Klipsch Speaker Placement for surrounds and Atmos

[Lord_Beelzebub]

Hi everyone, I need a little assistance please.

 

Just purchased a pair of bookshelf RP-160M speakers for surround sound speakers.  I have to sit along the back wall and the speakers need to be to the immediate left and right of the listening position.  My question is, how high should they be?  Should the divers be equal to my head/ears when sitting, or a bit higher?  If higher, how much higher?

 

Second question pertains to one pair of Atmos Enabled speakers I got, model RP-140SA.  So running a 5.1.2 surround system.  Is it best to put these speakers on top of my left and right main speakers  pointing at the ceiling and bounce the sound off the ceiling or mount them on the wall near the ceiling above my TV and have them shoot the sound down at me?  My left and right main speakers are RP-280F's and they are about 12 feet apart from each other and 13 feet away from the listening position, pretty much a perfect triangle.  What's the best method for placing these speakers for best Atmos sound?  I have a flat plaster ceiling apx 8 feet high. 

 

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

 

Thank you!

[RoboKlipsch]

As surrounds they need to be above ear level for a few reasons.  One is if you sit in the right seat and the right surround is directly at your ear you wont hear anything else because of the direct spl overtaking everything else.  Second you would block the seats left of you from hearing the surround well.  

 

Somewhere between a foot and 2 feet above ear level will be ideal...maybe 3 max.  If you sit close to the speakers higher is probably needed and the further away the lower that they could work well imo.  

 

If you are going atmos, google the installation guide and breeze through it.  I believe on top of the 280s is correct for your purposes.

[RoboKlipsch]

With atmos the surround height is more critical....based upon your room you will have a good answer in the guide.  Ceiling height plays a big part, i believe the spec is no more than 1.25x the height of the front speakers.

 

It also states ideally all speakers are at 3.9feet above floor but remeber its a guide not a strict requirement.

[derrickdj1]

I would put the surrounds no less than 3 ft. above ear level.  These are horn speakers and the directivity will get to you if placed to close to the ear.  The question on Atmos needs so more info.  Is the ceiling drywall or possible a title drop ceiling?  What is the ceiling height?  You can always start with the 140s on top of the speakers and see how it sounds.

[Lord_Beelzebub]

Ceiling is flat and drywall, ceiling is 8 feet heigh.  They are sitting on top of RP-280F's so that puts the atmos speakers halfway up to the ceiling and the listening position is 13 feet away.

 

I currently have the surrounds directly to the left and right of the listening position and the main drivers are of the speakers are about 1.5 feet above head level when sitting.  They seemed up a bit high which is why I wanted to come out here and double check that was correct.  You said about 3 feet above the head but that would put them real close to the ceiling if I went that high with them.  Seems like I might already have them in a good spot?

 

the overall size of the room is 12 feet wide X 14 feet deep X 8 feet high.  

 

My main concern with the Atmos speakers was, if I put them on top of the floorstanding speakers and I'm sitting 13 feet away, would the sound bounce at the right angle off the ceiling and make it back to the listening position?  If not, is it better to mount the speakers on the wall near the ceiling so it projects the sound directly at the listening position?  Which method would give me the best sound given the distance of my listening position?

 

i still need to buy speaker wire for both sets of speakers so I want to get them in the correct spots so I know how much speaker wire to purchase.

 

sorry for the long reply.

[RoboKlipsch]

Google the manual.  All the answers are there.

[wvu80]

1 hour ago, Lord_Beelzebub said:

i still need to buy speaker wire for both sets of speakers so I want to get them in the correct spots so I know how much speaker wire to purchase.

 

I suggest a spool of 100 foot (or more) 16 AWG.   You always need more than you think you do, so err on the side of getting extra.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=4041

 

It looks like the 50 and 100 foot spools of 12 AWG Oxygen Free Copper are on sale,  $22.45 for 100 feet.  That's a good price, and that is the exact wire I use.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023903&p_id=2747&seq=1&format=2

 

Many people here including me run 12 AWG because we're committed to overkill.  If you plan to run banana plugs ask for some advice because there are some to stay away from, and some banana plugs will not accommodate 12 AWG even though it will advertise that it does (stay away from Monoprice plugs).

 

IMO the key to getting good speaker wire is don't buy the cheapest stuff, which is Copper Coated Aluminum (CCA). 

 

You want OXYGEN FREE COPPER (OFC).  If you shop at Walmart or Lowes for speaker wire you can tell if it's CCA because the spool is not marked.  The OFC is always stamped on the spool of the good stuff.  If you shop at Parts-Express be careful what you buy, they sell some speaker wire that does not have the polarity indicated on the wire!

 

Quote

 

Get the most out of your home audio system with high quality, oxygen-free, pure bare copper speaker wire from Monoprice!

 

This speaker wire features two conductors made of high purity (greater than 99.95% pure), oxygen-free bare copper. Pure Bare Copper is a superior conductor to the copper clad aluminum (CCA) conductors used in most other inexpensive speaker wire. CCA is only about 68% as conductive as pure bare copper. This additional resistance is added to the impedance of your speakers and can negatively effect the sound.

 

For the wire to have no audible effect, the total wire resistance should be no more than 5% of the lowest impedance of your speakers. Even speakers rated for a nominal 8-ohms, may dip to as low as 4-ohms at some frequencies, which further reduces the total cable resistance allowed in the wire. Using Pure Bare Copper speaker wire ensures that the total load put on the amplifier remains as close as possible to the impedance curve of your speakers.

 

For example, a 16AWG 2-conductor Pure Bare Copper speaker wire has a total resistance of 0.803 ohms per 100 feet (both directions must be considered). By comparison, a 16AWG 2-conductor CCA speaker wire has a total resistance of 1.181 ohms per 100 feet. Assuming 4 ohms is the lowest impedance of your speakers, a speaker wire run can be no more 0.2-ohms total. 20 feet of 16AWG Pure Bare Copper would be 0.1606 ohms, well under the 0.2-ohm limit. On the other hand, 20 feet of 16AWG CCA would be 0.2362 ohms, well OVER the 0.2-ohm limit.

 

Each conductor is jacketed with color-coded PVC for easy polarity identification. The entire cable assembly is jacketed in a white, CL2-rated PVC material. The CL2 rating indicates that the cable complies with fire safety and insurance requirements, making it safe for use inside the walls of residential class buildings.

 

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=4041

 

 

[Lord_Beelzebub]

Thanks, yes I have short runs from my receiver to my left and right mains and to my center channel and I use 12 gauge oxygen free copper wire I got from Monoprice, so I planned on getting the same.

 

as far as referring to the manual, if you're referring to the booklet that came with the speakers, that thing is useless. I think I'm better off going to Dolby's website where it is explains things in detail with decent illustrations.  Unless there is some other manual you're referring to.

 

I'll try them sitting on top of floor speakers first and if not satisfied I'll wall mount them.

[wvu80]

Whoops, I over explained...again.  Sorry.

[W27]

On 9/15/2017 at 10:20 AM, Lord_Beelzebub said:

Thanks, yes I have short runs from my receiver to my left and right mains and to my center channel and I use 12 gauge oxygen free copper wire I got from Monoprice, so I planned on getting the same.

 

as far as referring to the manual, if you're referring to the booklet that came with the speakers, that thing is useless. I think I'm better off going to Dolby's website where it is explains things in detail with decent illustrations.  Unless there is some other manual you're referring to.

 

I'll try them sitting on top of floor speakers first and if not satisfied I'll wall mount them.

Any updates? I'm debating trying the atmos speakers myself. I'm curious if it's worth the effort. Mounting speakers in the ceiling is not an option at the moment.