover. I like the 6.5" fr option for this kind of application.
Hmmm price is well over $100
Hmmm price is well over $100
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