Homr Theater Set-up?

Question

I have 3 questions.
My room is 33x11 and I can make the room 100% dark.
I am looking at the Sony VPL-HS60.
My chairs will be about 16-18feet back.
#1 - Is the sony the best bang for the buck ???
# 2 - Where do I place the rear speakers - behind the chairs or all the way in the back ?
# 3 - Is 7.1 really beter then 5.1 ???

Answer 1

1) Sony is not always the best bang for the buck but that projector is quite good for the money.

2) Don't place the rears all the way in the back. Seventeen feet back is too far. There will be a gap in your sound fields. You can put the speakers on the side walls parallel to the main seating facing each other (and you). You can put two more on stands closer together a few feet behind you facing forward.

3) 7.1 is really better than 5.1. If you are serious about a home theater you want 7.1.

Answer 2

Hi.I would consider 3 other DLP projectors that are just as good if not better and at a lower price than the Sony.They are the Mitsubishi HD 1000 U. The Benq PE 7700.and the InFocus Big IN76.
You should experiment with the placement of your rear speakers to find the right position.So many things influence the sound of speakers in a room. The furnishings The shape .The size .etc.They should sound ok on the rear wall which will increase reverberation time and give you a feeling like being in a large auditorium but try it first before any permanent position is chosen.
There are both very good and very average 5.1 and 7.1 Receivers.If you want more speakers then get the 7.1 Receiver.

Answer 3

Look in the book that came with the Home Theater System and look for the page that has the picture of a room set-up, using the system you have. The rear speakers shouldn't go all the way back, just a couple of feet behind your chair, and equidistant on each side. The front speakers should NOT be any closer to the TV than two feet from each end, with the center speaker on top of the TV, and the sub woofer sitting on the floor ,angled in, to the left of the TV. I set my sub on a small piece of carpet to help the bass.( 5 : 1 is all you really need.)

Answer 4

1) The Sony is OK, but prices have recently been undergoing a shakeup and there are better choices (See the 1st link). Since there are advantages and disadvantages to each brand/model and one may fit your circumstances better than the Sony.

One consideration: make sure the projector you choose is suitable for the position and screen size you choose. If you are seated 16-18 ft back you may want a 120"+ screen and brightness might be an issue. See the 2nd link for a screen size / viewing distance calulator.

2) Put the "rear" speakers on the sides. See the 3rd link for a setup guide.

3) 7.1 is, in theory, better than 5.1 (and even more speakers is better still ... reports exist of in excess of a dozen speakers) BUT there is very little in the way of 7.1 sound out there. Even Blu-Ray and HD DVDs rarely have anything more than 6.1 (and that is relatively infrequent), and many HD players only pass 5.1 anyway. Personally, I made provision for it in my HT (I ran the wires and installed the speakers) but have yet to use it (other than through matrix surround processing (eg Dolby ProLogic IIx).

Answer 5

#1. I'm assuming you are referring to a sony projector? I'm not all that familiar with projector brands, but I would think Sony would be at least close to the best bang for your buck.
#2. It depends. Your home theater system should have volume controls for all speakers so it doesn't seem like it would make much of a difference where you place them.
#3. Of course 7.1 will be slightly better than 5.1. But not considerably for evryday use.

Answer 6

1. With prices of 1920x1080 projectors coming down, you should look into one of them - Sony, Epson, etc.
2 Put speakers all the way in the back, and adjust the delay accordingly. If you have enough distance, low frequency waves have a chance to develop, and you have a fuller sound coming form the rear speakers.
3. Long rooms benefit the most form 7.1. sound. So try to set up 7.1 system, put 2 speakrs on the level with your seat, and 2 more all the way in the back.

Answer 7

1. sony is not the bet for your buck. get a high end home theater like denon or onkyo.

2. All the way in the back. u do not want to make the speakers sound obvious but more a backround sound effect.

3. yes 7.1 is way better than 5.1. duh it is 2 more spekaers. the only thing is that most surround sound sources(dvds, tvs) are in 5.1 so the other 2 speakers are really quiet are no sound

Answer 8

5.1 is preferable. The sixth and seventh channels are matrixed and make you lose front to back and right and left directionality. Basically you end up with a multi -mono system.