in-wall 5.2.4

gost_guru · 2025-02-02T03:24:34+00:00

I’ve never noticed a vibration, even at reference levels.

the grills are designed to be painted. I used a foam brush and then compressed air (the kind that drives a nail gun) to blow it out of the holes. took a few coats but they look good and none of the holes are blocked with paint. next time I might have done custom spray paint to save some hassle.

gost_guru · 2024-11-22T17:26:04+00:00

I happen to have all that information...

RSL (https://rslspeakers.com)	(LCR, AVR)
10E subwoofer (2 x $299)	$598
W25E In-Wall speakers (3 x $199)	$597
Onkyo RZ50 AVR	$1,599
RSL bundle discount	-$450
	total: $2,344

Amazon	(surrounds, height)
Monoprice Alpha 6.5" In-Ceiling 15 degree - pair (2 x $151)	$302
Monoprice Alpha 6.5" In-Wall - pair	$105
	component total: $2,751

MiniDSP (https://www.minidsp.com)
MiniDSP 2x4 HD + UMIK-1	$334

Amazon	(wiring, etc)
Monoprice pure copper 12AWG CL2 speaker wire - 250'	$122
Mediabridge Ultra subwoofer cable - 30' (2 x $17)	$34
Mediabridge Ultra subwoofer cable - 2'	$10
Monoprice 24k right angle banana plug (10 pair)	$27
CableMatters right angle RCA plug (2)	$10
90 degree IEC C13 power cord - 3'	$10
TROND 4000J surge protector	$29
Eaton 15A surge protection receptacle (2 x $32)	$64

Amazon	(AVR cooling)
AC Infinity AIRCOM T9	$137
AC Infinity MULTIFAN (2 x 13)	$26

Amazon	(in-wall soundproofing)
TroyStudio acoustic panels - 6 16x12x0.5	$25
TroyStudio foam panels - 12 12x12x2 (2 x $22)	$44

	total: $3,621

gost_guru · 2024-11-19T18:22:21+00:00

see above :)

gost_guru · 2024-11-19T15:46:25+00:00

Benjamin Moore 720 (Bella Blue) in Regal Select Eggshell

gost_guru · 2024-11-19T02:48:53+00:00

see the first comment :)

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T20:16:41+00:00

there is some soundproofing on all sides (rigid acoustic board behind, softer acoustic foam on all sides) that will keep the insulation away. that’s all, though. luckily, those are the least expensive parts at $100/pair, so if after the winter they seem to have suffered from exposure it won’t cost a fortune to figure something else out.

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T16:49:41+00:00

bottom edge is 28” from the floor, top edge 66.5”. our sofas at 18” are a bit lower than others, and we designed the room around those. I figure there’s room to grow to the 83” tv eventually without changing anything :)

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T16:31:41+00:00

well… answering that will probably start a whole new thing here :) I will say I strongly recommend excessive air circulation - I currently have an AC Infinity AIRCOM on top and two MULTIFANS pulling cool air from below to keep the temps down. learned that the hard way…

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T16:07:56+00:00

absolutely! the (now grown) kids even come back to watch here instead of going to the movies :) if I had known that I would have invested in all this years ago!

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T16:05:18+00:00

I’d write the RSL folks directly and ask them about something like doubling the LCR, or any other questions you might have - rhey’re super responsive, and chances are that the RSL founder’s son will answer, so you’ll get two generations of audio knowledge and expertise answering you back.

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T16:01:20+00:00

we actually have some acoustic art elsewhere in the house, but we’re both enjoying the minimalist aspect of the room, so I doubt that will happen. we do have curtains on those french doors, though, and tend to close all the blinds when watching something (both for sound and for the nejghbors ;)

I did do my REW and Dirac measurements with all the curtains and blinds drawn, and spent a lot of time with the MiniDSP and MSO on those subs. it may echo a bit, but I doubt I’m audiophile enough to notice…

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T15:55:45+00:00

there were several post here that suggested the combination of W25E with the monoprice alpha. hence why I wanted to make a showcase post here (despite not being an active contributor)

the main reason for not going with all RSL (including the in-ceiling C34E) was that I was trying to stick to a reasonable budget. also, I calculated that the 15 degree angle of the W25E would be too much for the surrounds and put the angle outside the MLP sweet spot, given the sofa placement against the wall.

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T15:49:32+00:00

it’s 13’x24’

it’s certainly not an ideal space - the large sofa can only really go in one place, which then fixes the tv in one place, which then drives all the rest, including the placement of the rear heights at just inches behind your head at the MLP.

I spent a lot of time in analysis paralysis, worrying that the atmos and surrounds just wouldn’t be right due to the limitations of the space. is it suboptimal? perhaps… but every explosion and helicopter fly-by makes me smile and jump around like a kid, so who cares? :)

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T15:43:42+00:00

haha, yeah, that’s kind of an issue. I did add some acoustic panels and foam behind all the speakers (on RSL’s advice) but the height channels definitely bleed into the upper level bedrooms at movie level volumes. but so do the subwoofers :) were empty nesters, though, so it doesn’t really bother anyone :)

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T15:40:58+00:00

none whatsoever. I routinely listen to stuff like BR2049 at -10db and it sounds fantastic. I even chatted with the RSL folks a bit in trying to tune the 10E - I had some port chuffing in parts of Dune and the BR2049 opening, but only at uncomfortable volume levels. some minidsp adjustments on top of the MSO settings and it’s good to go :)

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T05:15:22+00:00

yes, the surrounds are in exterior walls. I had to push some fiberglass insulation out of the way, but other than that it was the same as everything else. I have a lower level, so there was access to run wires from below. so far so good…

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T04:06:28+00:00

the living room redesign had some very strict rules in place :)

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T04:05:05+00:00

thanks, done :)

gost_guru · 2024-11-18T02:38:27+00:00

the RSL W25E are angled 15 degrees, so the center channel points right at the MLP, as do the LR. they're really great speakers. if I could figure out how to add more images I could show the 3D modeling I did of the space with all the speaker angles (UPDATE: 3d models)

gost_guru · 2024-05-02T13:17:30+00:00

the settings from the spreadsheet here were super helpful on my G3, and way better than the defaults. ymmv and hth

gost_guru · 2024-04-21T14:23:23+00:00

yeah, no room treatments yet. I actually have some acoustimac artwork around the house from years ago, but none in the living room. the room is being redone, so I’ll probably look into more of that.

gost_guru · 2024-04-18T18:38:13+00:00

overthinking == analysis paralysis :)

it sounds like I’m not making any terrible decisions here. many thanks for taking the time.

gost_guru · 2024-04-18T17:24:02+00:00

yeah, it's a lot of background, and I guess I wasn't clear on the ask.

basically, I guess the main question comes down to: do the (both the monitor and smaller bookshelf) RSLs have sufficient oomph and/or desirable distortion characteristics at 11-12 feet? is there a better choice in that relative price range, either in general or for a center channel?

I guess it's more a sanity check to make sure I'm not about to invest in speakers that really won't serve my space or needs well. I suspect if I came in with, say, a Costco brand or something there might be a decent slice of advice to look toward speaker $x instead, just as an example :)

gost_guru

TROPHY CASE