Surround speakers

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
Wasn't sure where to post this so thought I would give this a shot:

I am in the process of finishing up my new listening room/theater. I currently have all Seaton speakers (LCR, 4 surrounds and 4 subs) which are all active/powered). I want to build columns for my surround but my current surrounds, in addition to being 11 inches deep, also require another 3 inches or so for connectors/power cords. That means I would need a column of at least 14 inches deep to make it all work.

I love the speaker as a surround speaker but I would much prefer a thinner profile to allow a thiner column. Mark has floated a new, wall mount and thinner Spark idea around but that continues to be delayed and I have no idea when (or even if) that will occur. If it were to be a month or so I would wait but since it has been delayed for some time, I am not hopeful.

Which brings me to the point of this post. I am trying to find what speaker I might use that would meet my thin requirement (maybe one of the Wisdom models) but yet somehow fit into the sonic landscape that the LCR's will present. On or in walls would work but they would either be built into a column or onto a column.

Thanks in advance.

Also wondering how many use surround speakers that are not by the same company as your LCR's??
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
I'm not sure if this would interest you or meet your guidelines, but the Totem Tribe series (there are 4) are quite good from I understand.
 

edorr

WBF Founding Member
May 10, 2010
3,139
14
36
Smyrna, GA
Wasn't sure where to post this so thought I would give this a shot:

I am in the process of finishing up my new listening room/theater. I currently have all Seaton speakers (LCR, 4 surrounds and 4 subs) which are all active/powered). I want to build columns for my surround but my current surrounds, in addition to being 11 inches deep, also require another 3 inches or so for connectors/power cords. That means I would need a column of at least 14 inches deep to make it all work.

I love the speaker as a surround speaker but I would much prefer a thinner profile to allow a thiner column. Mark has floated a new, wall mount and thinner Spark idea around but that continues to be delayed and I have no idea when (or even if) that will occur. If it were to be a month or so I would wait but since it has been delayed for some time, I am not hopeful.

Which brings me to the point of this post. I am trying to find what speaker I might use that would meet my thin requirement (maybe one of the Wisdom models) but yet somehow fit into the sonic landscape that the LCR's will present. On or in walls would work but they would either be built into a column or onto a column.

Thanks in advance.

Also wondering how many use surround speakers that are not by the same company as your LCR's??

I am using B&W signature 8nt in wall speakers for surround and they work beautifully. I do not use B&W anywhere else in my system. They are very shallow. I know another guy who uses the same speakers as on wall. He build his own frame for this application, which is very easy to do.
 

edorr

WBF Founding Member
May 10, 2010
3,139
14
36
Smyrna, GA
What are your front speakers?

I am using Evolution Acoustics MM3 for front, and Linn Klimax 340A for center. Completely out of whack you would think, but works surprisingly well. Front 3 run through Trinnov DRC, LFE is mapped to mains, surrounds do not run through Trinnov (I only have a 4 channel Trinnov processor), but have system delay, channel trim and master volume control of surrounds all matched with front 3 speakers.
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
Chuck, can you build inside-shelves into your columns? ...Meaning that your speakers would slightly protrude from the front (few inches).
That's one solution that permits to keep your all speaker-system as the sum of its timbre-matching, for best overall sound balance/envelopment.

If you are talented at this you can blend them as column-decor friendly, with some art added around the edges of their protrusion.
And besides, you avoid reflections from the columns themselves by having them protruding slightly. ...You know, instead of being flushed with the column's front curved wall, acting as the front baffle's extension.
 
Last edited:

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
Chuck, can you build inside-shelves into your columns? ...Meaning that your speakers would slightly protrude from the front (few inches).
That's one solution that permits to keep your all speaker-system as the sum of its timbre-matching, for best overall sound balance/envelopment.

Bob: The shelf idea is what I plan on doing regardless of what speaker I use. The issue with implementing your suggestion (which I will probably do short term at the least until I know more about Mark's plans) is (a) visual and (b) safety. In order to allow for speaker depth and cable connectors, these shelves/speakers would protrude into the room at a minimum of about 14 inches. And since the center of the speaker will be at about 6 feet from the floor, if someone is not paying attention, they could easily smack their face into the speaker. I will insure that the shelf does not have any sharp corners but even at that, it could present an issue.

I do very much appreciate your recommendation.
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
You didn't read me correctly; the shelves are internally built into your columns. ...Not externally. ---> You cut a square the size of your surround speaker in the column, and you build a shelf support inside of it.
- If your column is say 12" of diameter, then your speaker's front baffle will protrude approximately by two inches (you need 14" all together as previously mentioned). ...Or even by 3-4", still is excellent.

You can even mount them high enough so that no one can touch them from the top of their head.
Furthermore, you can aim them exactly where you want to (down slightly, and centered to that rear seating area; for example).

Do you now understand Chuck?
 

mojave

Well-Known Member
Oct 29, 2010
251
0
321
Elkhorn, NE
I would recommend the JTR Speakers Single 8HT-lp. The lp is the low profile version of the Single 8HT. There is also a slanted version. I've heard the single and lp versions and they are incredible. They will maintain the dynamics and dispersion pattern of the Seaton Sparks, unlike most other suggestions here. Jeff Permanian (owner of JTR Speakers) and Mark Seaton are good friends. They both worked together with Tom Danley at Servodrive and now each has their own company. I think JTR even uses the same cabinet builder as Seaton. If you don't want black, you can get custom veneers from JTR, too. The speakers are all built to order, so there is a lead time.

Single 8HT-lp


Slanted 8HT
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
I would recommend the JTR Speakers Single 8HT-lp. The lp is the low profile version of the Single 8HT. There is also a slanted version. I've heard the single and lp versions and they are incredible. They will maintain the dynamics and dispersion pattern of the Seaton Sparks, unlike most other suggestions here. Jeff Permanian (owner of JTR Speakers) and Mark Seaton are good friends. They both worked together with Tom Danley at Servodrive and now each has their own company. I think JTR even uses the same cabinet builder as Seaton. If you don't want black, you can get custom veneers from JTR, too. The speakers are all built to order, so there is a lead time.

Single 8HT-lp

mojave: Thanks for your input.

I was familiar with the relationship between Jeff and Mark and the speaker noted above (8HT-lp) was the one I had decided on if I had to switch. Jeff seems to have the same level of respect and quality of reputation as Mark so it seemed a logical choice. Plus it is only 7 inches deep and that easily fits into my planned 8 inch deep column.

I will need to make a decision fairly quickly as I will need to either run 4 runs of XLR through the smurf tubing in one case or 4 runs of speaker wire in the other.

Thanks again.
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
You didn't read me correctly; the shelves are internally built into your columns. ...Not externally. ---> You cut a square the size of your surround speaker in the column, and you build a shelf support inside of it.
- If your column is say 12" of diameter, then your speaker's front baffle will protrude approximately by two inches (you need 14" all together as previously mentioned). ...Or even by 3-4", still is excellent.

You can even mount them high enough so that no one can touch them from the top of their head.
Furthermore, you can aim them exactly where you want to (down slightly, and centered to that rear seating area; for example).

Do you now understand Chuck?

I actually did read you correctly. Here is the issue. The correct location for a surround is approximately 6 feet off the floor. That would put the shelf at a bit over 5 feet. And a temporary shelf (to support the depth and weight of the current Spark) would need to protrude about 6 or 7 inches from a 8 inch deep column. For anyone not paying attention, they would get a serious smack in the fact from the edge of the shelf and/or the speaker itself. I am willing to take that risk for a VERY short period of time if Mark is going to be releasing his new product very quickly. If not, I will purchase the speaker mojave recommends as they are quite good, with a similar sonic signature to my mains and are the correct profile to easily fit into the column.
 

NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
Good. :b

_______

* I mentioned earlier that you can mount them higher than people's heads, and aim them where you want.
I had several rooms over time, and one of them rooms that's what I did. ...People would walk under them without a hair of their head touching them.

- Now I see that your columns are 8 inches in diameter.

The correct location for the surrounds is a balance between what the experts say and what sounds great to you.
It is very flexible in fact, and there is no absolute, just like anything else in life; a guideline is our standard tool.
We also play with what we have.
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
Good. :b

_______

* I mentioned earlier that you can mount them higher than people's heads, and aim them where you want.
I had several rooms over time, and one of them rooms that's what I did. ...People would walk under them without a hair of their head touching them.

- Now I see that your columns are 8 inches in diameter.

My room, unfortunately, has 8 foot ceilings. The soffit hangs down about another foot so we are at 7 feet. So for a speaker about 18 inches tall, that means the platform on which it rests is at 5.5 feet or lower. I don't have many friends shorter than that so it is still necessary to have a column (mine are rectangular and not round) as thin as possible.

And you are correct that there is no real consensus on the correct speaker height on either the Dolby or DTS web site but most (many?) seems to think that about 3 feet above your ears is the correct height. My ears are at 42 inches when I sit and add 36 inches to that and, bingo, we are at 6.5 feet. I also recognize that the optimum height is source dependent. For a plane or bullet flying overhead, the surrounds higher on the wall makes sense. For music surround, lower is better. The other advantage of having the side surrounds higher as opposed to pointing at my ears is that there is a smaller change for localization.

Anyway, I am building the columns with the speaker shelf at just over 5 feet from the ground, will see if Mark Seaton releases a thinner profile Spark and if not, I will purchase the speaker noted above.

Thanks for everyone's input.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing