I’m in the process of trying to figure out what I should do to update my current setup. Mainly because we need to free up some floor space, and get the rear speakers (which are on speaker stands) off the ground because we have a little one that could be harmed by it toppling over.

This is what I currently have:
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR604
Front L/R: Paradigm Monitor 11 v.6
Center: Paradigm Studio CC v.2
Rear L/R: Paradigm Mini Monitor v.3
Sub: B&W ASW 600

We use the system mainly for TV watching and Home Theater use. Occasionally we listen to music, but not nearly as much as I did in my single days! The room is 15’x14’ (with an open back to the kitchen) and the house was pre-wired for a 5.1 in-ceiling speaker setup. I’m thinking of selling my current setup and going with an in-ceiling setup instead. But before I do that, I have lots of questions.

1) There are two bedrooms that are split over the front R and rear L/R in-ceiling speakers on the second flor. There currently isn’t any insulation up there in the ceiling. If I follow the installation instructions and put insulation above each speaker, how much sound will travel up into the bedrooms? If it’s too much, I might consider trying to fish wire to do an on-wall setup, but I would prefer in-ceiling. I know the HTR 7000s are directional, but I really want to make sure that it wouldn’t be terrible in the kids bedrooms in the evenings.

2) I planned on going with the HTR 7000s for the front L/C/R, and the 650s in the rear. Should I instead go to two more 7000s, or two MPXs in the rear? What are the benefits?

3) How much different will the in-ceiling setup sound that my current Paradigm’s? I really like the way the Paradigms sound, and don’t want to lose too much by going to an in-ceiling setup. I was hoping it would be somewhat similar, especially since my main usage will be movies.

4) Do I need to upgrade my receiver to get better sound from the HTR 7000s? I want one anyway (need HDMI inputs!!), but I was hoping to limit the amount that I spend right now. I was looking at the Marantz SR5008 or Denon XR3000. Would both of those provide a much better home theater experience than my older Onkyo? My other option is maybe the Onkyo TX-NR818. It's heavily discounted since it's discontinued, but it has Audyssey MultEQ XT32 -- which I've heard can produce better results.

5) I may upgrade my subwoofer as well to something smaller and that draws less power when in standby (the B&W pulls 18watts when it isn’t in use!). I was looking at the Rel T-Zero or T-5 because of their compact size and good reviews. How do those stack up against the ForceField 3? The 5 really seems too big. Also, right now my sub is placed near the back of the room. I’ve read some things that with smaller in-ceiling speakers I should probably move it up front. Is that true?

I think that’s it for now. Any help would be appreciated!

No help???

Sorry, I was hoping a forum member would chime in here as I do not like to get involved in comparisons with other brands as we feel forum members prefer to hear from other forum members when it comes to comparisons to other speakers. That said, I'll try to answer your questions in as unbiased a fashion as possible.

1) Unless you put them in a sound deadening box, sound will travel easily through the floor of the room above (mainly mids and lows, muffled, and will be pretty audible at high volumes, not too bad at modest levels;

2) Invisa 650's are fine for in-ceiling surround use. HTR-7000's will sound less like the sound is coming from above you (some people prefer that), MPX's are intended for side or rear wall but would also be a good choice if that application is possible.

3) Compared to your big towers with lots of drivers? You'll probably need to have a couple larger subs to equal the total radiating area of those big towers' woofers. But overall I would say properly setup the system will rival or outperform your older Paradigm speakers. There are several reviews of the HTR-7000 theater we demoed at a trade show on our website. Check those comments out, people were pretty darn impressed (I believe that system had a single ForceField 5).

4) The receiver will be fine (if it was OK with your Paradigms, it will be OK with the GoldenEar). Audyssey can give improved results, and sometimes not. HDMI addition means lossless audio (Dolby TrueHD, etc), that's the biggest reason to make a change.

5) Sub should be in the front (that's a preference thing again), but the HTR-7000's are fine with an 80Hz crossover so that really gives you pretty much the same options as with any other speakers. Sorry, I'm not going to draw specific sub comparisons. If size is an issue the ForceField 3 (or two of them) is about as good a sub as you can get for the $$.

Hope this helps, sorry for the delay. Perhaps some othr forum members will chime in now too.

Sorry, I was hoping a forum member would chime in here as I do not like to get involved in comparisons with other brands, we feel forum members prefer to hear from other forum members when it comes to comparisons to other speakers. That said, I'll try to answer your questions in as unbiased a fashion as possible.

1) Unless you put them in a sound deadening box, sound will travel easily through the floor of the room above (mainly mids and lows, muffled, and will be pretty audible at high volumes, not too bad at modest levels);

2) Invisa 650's are fine for in-ceiling surround use. HTR-7000's will sound less like the sound is coming from above you (some people prefer that), MPX's are intended for side or rear wall but would also be a good choice if that application is possible.

3) Compared to your big towers with lots of drivers? You'll probably need to have a couple larger subs to equal the total radiating area of those big towers' woofers. But overall I would say properly setup the system will rival or outperform your older Paradigm speakers. There are several reviews of the HTR-7000 theater we demoed at a trade show on our website. Check those comments out, people were pretty darn impressed (I believe that system had a single ForceField 5).

4) The receiver will be fine (if it was OK with your Paradigms, it will be OK with the GoldenEar). Audyssey can give improved results, and sometimes not. HDMI addition means lossless audio (Dolby TrueHD, etc), that's the biggest reason to make a change.

5) Sub should be in the front (that's a preference thing again), but the HTR-7000's are fine with an 80Hz crossover so that really gives you pretty much the same options as with any other speakers. Sorry, I'm not going to draw specific sub comparisons. If size is an issue the ForceField 3 (or two of them) is about as good a sub as you can get for the $$.

Hope this helps, sorry for the delay. Perhaps some other forum members will chime in now too.

Thanks, I appreciate the reply. I think I'm going to go with 5 Invisa HTR 7000s, and just try putting insulation around the speakers. I've read some things about the Dynabox, but at at-least $100 a pop, I'm not sure I really want to go down that path. Not sure it really provides much for the cost.

As for the sub, I'm trying to decide now between the Forcefield 4, or the SVS SB-2000. Both are about the same size/price, but it seems like people think the SVS is a great sub for the price (with a 12" driver vs the 10" for the GE). Not sure yet, but I'll figure it out!

One quick question about installation. I see in the manual that it says that the speakers need to be mounted 2" away from a stud. Is there a reason for that? The only reason I ask is my house was pre-wired for ceiling speakers, and they mounted an electrical box on the stud with the speaker wire in it. I've cut out the box (since it won't be needed), but the hole in the ceiling is next to the stud. I was hoping to cut a round hole from that to mount the speaker in, but maybe I need to patch that hole and mount the speaker 2" away. What do you think?

The 2" clearance is to make room for the mounting lock arms. With the stud up against the hole you will be limited in your rotation of the speaker (unless you only use 3 of the 4, which would not be recommended).