Guidance, suggestions, opinions

[NCSharkDriver]

I have just secured the final set of Heresys, have all the peices, and am now ready to transform my wife's formal living room into my new home theatre. I have a little HK 90 watt 5.1 amp, a pair of La Scalas for my mains, a pair of Heresys for my center channel, and a pair of Heresy IIs for my rear channel. I have a KSW-12 to plug in to the HK's sub out channel, and a little no name powered 8 inch sub I thought could augment the H2s rear channel.

The room is square, 14' X 14'. The ceiling is 10'. It has hardwood floors for which I have purchased (though not received yet) a 12' X 13.5' carpet and pad. I have cable on one wall and two 3' X 6' windows on the opposing wall. TV is 48" wide, leaving 5' on either side; La Scalas will take up close to 3' of that 5' on each side. The center Heresys (H1s) will be upright on the floor under the TV. Seating will oppose in front of the windows. H2s will flank the seating (couch or still un-bought theatre recliners).

So... sub placement for this room? I thought I might place the KSW12 between the H1s under the TV and put the 8" behind the couch. Suggestions? I had read I should move the La Scalas out to the walls for better bass response. Should these face out parallel to the wall, or should they be angled in from the corners toward the center of the seating? Should I run the sub in-line with the La Scalas instead of the sub-out on the HK?

How about batting or sound deadening on the walls. Anyone have good ideas for that?

I will amend all this by telling you I read every post in the "Show me your HT" thread. I know a lot of first thought responses would be, "Give it a try and experiment with it", but I would like your opinions. I saw some great ideas in the thread, but I just want to know what you think about my plans for this setup. Progress pics will follow. Thanks!

[wuzzzer]

I think that many people will discourage you from using two speakers as center channels. I've read several arguments against it on here and on other audio forums.

The front mains should be toed in towards the main seating position. Some people like them toed in at a more extreme angle than others. For that setup you do have to go with what sounds best to you.

Corner-loading a speaker or a sub will increase its bass output but sometimes will make the bass not as tight sounding. Again, start close to the wall and move them a little until you like how they sound.

Have you always had the KSW-12 with the LaScalas? I don't know a lot about that sub, but I know that many newer subs will probably be a better match to your setup.

All that being said, my advice, (for what its worth []) would be: Sell one of the Heresys and only use 1 for a center channel, sell the KSW-12, sell the little 8 inch sub, and use the money to buy something like a Sub-12. I'd imagine you could get around $500 altogether for those components, and there are several subs in that price range that will really impress you.

[NCSharkDriver]

Thanks -

No, I haven't ever used the KSW-12 with my setup yet. I've had all of these components sitting in one room or another waiting to move into the finished (paint and carpet) HT room. I haven't even pluggged the subs in yet. I got the KSW-12 on a trade for some car parts... cost to me was next to nothing so I have to give it a try. Little sub was one of those yard sale finds.... It looks pretty good for $10, but like the other, I haven't hooked it up yet.

As or the "two center" Heresys, I've been reading that/those threads as well. I'll see how it sounds, but as you suggestred, probably go with just one. I'm the one who bought the white H2s off ebay from the guy in Florida. I was hoping for a good deal and I think I got one. I'm in FL on business now at Hurlburt AFB (Ft. Walton Beach). It just so happened that the fellow works on Hurlbert and brought them to me Tuesday during a lunch break. Same old story that these have sat in his garage and the humidity has delamed the back panel on one. The drivers look good. As for the white paint, it's latex house paint. I should be able to get 99% of it off with a mild latex stripper. Under that white they are raw birch. I plan on painting them black anyway to match my La Scalas.... so.... I'll have to see how it goes.

One of my H1s has a woofer that's center is pushed in. If it sounds the least bit odd, The H2s will perform rear duty, and the good H1 will become the center.

Thanks for the placement advice.

[DrWho]

I think Wuzzer has provided some great advice. Be sure to keep us updated with your results.

As far as acoustical treatment...what are the budget and aesthetic limitations? You mentioned a formal living room and wasn't sure if your wife would be very accepting of panels on the wall or not. Just looking at the dimensions of your room I can guarantee that you'll need some major bass trapping. Is the room well sealed or is it more of an open floorplan with the rest of the house? The tall ceiling is a plus though and would make the RPG skyline diffusors not at all intrusive (and likely very effective). A few fiberglass panels in the early reflection points, helmholtz resonators at the bass build-up points, and then QRD's spread throughout should yield dramatic improvements. You could easily spend a thousand or two on treatments, but you could probably build a lot of this stuff for a few hundred dollars. There is literature available that discusses the design criteria for a lot of the cool latest approaches. The ability to measure is vital too and can be done for under $200 and a laptop/computer.

[NCSharkDriver]

Thanks Mike -

Budget is probably going to be pretty light from here on out. But as you suggested, I'm not afraid to build and install some of the upgrades myself. My wife is moving her formal LR furniture to the "den" where I did have the TV. Den only had one usable wall for a couch, and TV had to be placed in a corner accordingly due also to a fireplace and bookshelves. Her formal stuff will go a lot better in there. She has suggested fabric options for the wall panels so making it my own room will not be a problem. I only have to ensure I can put it back to white walls and hardwood floors when (if ever) we decide to sell the house.

This room is isolated from the rest of the house like a four-wall box with a single entry opening. Its not an open design at all. We've talked about even covering the entry opening and windows with a heavy curtain treatment at some point.

I have seen the "skyline" type defusor setup in several clubs. I don't think the example setup's chain-hung mount system will look good in my room though. I'm open to ideas on panel mounting.

I appreciate the input.

[Islander]

Sounds like you have fine gear to make a home theater you'll be happy with. I'd suggest starting with the La Scalas near the corners and the sub somewhere between them. Dead center may sound logical, but that may be worst for resonances. Subs usually sound best when they're in a "non-symmetrical" location, which includes not pointing directly at the wall it faces. You can toe in the sub. You may have to try a few different spots to get the most even bass response, with the fewest peaks and dips.

When I was positioning my Scalas, I toed them in directly to the listening position, then tried them closer and farther from the front wall. Almost touching the wall gave uneven bass, while 6 inches out (measured from the corner of the speaker closest to the wall) seemed pretty good. I pulled them out to a point 12 inches out with no improvement, so I settled for 5 inches from the wall (14 inches from the wall for the other back corner of the speaker). You may be sliding them around for a bit before you find the ideal spot in your room. If you put old towels or blankets under them, they'll be easier to skid around without marking up the floor.

You'll want to run the sub from the receiver's sub out, so you have more options in setting it up, like setting its level and high cutoff with the remote control. You'll need to set the cutoff on the sub itself as high as it goes, then adjust it from the receiver.

Have fun!