in-ceiling 5:1 on a budget

[westcoaster]

i want to do a 5:1 surround using in-ceiling speakers. i was looking into the rc60i. should i use those for front and back? what to use for center? i don't know much about this stuff, so any input would be appreciated. thanks

[zingo]

You truly could use the same five speakers for a 5.1 and that works pretty well; let alone matches. However, the rc60i is sold in pairs, so you would have to deal with that extra speaker.

[hockeyboy]

You could do 4 in ceiling and a center right below the tv.

[westcoaster]

well the tv is mounted above a fireplace. i probably buy 3 pairs of the rc60s and keep 1 for a spare.

[candjhuntley]

You truly could use the same five speakers for a 5.1 and that works pretty well; let alone matches.

Agreed - matching all teh way around works well - though i'm just not educated very much on ceiling speakers and how well they work to get proper dialog and front channels to your ears well - how do you directionally point ceiling speakers to work that way?

[anonymouse]

your front soundstage should really be in the wall by your tv. the left and right to the left and right of your screen and the center under your screen. Use the RC65i for that to match with in ceiling RC60i's for the rear.

[westcoaster]

i could do the front speakers in wall left/right, but the tv is above the fireplace, so what do i do about the center?

[westcoaster]

could i use the (CS10 Polk Audio Center Channel Speaker) for center and set it on the mantle right below the tv. would the cs10 play well with the rc60 and rc65?

[candjhuntley]

could i use the (CS10 Polk Audio Center Channel Speaker) for center and set it on the mantle right below the tv. would the cs10 play well with the rc60 and rc65?

I'm really not sure how the in-wall speakers match up with normal bookshelf style speakers - however, might i suggest that if you try it, go up to the CS2 that can be found for a nice price at Newegg

Good luck

[DV1]

You can surface mount box speakers for the front to improve sound stage!

[anonymouse]

A couple options -
1) Use a surroundbar as your front soundstage, and install RC60i's for the rear ceiling.
2) Use a CSi3 or CSiA4 center with the RC65i's for the front soundstage, and install RC60i's for the rear ceiling.

[comfortablycurt]

could i use the (CS10 Polk Audio Center Channel Speaker) for center and set it on the mantle right below the tv. would the cs10 play well with the rc60 and rc65?

The RCi series in-wall/in-ceiling speakers are timbre matched to the Monitor/TSi series, so you'd be just fine using a CS10.

I'd suggest moving up to either the CS20, or the older version of the same speaker the CS2. The center channel carries over 50% of a movies soundtrack, so it's a crucial speaker. A bigger center channel will make a huge difference in the overall sound of your setup. You've got to work within your budget and space constraints though of course.

By the way, welcome to Club Polk.:)