Placing In-Ceiling Speakers vs Ceiling Mounted Era 300s for Surrounds

​@harperpeck 

Just FYI….Dolby Atmos effects depend heavily upon surfaces to reflect sound back to the viewer/listener to create a bubble. Larger rooms will struggle to achieve the same results as a room that is more compact. Looking at the diagram below the room on the left (#1) represents sound waves that are properly reflected by room surfaces (walls and ceilings). The room on the right (#2)  illustrates sound waves that travel but have less reflectivity.

The irregularity of the design of your space may not yield the desired effect of Dolby Atmos; as the reflective surfaces appear to be very distant. That’s just to say that your experience with Dolby Atmos may be less dynamic than would be in a smaller/differently shaped space.

None of my Atmos capable rooms are good ones for sound but in every one of them Atmos music is noticeable and seems to fill the room better than stereo. Atmos TV I have far less experience with and mainly with 100s as surrounds, but I'd still say Atmos sounds better than normal 5.1 material. I had 300s as surrounds for a few days and they were a lot better than the 100s, even poorly positioned. Never found a spot the spouse would accept, leading to the 100s instead. 

Playing Dolby Labs test tracks has helped me arrange and balance things as well as possible. I'd love to have a better room  and be able to get more out of Atmos but that isn't happening.

​@harperpeck 

Just FYI….Dolby Atmos effects depend heavily upon surfaces to reflect sound back to the viewer/listener to create a bubble. Larger rooms will struggle to achieve the same results as a room that is more compact. Looking at the diagram below the room on the left (#1) represents sound waves that are properly reflected by room surfaces (walls and ceilings). The room on the right (#2)  illustrates sound waves that travel but have less reflectivity.

 

The irregularity of the design of your space may not yield the desired effect of Dolby Atmos; as the reflective surfaces appear to be very distant. That’s just to say that your experience with Dolby Atmos may be less dynamic than would be in a smaller/differently shaped space.

Thats super interesting to see. Makes total sense but I never really thought about it that much. Yeah this room definitely won’t be getting the most dynamic sound.

​@Stanley_4 I think you’re making quite the case for the 300s. I think I just realized what I should probably do. I think my electrician should be able to run both speaker wire and electric quite easily so why don’t I just put in both. Try them both out. See what sounds better. If the era-300s are better then I can either just return the in-ceilings and put a speaker grill to cover the hole or just have an extra pair of speakers in my ceiling which isn’t the worst problem to have.

I really would prefer the aesthetics of the in-ceilings but if the Eras do end up being a vast improvement then it’s not the end of the world.

Only question left is what I should do about the positioning for the in-ceilings. Pull in the right speaker a bit to match the left or leave it like the diagram and have the left one closer to center

If you decide that the Era 300’s do sound better then here’s a suggestion (assuming the budget will allow).

Keep the in-ceiling speakers and set them as a separate room. You can then use then alone for music as an ambient source and/or group them with the Arc Ultra for music and blast the room 😂

​@AjTrek1 I was thinking that exact thing 😂 would definitely be fun to have it all lol

In regards to the in-ceilings though do you think I should pull the right speaker in to match the left? And then maybe place the 300s farther out where I had originally planned to put the in ceilings (and maybe a little bit farther back too)

I think a picture will better explain/illustrate my thoughts 😂.

Using the TV/Arc Ultra as the apex below are my thoughts on speaker arrangement. I’m inclined to move the in-ceiling further out and place the Era 300’s inside. Especially so if you intended to keep both. If not I’d still place the Era 300’s as shown. I’m thinking no more than a 6.5 ft separation between the Era 300’s and 7ft between the in-ceilings.  JMHO.
 

On second thought I’m inclined to agree with ​@Stanley_4 that regardless you’ll be better off with the Era 300’s as surrounds. Especially given that there is an approved ceiling mount as discovered ​@Airgetlam. Flexson is a brand that I trust as I have used their stands/mounts in the past.

That said (if budget allows) you might consider placing the in-celing speakers as shown in the diagram below for music. Just a thought 🤔

​@AjTrek1 lovely diagram! Sadly that was my original idea. However, the ceiling joists directly where you have the left in ceiling speakers (which is also what the original version of the electrical drawings called for) do not have enough space between them (due to past joist repairs) to fit the 6” speakers.

Also just to give you a sense of scale - where you marked in your diagram (which also matches the original drawings) the two in-ceilings speakers is actually just under 11’ apart. Given the joists though, the left hand in ceiling speaker would have to be pulled to the right about 2-3’. So I could either leave the right speaker where it is or pull it to the left equally to match.

​@harperpeck 

Understood. Take a look at my second suggestion above. That will allow you to position the Era 300’s as suggested and re-purpose the in-celinig speakers. They can still be grouped with the Arc Ultra for music until your neighbors call the police 😂

You can always try the 300s with no construction, making temporary ugly but sturdy, stands for them won't be expensive and gives you the ability to try multiple locations before drilling holes and pulling wires.

Wood, plywood or strand-board or even PVC pipe are all options.

Doing that here saved a lot of mess and expense with my 300 placement and spousal approval trial.

Good idea by ​@Stanley_4 . However, to get a real sense of sound you need to be able to elevate the Era 300’s above normal stand height which is approximately 32 - 36 inches. IMO as the Era 300’s  will be ceiling mounted you need approximately 8 ft in elevation from the floor to get a real sense of sound. 

To save time you might consider a temporary purchase of something shown in the picture from Walmart. They are inter-lockable and can achieve slightly over 8 feet with 9 using the 10.75 measurement. The regular cost is $7.37 each in my area. Therefore your expenditure would be $132.66 plus tax for 20. Just stay within the return window to get your refund when done.

However, if you are good at DiY construction then by all means build your own. However, the cost to do so may be a wash versus the suggested purchase item.