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edavidhh
Contributor I
September 25, 2025

In Ceiling Speakers Placement Advice

I have a 20 x 20 living room with a TV centered on front wall. I am looking to create a good (doesn’t need to be superb) surround sound experience by using the TV and in ceiling speakers. Would prefer to avoid using a soundbar and in wall speakers. Could add a Subwoofer if recommended. Does anyone have input on this setup and placement of the speakers in the ceiling. Should there be two in front and two in back? Any advice would be appreciated.

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    Stanley_4
    Stanley_4
    Grand Maestro
    September 25, 2025

    With the mount I suggested the Arc's cables are run along the mount and pretty much invisible.

     

    Sanus on TV mount

     

    Rajpriye
    Rajpriye
    Trending Lyricist II
    September 30, 2025

    I’ve installed many speaker systems in living-room and tuned in-ceiling arrays for tight spaces. I have always focused on even coverage, clear center imaging, and controlled bass to ensure movie-style impact without heavy room work or awkward speaker sightlines.

    For a 20×20 room, place the front in-ceiling pair about 2.5–4 ft from the front wall and centered left/right so the stereo image stays focused at the TV. Put the rear pair just behind the main listening position and slightly wider than the fronts to widen the surround field. Keep both pairs symmetric to avoid tonal shifts. Use a single sub in a corner for strong LF output, then run a quick “sub crawl” to find the sweet spot and set phase. Wire each speaker with CL2/CL3-rated cable, 16–18 AWG, and terminate at a central plate or patch panel for future reconfiguration. Avoid HVAC vents and lighting, fit tile bridges or sealed backboxes where needed, and set the AVR crossover near 80 Hz. Use the receiver’s room calibration, then fine-tune levels while listening to the sound.

    Try a free ceiling-speaker layout calculator to draft placements and export a scaled plan. You can also use a Rack diagram tool so you've zero hassles when installing the speakers.

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