Hello everyone!

I'm building a 5.1 surround sound system in a 7.5"high by 11" foot long by 22" deep walk-out basement room. The roof is actually closer to 8 foot but I have a drop ceiling where I intend to run my wiring.

I'm not really on a big budget but I don't want to over-build the system to the point I just get a ton of distortion due to the dimensions of the room. It will be paired with a projector that "projects" on the wall that is deepest in the ground on a 7.5" by 11" surface.

What kind of set-up do your recommend and why?

Special consideration: I am a gamer and will use this for computer gaming... so if you have projector suggestions please factor that in.

Thanks guys!

Hey Tetrall,
Welcome and know this, you are looking and asking in the right place.
First thing that jumped out at me when I read your post is the dimensions of your room. WRONG. ha ha
Well, you have to live with the room you have, but 11X22 will excite some bad bass. Can you do anything about that at all? Room dimensions generally should not be in multiples. If not, don't worry there are ways around it.
Are you planning on music and movies or just movies? Concert blu-rays?
To get better recommendations, you might want to give an idea how much you want to spend. But just as a starting off place, let me say
that I think (this is just my opinion here) that you should spend as much as you can on speakers now. And not worry overly about how they will play in that room, how they will fit, etc. The reason is, great speakers like the GoldenEars will last for years and years, if not a lifetime. And will likely be playing in several different rooms during your use of them. So don't feel the need to be restricted by the small room you have now. And, electronics & projectors, even TVs get old and obsolete and changed out much more often, so I think speakers first.
IF you want a jump in there, start somewhere recommendation, I would start with Triton 2s in the front, with a SC-XL center and Triton 7s in the rear surrounds. With a ForceField 5 sub thrown in there for some wall shakin' bass for movies.
Whatever you decide, enjoy the adventure of putting together the best sounding system that you can with your budget and your resources. You can always build it up later. So you may not want to or may not be able to jump in as deep as I am talking about. Or you may be thinking Triton Ones right off the bat.
Enjoy the search and let us know what you decide,
God Bless,
Wayne

Sorry for the long delay, got busy at work!

Well - the room dimensions are actually 11ft by 22.5ft if that helps any.

I got a few photos so you can see the room.


This is a photo of the wall that will be where I project the movies onto.


This one is it repainted a much darker color... matt finish.



This from the entry nearby, you can barely see the stairs there on the right.


This is where I intend to put the AV and other components.

So as much as I would love to have that much power sitting around my house, I think I'd like to save a little and do this in stages.

So here's where I would like to start, please share your concerns or pro's/con's.

- 2xTriton 2s for Right and Left
- 1xSuper Center X or XL?
- 2xSupSAT 3s
- 1xForceField 4

Reasoning so far:

I chose these after reading a lot of different ideas and posts and tried to spend the most where it will have the most effect for me... and will give me good options to upgrade.

The fronts I chose because I love music, so I figured I would definately splurge there, it's also where a majority of soundtracks come out for movies so again, very worthwhile. I love classical music, a little 80s rock, Daft Punk... yeah - I'm varied.

The center I chose because I do watch movies and I'd need something that wouldn't be overpowered by the Triton 2s, and they seem a nice match... don't know if I need at X or an XL... what do you guys think? I love movies like Lord of the Rings, Tron, sci-fi fantasy, with beautiful soundtracks and enjoyable dialog but a lot of extra stuff going on in the back-ground.

The SuperSat 3s I chose because I figure that the least important part of the system is the back satillites and from what I've read, not many movies and videos are mastered on the low end frequency for these... would it take a lot away from my musical experience to run these instead of like a Sat50?

The FF4 I chose because it matched with the T2's own subs well (from what I read) and considering the room and all the base I'm already producing... I don't think I'll need much more.

Now comes the part I don't get at all:

AV receivers

I'm lost. I don't know what to trust or who to believe. Dealers always want to sell you at 2K receiver with all the bells and whistles but I just don't quite know if I really need all that.

I love clear, clean, and rich sound... not too bright, not too loud. I'm not against turning up the sound mind you if it's called for, but I'm not going to ever bump it up so much that I lose my hearing... it's too important in my job.

So do I really need all that extra power, or are they just selling me a bunch of features I won't use?

If you were me, what would you be looking for in a receiver and why?

Finally, a lot of folks say you should run more power outlets and individual circuits. I can do that if need be, no problem. What can I run on what?

Thank you!

Tetrall!

P.S. - I'd like to also mention that at some point I'm open to adding those T-7s but I want to see how the room fills out and what kind of room will remain... plus, I'm trying to not go TOO crazy, but leave plenty of room to upgrade but still keep the old speakers as useful surround... like Dolby Atmos 5.2.4 (is this even a viable option?) or something like that...

Hey Tetrall,
Thanks for posting the pics as things are looking good for your home theater project!!!
Are you putting the front on the 11 ft side or the 22.5 ft side?
I really like your approach and the thought you have put into it. You are asking great questions too, not sure I can answer them, but will try (as I am wont to do, ha ha).
Well, first of all, I think the Triton 2s are a GREAT call. I have them up front and you will love them!!!!
SC X is great, but get the XL if you have room for it and the funds, get the best speaker you can!
Where I would make a suggestion is to go for the SuperSat 50s or 60s for your rear surrounds if you can. Again, get the most speaker you can, you may not think surrounds are important, but I am running Triton 3s back there and Triton 7s as my REAR surrounds, they do make a difference. UNLESS your plan is to change them out in the fairly near future for Triton 7s.
I would even wait on the ForceField 4 for now, and get the better rear surrounds, then get the sub later.
AND, save just a touch longer and get a ForceField 5 instead of the 4. You won't regret it.
Alright, all the above I have personal experience with (well only heard the SSs in the show room), now here comes the hard part: Receivers. I know that is the main question you are asking.
I personally recommend a pre-processor and amps. That is what I run, but that might be something you want to think about later as an upgrade. That might be jumping in too deep.
OR
The Marantz SR 7009 has a lot of room to grow with, it even has Atmos. And for an extra $200 you can upgrade it to Auro 3D.
I am not into any of that, but you mentioned it.
IF you want start more sensibly and wait for some of these other options/new things to get some maturity, you could go with a SR 5009, still plenty of power. If you are in the States, you may be able to pick one of those up at a pretty good price.
Course you can save money now and buy a receiver off of audiogon or ebay and save up for a better setup later.
Hope some of this helps. And hope you have fun with this adventure.
God Bless,
Wayne

Hi Tetrall, a couple pennies from me:

1) I wouldn't bother with the ForceField 4 to start, add it (or a bigger one) later if you feel its needed;
2) As long as you have power for the speakers on a different circuit than power for the rest of the system, you should be fine;
3) If you see Atmos in your future, your selection of receivers is more limited, but will grow exponentially in the next year;
4) Receiver brands we recommend, based on our experience, are Anthem, Arcam, Integra, Marantz, NAD, Pioneer Elite. Expect a $1,000-2000 price range;
5) SuperSat 3's are fine for surround/rear duty, and size-appropriate.

The newest Integra receivers are supporting Atmos already and commonly have firmware upgrade capabilities to support newer formats. I am sure other brands are supporting Atmos this as well. Lots of these systems have plenty of pre-amp outputs so you can always add an amplifier or two if you feel that they are necessary. By what I understand GoldenEar speakers are fairly efficient and do well with a solid receiver alone and you can get an extra edge out of them with separates.


I would have to agree that a sub is something that can be added after the fact very easily. I have seen some recommendations also to go with a .2 (2 sub) systems. Seems like overkill but everyone has their tastes and I am sure there are specific uses for this setup.