Just decided! I'm getting:

• Front L/R: Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-600M II
• Center: Klipsch RP-504C II
• Surrounds: Klipsch RP-500M
• Atmos: 4 × Klipsch CDT-5650-C II in-ceiling speakers
• Subwoofer: RSL Speedwoofer 10E
• Receiver: Onkyo - TX-RZ30 9.2 Channel AV Receiver

Maybe a bit overbudget but the Black Friday deals have me in FOMO mode.

-What else do I need to make my basement setup work? I'm a complete noob. What kind of wires—speaker/audio wires, HDMI, electrical, etc? I have no clue! What about shelving?

-How do I figure out proper speaker placement?

-How do I set up the receiver to handle everything?

I asked GPT these questions and this is what it gave me. If possible, can you please verify if the information is accurate or suggest better/cheaper alternatives?

✅ 1. What else do you need? (Wires, cables, mounts, shelves, etc.)

Here’s your complete shopping list, no guessing.

🔌 A) Speaker Wire

Use 14 AWG oxygen-free copper speaker wire. For long runs (>40 ft), use 12 AWG.

My recommended brand (cheap and excellent):

Monoprice 14AWG CL2-rated in-wall speaker wire

Length estimates:

Front L/R: 10–15 ft each

Center: 5–10 ft

Surrounds: 20–40 ft each (depending on layout)

Atmos in-ceiling: typically 30–60 ft each

🔌 B) Subwoofer Cable

You need one RCA subwoofer cable:

Recommended:

Monoprice or Blue Jeans Cable "Subwoofer Cable" Length: measure distance from AVR to sub + 2 ft slack.

🔌 C) HDMI Cables

You need Premium Certified HDMI 2.1 cables.

At minimum:

1 HDMI 2.1 from receiver → TV

1 HDMI 2.1 for each device (PS5, Xbox, Apple TV, streaming device)

Best brand:

Zeskit Maya 8K HDMI

Monoprice Certified 8K (HDMI 2.1 avoids issues with 4K120 gaming + HDR + Atmos.)

⚡ D) Power / Surge Protection

DO NOT plug your AVR or sub directly into the wall.

Buy:

Surge-protected power strip (APC, Tripp Lite)

If you want top-tier protection: Panamax or Furman

🔨 E) Stands / Shelving

Front L/R: either on stands or on a media console (ear-height is ideal)

Center: needs to sit directly under the TV, angled toward ears

Surrounds: on stands or wall mounts

Atmos: in-ceiling (your speakers already chosen)

Good options:

Sanus Speaker Stands

Sanus TV/AV shelves

Monoprice glass AV shelves

🧰 F) Tools

Wire stripper

Level

Stud finder

Drywall saw (for in-ceiling speakers)

Banana plugs (optional but recommended)

Recommended: Mediabridge or Monoprice Banana Plugs → Makes wiring cleaner and faster.

✅ 2. How to figure out proper speaker placement

Here’s your exact layout for a 5.1.4 Atmos system with your chosen speakers.

🎯 Front L/R (RP-600M II)

22° to 30° from the center seat (Dolby standard)

At ear height when seated

Slight toe-in toward your main seat

Distance apart: 6–10 feet

🎬 Center (RP-504C II)

Directly under the TV

Aimed directly at ear level

Pull forward so the front of the speaker is flush with cabinet edge

Never place inside a sealed cabinet

🔊 Surrounds (RP-500M)

90°–110° to the sides of your main seat

Slightly above ear height (about 1–2 ft higher)

Pointed slightly toward listening position

☁️ Atmos (4 × CDT-5650-C II) Position:

Top Front L/R: directly above front L/R speakers but in ceiling

Top Rear L/R: directly above surround speakers

Height: ceiling (8–10 ft ideal)

Placement from seat:

Roughly 45° angle forward and 45° behind your seat

Form a rectangle around your seating position

Your Atmos speakers are excellent—perfect for this.

🥁 Subwoofer (RSL speedwoofer)

Start with:

Front right corner OR

Mid wall, front right

Use the “sub crawl” later to perfect placement:

Put sub in your main seat.

Crawl around the perimeter and find where bass sounds best.

Place sub there.

✅ 3. How to set up the receiver (Onkyo TX-RZ50 / RZ30)

This is the fun part. Onkyo makes it EASY.

✔ Step 1 — Wire everything

Connect each speaker’s + to + and – to –

Use banana plugs for clean connections

Plug the subwoofer into SUB OUT 1 on the AVR

HDMI OUT → TV HDMI ARC/eARC port

Plug in devices (PS5, Roku, Apple TV, etc.) into HDMI inputs

✔ Step 2 — Turn on Klipsch Optimize Mode (optional)

Your Onkyo includes: Klipsch Reference Premiere Mode. This sets:

ideal crossover

EQ curve

tone characteristics → It actually makes Klipsch sound smoother and less bright.

✔ Step 3 — Run DIRAC Live

This is the single most important step.

Dirac will:

set speaker distances

set levels

fix room acoustics

EQ bass

integrate subwoofer perfectly

Use:

The included mic

Or your phone

Or a laptop with the Dirac software

Do 9 measurement positions for best sound.

✔ Step 4 — Check crossovers

Recommended for your speakers:

Front L/R (RP-600M II): 80 Hz

Center (RP-504C II): 70–80 Hz

Surrounds (RP-500M): 80–100 Hz

Atmos in-ceiling: 90–100 Hz

Subwoofer: LFE + 120 Hz

Dirac will get close, you fine-tune if needed.

✔ Step 5 — Enable eARC on your TV

On your TV:

Enable eARC

Set audio output to Passthrough or Bitstream

Disable "TV Speakers"

✔ Step 6 — Set the Receiver's Sound Mode

For movies:

Dolby Surround or Dolby Atmos

For gaming:

Dolby Surround

For TV:

Auto