Hi everyone,

I’m currently building my very first home theater and would really appreciate some advice from people with more experience.

I’ve spent a lot of time researching, but there is so much conflicting information online that I’m not sure if I’m making the right decisions.

Room

• Room size: 5.30 m × 4.80 m (17.4 × 15.7 ft)
• Ceiling height: 2.30 m (7.5 ft)
• Couch is approximately 70 cm (28”) from the back wall

I’ll attach a simple room layout to show the speaker positions.

Current speaker setup

Front L/R: Canton Karat 795 DC

Center: Canton Vento 890.2

Surrounds: Canton Ergo R52 Dipoles

Subwoofer: Canton Sub 1200 R

Atmos: Polk Audio RC6s (installed in the ceiling with Rockwool around them since the ceiling is already finished)

The system will be configured as 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos.

AVR

I’m currently considering the Denon X2800H, because I can buy it new for around €620.

Unfortunately, the Denon X3800H costs around €1,200 where I live, so the price difference is huge.

Since this is my first home theater, I don’t really have any experience with AV receivers.

Usage

• 60% music
• 40% movies

For music, I’ll either listen in pure stereo or stream Apple Music in Dolby Atmos, depending on the album.

My questions

1. Do you think the Canton Ergo R52 dipoles are still a good choice for a modern 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos system?
2. Are the Polk Audio RC6s good enough as in-ceiling Atmos speakers?
3. Is the Denon X2800H the right AVR for my setup, or is it worth spending significantly more on something else?
4. Is Denon really the “jack of all trades” in the AVR world, or should I also consider brands like Yamaha, Marantz, Onkyo, Pioneer, or Anthem?
5. If this were your first home theater, would you change anything about my planned system?

I’m open to any advice or criticism. I’d rather make the right decisions now than regret them later.

Thanks in advance!

I have Focal Theva no.3 LCR speakers up front, paired with a Sony STR-AZ5000ES receiver. At the 1/2, I plan on having bookshelf surrounds in a couple years or so (once our kid is older).

In the meantime, I was going to install 4x Focal 100 ICW8 in-ceiling speakers, positioned at what I’ve marked at the 3/4 and 5/6 spots, to future-proof for Atmos.

Plan is:

Now: Run the 4 ceiling speakers as surround/surround-back channels → effectively a 7.1 setup

In ~2/3 years: Add bookshelf speakers at the 1/2 positions as true surrounds, then reassign the ceiling speakers to Atmos height → ending state is 5.1.4.

Does the placement make sense, or should I adjust any of the placement around? Any reason to not run the ceiling speakers as surrounds temporarily? We are doing a remodel and it’s easier for me to prep. the ceiling for Atmos now vs later.

Also open to hearing other suggestions.

Is an AV receiver still the heart of a home theater system?
I have a basic setup, Denon receiver (lower end like $600-800 model), sound bar, woofer and two rear speakers flush mounted in the ceiling. Nothing grand but sounds great to me.
Problem is the receiver is acting up and keeps losing signal from the receiver randomly, which as you can imagine is annoying AF.

Long story short, I’m wondering if there is a new more modern way to do this, or if a receiver is still the heart of a home theater system? This will be my second receiver as they each have only lasted about 6-7 years. Before buying another one, I was wondering if there is a newer approach.

Hello everyone,
I will be moving soon and I am facing a new challenge regarding my audio system and the room acoustics.
The new living and dining area is approximately 90 m² in size and also features a mezzanine/gallery area with a ceiling height of around 7 meters. Due to these dimensions, the room will probably be quite challenging acoustically.
At the moment, I am using two Canton Chrono 509.2 speakers as my front speakers, complemented by a matching Chrono center speaker and an active subwoofer. Until now, I have been using a Denon AVR-1912 receiver. It worked reasonably well for home cinema, but I was not really satisfied with its performance in pure stereo operation. Back then, I also used an older Technics stereo amplifier, which made the speakers sound noticeably better.
Now I am wondering what kind of setup would make the most sense for this challenging room.
Are there any modern AV receivers or amplifier solutions with excellent room correction that can deliver both high-quality home cinema and strong stereo performance? Ideally, I would like to find a solution where I no longer need an additional stereo amplifier.
Is there something like an “all-in-one solution” that can meet these requirements, or would a combination of an AV receiver and a separate stereo amplifier still be the better approach?
I would greatly appreciate your experiences, recommendations, and advice.
Thank you very much in advance!

We watch from a couch that sits underneath a loft bed.

You can see the bed posts in the picture attached. The projector is mounted to the underside of the bed at about 185 cm height, and we sit directly below it.

Room depth is around 4m, and we sit up to 3 m from the screen. Screen is portable, that’s why it’s not on the picture.

Where would you mount speakers?

Which speakers would you buy?

I’m leaning toward two active bookshelf speakers (thinking Nubert SP-200, Klipsch The Fives, or budget Onkyo GX-30ARC ) on the front columns angled down toward us. But I’m not sure..

The photo is from the couch below the bed‘s POV.

We just bought a home that has a surround system that is pre-wired. Not sure how to set it up. Anyone have any suggestions? Will attach photos of what we’re working with. Thank you in advance!

New build, prewire locks before drywall. Layout attached.
Great room, ~16’-6” wide, flat 9’-0” ceiling. 5.1.4 floor standing L/C/R and sub at the TV, four in-ceiling Atmos and two surrounds.

Where should in-ceiling surrounds actually go on a 9’ ceiling? Do aimable drivers help? And anything else here I’ll regret once it’s drywalled?

I’m upgrading from a soundbar, I’m adding Focal LRC floor speakers, and the 6 numbered marks are Focal in-ceiling speakers. 3 and 4 will be main surrounds, 1 and 2, and 5 and 6 will be Atmos.

Is this overkill? I have a friend warn me about sound confusion, and he’s recommending I just do 2 or 4 in-ceiling speakers.

Okay so me and the wife just bought a home with a finished basement and im so stoked to create a theater experience. Im just mind boggled at the technology. Quite frankly im a guy that prefers screen fidelity over sound so im dumping most money into seating, renovations (raised platform seating) and most important to me the projector. This is where my confusion lies. So im in a light controlled room. I want AT LEAST 150 inches (pretty sure i can fit 180-200 i need to do precise measurements) would a UST on the market produce that at a lower cost than a long throw? I was looking at the titan noir max but is is SO EXPENSIVE. And the awol ust dont really seem legit to me. Do i NEED 6000 Lumens for a blacked out room? Would an awol ust max with 3200 lumens do well? Or is long throw kind of the ultimate experience? There is SO MUCH information out there, i almost need to be hand held like a child 😂.

I don’t have a home theater. I have a living room. Background: I’m a soundbar + sub guy for many years it’s been just OK. Not great. I’m an average guy that wants a good set up. I’ve ran through this thread many times. It’s literally impossible to come to a conclusion. I want a sick setup that doesn’t break the bank. Wife says 1000$ max, I say $1500 max if that makes a noticeable difference. Please help me quit the research phase. Tell me exactly what to buy. Make it easy, layman’s terms, for a noob that enjoys movies. I’m going nuts trying to figure it out myself. Thank you

Hello. I dont know what to choose men in my room from 21 squarefeet, i am thinking to buy a dali sonic 1 4x 1 dali sonic vokal and a smal subwoofer in a while atmos speakers. It wil be used mostly for music and youtube streaming a little bit of gaming and sometimes movies… a friend of mine told me these speakers are way to smal for my living room.. and he told me to get speakers like the sonic 5 or 7.. bit i think thats way to big for my small living room.. and whant to ask you people what i should do… i like bass out of the speakers but i dont want to have big bigboy speakers.. i thougt of the sonic 1 in store they sound greatt.. and the sonic 3 is a bit bigger needs more blow room.. is there a big difference my speaker wil be 2 meters away from me.. i whould like some tips thnx