Hi all,

I originally posted this over on avsforum.com but didn't get much feedback so thought I would try it here. I just purchased a home with a small detached structure that I will be fully remodeling next month. This space will serve a dual purpose as my office (I work from home full time) and a small dedicated home theater. I'd love to arrange a Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 configuration and speaker placement is of course my biggest concern. I've all but decided on the following equipment, having worked with and greatly enjoyed these brands in the past. I've also decided I'd like to go with in ceiling and in wall equipment if at all possible to help with the limited floor space, particularly for the surrounds.

Display: Panasonic TC-P65ZT60 (already own)
Left/Center/Right: 3x GoldenEar Invisa HTR 7000 (in ceiling)
Atmos Pair L/R: 2x GoldenEar Invisa HTR 7000 (in ceiling)
Surround Pair L/R: 2x GoldenEar Invisa MPX (in wall, i think...)
Sub: Undecided (suggestions under $1k)?
Receiver: Marantz SR5010

I've attached a rough drawing of the space including measurements, will provide the theater portion measurements below as well:

Width: 11ft 4inches
Length: 9ft 4inches
Ceiling Height: 8ft

I've also attached an image from the HTR 7000 user manual that looks pretty straight forward for L/R/C placement. Where I am unsure is on the Surround and Atmos placement. Because of the room size my seating will pretty much be right up against the back wall to allow for proper viewing distance (and the appropriate distance for the HTR 7000 speakers up front). Can anyone help me figure out the best placement options to get as close to dolby spec as possible?

Thanks!
- tret

Tretneo,

Sounds like a great plan, except I'm not sure I would be all that productive with that kind of setup in my office. It should sound great regardless of which model you choose. We did receive some interesting feedback on the MPX versus HTR-7000s recently. Mr. Gross spoke to a customer considering the MPX speakers for the front channels and was told they would be slightly better than the HTR-7000s.

That would steer me towards the MPX speakers for the fronts and surrounds and HTR-7000s for overhead. I'd probably look into a ForceField 5 or SuperSubXL if you're trying to keep the system somewhat stealth. The upcoming SuperSubXL looks quite small and reportedly puts out more bass than the FF5. Anyways, that's my .02 simply from what I've read. I had not responded sooner because I don't have any first hand experience with the Invisa models yet. I do plan to use the HTR-7000s for my Atmos channels.

As far as placement goes, I'd really recommend working with a custom installer. Once you start cutting holes, your margin for error diminishes. You're not likely to have the ability to use trial and error to figure things out on your own. A setup like this would be worth bringing in a pro in my mind. In either case, please let us know how you get on. Pics are always welcome and greatly appreciated. We certainly need more feedback here on the forum on these type of setups. Good luck and happy hunting!

Cheers,

T Cobe