ceiling speakers

[beer batter]

Finishing the basement and am planning to run speaker wire through the joists so that we can install ceiling speakers after the sheetrock is installed on the ceiling.

Looked through a few web sites at some different brands of ceiling speakers, and the prices scared me off a bit. I'm looking at installing 6 in the TV lounge (2 front, 2 middle, 2 rear), and another 6 in the game room totalling 12 speakers.

Is that overkill? Anyone have experience with some speakers that don't break the bank?

[PerchPounder]

You're probably going a bit over the top. Are you planning on using the ceiling speakers for surround sound or just for music and general use. If its just general use you could probably get by with half of what you were thinking depending on the size of the room of course.

[chasineyes]

I have 2 on our upper level and 2 on our main and have never turned it up past 4, simply no reason. IMHO Seems like overkill.

[beer batter]

Are you planning on using the ceiling speakers for surround sound or just for music and general use.

I'm going to use them for both surround sound and general use. So how about this:

tv lounge area, 2 in the rear (1 on each side), and 1 up front near the middle (3 total)?

game room area 1 in each corner (4 total)? Or would I be OK with just 2?

I should note that I like my music loud. Even my kids tell me to turn it down all the time.

[crothmeier]

For surround, most systems run a right and left rear, a right and left front, and a center front. (5) along with a subwoofer.

i would say one or two on each end of the game room would be plenty.

[CJH]

I would agree with crothmeier. You would need the five for surround (plus sub) and then 2-4 in the game room would be plenty. You pretty much get what you pay for as far as audio equipment goes. However, after a certain point, you need to be into it to really get out what you put into it. If you are buying that much equipment at one time, I would definitely try and get a deal(ask for 10%) from a local person, unless you are getting an unbelievable deal online (shipping probably won't be cheap).

I don't know what you are going to have to power all of this, but that can add up as well. Its going to take a lot of juice if you are planning on running all of it at the same time. I would take that into consideration as well.

[icechipper]

Check out monoprice.com they have a good selection of speakers and anything else you might need for A/V, great prices and quick shipping. They offer a discount for qty, prices are listed right on their site for different qty. Beats going to the big box store if you can wait for it to be shipped.

[sparkyaber]

It all really depends how "into" it you want to get. You could spend a couple of hundred bucks to 10's of thousand's of dollars, and anywhere in between.

Some speaker excel at music some are better at surround sound. Many new systems run 6:1, 7:1 and even now 9:1.

For general "background", or "mood music" you don't need that many speakers to get the desired effect. Quality over quantity you know.

As for specific brands, man, it is tough, ford vs chevy, except multiply that one hundred different brands. I stayed away from the big box stores, not very realisic, and could be set up any different way.

Look around on the net, there are a few forums that are really indepth with AV systems.

One other thing.....

BOSE= ok speaker, WAY over priced.

[sparkyaber]

One other thing, being an inwall speaker really limits you to performance, options.

Have you thought about running the cables in the wall/ceiling then mounting speakers on the surface?

This gives you many more options.

Just a thought.

[BigWadeS]

Have you looked at the wireless speaker options?

[masker]

Make sure you leave enough room between the ceiling and the plenum for speaker backboxes and do not install speakers without these. (You will lose alot of sound through the top of the speaker). Be sure to use large gauge speaker wire -

12-2 or 14-2. When you order speakers, make sure they are made for a gypsum ceiling (not a tile ceiling).

[LakeDocktor]

I would stay away from the wireless systems, especially in a surround sound system. Most wireless systems are battery powered and as the batteries wear down, your performance will soon follow. The audio most of the time is out of sync because of the transmission from the receiver. I would wire it for a 7:1 system for your surround system and put two ceiling speakers in the game room. Without seeing the layout of the room, it is hard to specify on the speaker layout. You can do some online research to develop proper speaker height and locations depending on room dimensions and seating areas. Make sure you label your speaker wires so you know which speaker they are leading to. You can then get a zone switch and control either just the surround, just the game room or both at the same time. Speakers in most cases are you get what you pay for. I get everything wholesale and can get some pretty nice in-wall and ceiling speakers along with the brackets for a reasonable price.