AVRs, projectors, speakers, sub-woofer stuff

[Apotropaic 41]

There’s a lot of healthy debate and chat on the emby forums for everything from server hardware to movies reviews, but I’ve always found it odd there isn’t much in the way of discussing our AV setups.

I know there are more dedicated expert forums around for that but I’d still expect some posts about the equipment we use to watch and hear the content on.

My setup has evolved a lot as I’ve done though a number of AV receivers, gone from a 5.1 to replacing all my original speakers and now have a 5.2.4. I’m still not done as I want to relocate one of my atmos pairs and I’ve just bought a new subwoofer which is way beyond what I ever imagined I would buy.

One of the issues I always have is wondering how much more do you actually get for paying more, what is the performance per £/$/€.

So if anyone has any questions or would welcome a more detailed walkthrough of my journey and setup let me know!!

[ebr 16169]

Not against Emby users sharing their story but AVS Forums is a great resource for this type of info and discussion.  I've been a member there since 2000.

[Apotropaic 41]

Yeah I've been on there and other such forums whenever I'm researching, it's an invaluable source.

Just sometimes people are very brand protective, or there's that 'emperor's new clothes' type of thing going on. As someone starting out it can be intimidating

The most annoying thing I find is all hobbies are all about having a budget, but we all think well if I stretch that budget a little I could get this or that and before long the budget has been doubled and when you get it home you're left feeling underwhelmed!!

[yocker 1247]

21 hours ago, Apotropaic said:

There’s a lot of healthy debate and chat on the emby forums for everything from server hardware to movies reviews, but I’ve always found it odd there isn’t much in the way of discussing our AV setups.

I know there are more dedicated expert forums around for that but I’d still expect some posts about the equipment we use to watch and hear the content on.

My setup has evolved a lot as I’ve done though a number of AV receivers, gone from a 5.1 to replacing all my original speakers and now have a 5.2.4. I’m still not done as I want to relocate one of my atmos pairs and I’ve just bought a new subwoofer which is way beyond what I ever imagined I would buy.

One of the issues I always have is wondering how much more do you actually get for paying more, what is the performance per £/$/€.

So if anyone has any questions or would welcome a more detailed walkthrough of my journey and setup let me know!!

Having fallen into the surround trap my self.
There's not much to gain from buying high end "audiophile" equipment. As long as it's not some bargain basement all in one surround system you will find big diminishing  returns in getting bigger and "better" speakers.
I have listened to systems with 10k$ speakers and apart from being able to play so loud it hurt my ears the quality of the sound IMO at normal levels wasn't better than what i get from my middle range speakers.
Back surround and height speakers are depending on room size not important at all since modern receivers can work magic with the sound and make it sound like you already have them.

Biggest upgrade i feel i made was getting a good subwoofer to remove the booming my old one made in the room, actually had to buy two for that.
The subwoofer doesn't have to be that expensive either, just make sure it's made by a brand known for good subwoofers and not generic once like Sony, Samsung, Sonos and so on.

TLDR: There are big diminishing returns the more you spend. Avoid all in one bargain basement surrounds and you will be fine.  

[ebr 16169]

When it comes to audio, the environment is the huge trump card.  If you're working with a common living room type environment, there is only so much that can be done and you definitely don't want to be spending a fortune on the speakers.

Mediocre speakers in a well-designed room can sound 100 times better than $100k speakers in a bad room.

So, that is just to say, realize the limitations with the environment before going to far overboard.

[speechles 2055]

It depends on the space really. To get really good sound you might have to adjust the phase on some of the speakers and possibly mix up the ohms on some things to get better results. Then there are chokes and capacitors to eliminate frequencies. There are also the equalizers that attempt to recreate sound stages which can work. But the best result is something you build yourself.

https://www.parts-express.com/speaker-components/speaker-subwoofer-kits

You can start here. I've bought some of the 15 inch subwoofers from this site and found I had to have them wired out of phase for them to produce the best boom because of the shape of the room. I also built my own boxes and just bought some speakers and amps from that site. The more you know about phases, ohms, q-ratings, and how to mix and match chokes and capacitors the better off you will be. Knowing which speaker has the highest efficiency without distortion which produces cleanest sound for the best price. Learn how speakers sound better rather than taking other peoples advice about brand names. You will save so much money.

 

[Apotropaic 41]

On 09/01/2026 at 19:10, yocker said:

Having fallen into the surround trap my self.
There's not much to gain from buying high end "audiophile" equipment. As long as it's not some bargain basement all in one surround system you will find big diminishing  returns in getting bigger and "better" speakers.
I have listened to systems with 10k$ speakers and apart from being able to play so loud it hurt my ears the quality of the sound IMO at normal levels wasn't better than what i get from my middle range speakers.
Back surround and height speakers are depending on room size not important at all since modern receivers can work magic with the sound and make it sound like you already have them.

Biggest upgrade i feel i made was getting a good subwoofer to remove the booming my old one made in the room, actually had to buy two for that.
The subwoofer doesn't have to be that expensive either, just make sure it's made by a brand known for good subwoofers and not generic once like Sony, Samsung, Sonos and so on.

TLDR: There are big diminishing returns the more you spend. Avoid all in one bargain basement surrounds and you will be fine.  

I‘m quite lucky with my room, it’s a rectangle, sofa on the back wall in the middle. Removed the fireplace opposite and have had enough housework done so I could get cables routed in the walls, under the floors and the ceilings.

I only wish the room was deeper so I could have the sofa off the back wall. 

I started out with quite large JBL towers, di-pole surrounds and the cheapest centre speaker due to my budget. But it sounded great. I had a mediocre Epos sub and I didn’t even realise the plate amp had blown for over a year. I think your ears just get used to the sound.

I’ve replaced everything now with smaller more compact bookshelfs, all secondhand through eBay and gumtree.

Although I recently installed 4 in-ceiling speakers for Atmos, wish I had cabled for 6 now!!

[Apotropaic 41]

23 hours ago, speechles said:

It depends on the space really. To get really good sound you might have to adjust the phase on some of the speakers and possibly mix up the ohms on some things to get better results. Then there are chokes and capacitors to eliminate frequencies. There are also the equalizers that attempt to recreate sound stages which can work. But the best result is something you build yourself.

https://www.parts-express.com/speaker-components/speaker-subwoofer-kits

You can start here. I've bought some of the 15 inch subwoofers from this site and found I had to have them wired out of phase for them to produce the best boom because of the shape of the room. I also built my own boxes and just bought some speakers and amps from that site. The more you know about phases, ohms, q-ratings, and how to mix and match chokes and capacitors the better off you will be. Knowing which speaker has the highest efficiency without distortion which produces cleanest sound for the best price. Learn how speakers sound better rather than taking other peoples advice about brand names. You will save so much money.

 

I’m jealous you have the skills to put your own subwoofers together. I briefly looked into when I was searching for a suitable plate amp when my Epos sub blew. In the end I went with a Cheap Fosi audio external amp.

Not a great combination, think the deepest bass I was getting was around 40hz at 60dB. With the only strong frequencies up around 90-100hz at 80dB.

But to be fair it was good enough for music and tv. Have spent years researching a new sub, went from looking at the SVS-PB series, initially wanting two 1000’s, then 2000’s and finally deciding on the 3000 series. In the end I took a risk with a Tonewinner D6000.

It arrived last week and Sod’s Law means I’ve been too ill to really play with it and take any measurements. On paper it should get down to 15hz at decent levels, maybe lower. I can certainly feel much more and the deep bass rumbles the sofa. Just my initial demo’s so far haven’t justified the cost, but early days... I’ll be getting another one if the measurements stack up.

[ebr 16169]

17 hours ago, Apotropaic said:

I took a risk with a Tonewinner D6000

I saw a couple good reviews on that last year during my search.  I ended up going with two PSA subs and I can move the floor in my new room .  It is semi-dedicated so I can get away with that.

[Apotropaic 41]

On 11/01/2026 at 14:58, ebr said:

I saw a couple good reviews on that last year during my search.  I ended up going with two PSA subs and I can move the floor in my new room .  It is semi-dedicated so I can get away with that.

Congratulations on the PSA subs, here in the UK we are severely limited with subwoofer choices.

We have the high end hi-fi brands and a lot of smaller 8/10 inch subs. SVS are the only credible budget/performance range that I’ve come across, but even they are expensive compared to the dollar price.

The Tonewinners I recently came across and it’s one store that’s importing them in small qualifiers. Just hope I can still buy a second one when the funds allow it.

[yocker 1247]

On 1/11/2026 at 3:58 PM, ebr said:

I saw a couple good reviews on that last year during my search.  I ended up going with two PSA subs and I can move the floor in my new room .  It is semi-dedicated so I can get away with that.

Send them my way, i have two old XTZ's subs, one a 10" and the other an 8". Only way i could remove the boominess in my room was with that config.
I love those subs and feel like i could make the first floor come down on me with them but i'm starting to worry about their age.

[rbjtech 5282]

A well balanced and setup multi-channel incl height (atmos/dts-x) is a gamechanger imo.  Unless you have the levels setup properly (you'll need a AVR for this most likely), then all you generally hear is the dominent left, right and center.  Properly setup Atmos with real height speakers (sorry, Atmos projected from floor speakers is a poor experience imo) can transform a movie into a fully immersive experience.    For gaming (assuming it supports Atmos) it again transforms gaming giving you the audio to react to first in that speaker direction or above you, gaming is not just a visual experience anymore.  

 

[Apotropaic 41]

7 hours ago, rbjtech said:

A well balanced and setup multi-channel incl height (atmos/dts-x) is a gamechanger imo.  Unless you have the levels setup properly (you'll need a AVR for this most likely), then all you generally hear is the dominent left, right and center.  Properly setup Atmos with real height speakers (sorry, Atmos projected from floor speakers is a poor experience imo) can transform a movie into a fully immersive experience.    For gaming (assuming it supports Atmos) it again transforms gaming giving you the audio to react to first in that speaker direction or above you, gaming is not just a visual experience anymore.  

 

How many Atmos height speakers do you have and could you explain where you have them in relation to your bed layer and the listening position?

So I have two pairs, so two on the back wall in line with my rear surround and my front L+R (if that makes sense).

My main listening position is the back wall as well.

My other two are in line with the rears but are 2/3 of the room forwards. I struggled with deciding whether to install them as Top Middles or Top Fronts and I did neither, a mess of a compromise if I’m honest.

[ebr 16169]

Atmos is all about the proper angles in order to properly represent what is encoded in the stream.  Have a look here: https://www.dolby.com/about/support/guide/speaker-setup-guides/5.1.4-overhead-speaker-setup-guide

[Apotropaic 41]

42 minutes ago, ebr said:

Atmos is all about the proper angles in order to properly represent what is encoded in the stream.  Have a look here: https://www.dolby.com/about/support/guide/speaker-setup-guides/5.1.4-overhead-speaker-setup-guide

Thanks ebr, I used that guide while I was planning my setup and routing cables even before I bought my Atmos speakers. They are roughly in line with the Dolby guidelines.

However, my AVR supports Auro-3d and that seems to provide a better audio experience even when the source is Dolby Atmos (TrueHD). The Auro upmixing also provides a better height experience.

From my research which is mostly YouTubers such as Techodad etc. they seem to suggest the Dolby guidelines were more about not infringing on someone else’s patents than providing the best experience (I’ll try and find the source if I can tomorrow).

The suggestion is if you have 4 height speakers you should place them directly above your 4 main bed layer speakers.

[ebr 16169]

15 hours ago, Apotropaic said:

they seem to suggest the Dolby guidelines were more about not infringing on someone else’s patents than providing the best experience (I’ll try and find the source if I can tomorrow)

I've see that chatter.  I think the actual issue is that some older docs from Dolby were actually targeted at commercial space instead of home.

15 hours ago, Apotropaic said:

The suggestion is if you have 4 height speakers you should place them directly above your 4 main bed layer speakers

That just isn't correct.  As I said, it is all about the angles - which means their exact placement depends on the ceiling height.  You cannot make a blanket statement for every room.

Plus, it is critical that you get the proper spacing (again, with angles) between your main bed layer and the Atmos layer so that your brain doesn't merge the two.  They have to be far enough apart to make you perceive the sound from where it is supposed to be.

IMO this is the best description of proper layout:

 

[rbjtech 5282]

To add to Erics excellent points, there will always be a 'sheldon's spot' for the perfect audio experience, so ensure you focus on that and don't try and get perfection for the entire room.

If your listening point is not 'center' then you may also need to audio delay Atmos for the most dominant/closest speakers, as well as possibly reducing the audio level a fraction.  Your ears will tell you when it works - but discreet test signals will not tell you if the 'stage' is working - only a film using strong Atmos will highlight this.    There are plenty to choose from - it would actually make a good thread to list them, along with the chapters or timelines when significant Atmos events happen.

[yocker 1247]

Surround really is an egoistic thing, all those speakers just so it can be perfect for one person in the perfect place.
Stereo is much more group friendly.

I find that with modern surround amplifiers that it's rather hard to not get very good sound out of them with the calibration that they have.
While i hate Sony i admit their calibration in the newest amplifiers gives very good calibrations thanks to their 2 microphone setup and the sound is very excellent because of it.
Denon and Marantz have third party calibration methods that are praised for their sound. Personally i think the standard calibration works great and use that (less hassle).

Lastly the obligatory.. Don't go for what others think is the best, go with what YOU think is best. You will enjoy your sound experience much more that way!

[ebr 16169]

21 minutes ago, yocker said:

Don't go for what others think is the best, go with what YOU think is best. You will enjoy your sound experience much more that way!

Very true.

[Apotropaic 41]

All good discussion guys, this is what I wanted and I'm not here to necessarily argue. The truth is always how it sounds, looks and feels to ourselves.

I’ve gone from a £30 centre speaker to one over 10x the price and only I can hear the difference. Which I can only describe as an electrifying static in the air, lol, it makes me happy I guess.

I think with Atmos is you either do your best with locations/angles and hope your AVR can adjust the levels and time delay, which I think most will do a good job. Then accept the sound mixers intentions on the tv show/movie. I’m not sure they always have us in their minds, I personally feel there is a massive lack of width and height, but newer TV Shows seem to be better. But unless you get the chance to hear someone else’s you will never really know how good it can be. That’s the essence of my post; to hear people’s own experience of different setups.

The other way is to look at people who have sound mixing experience away from the Dolby/DTX world, and their experiments with creating objects in 3d space and tracking the visualisation with what you can hear. They seem to suggest that Dolby guidelines aren’t ‘correct’ and it’s better to place the Atmos speakers in a vertical grid.

I’m almost over my cold now so will try and find some good examples you guys can try out. My heads been too fuzzy to think straight for days ;(

[Apotropaic 41]

5 hours ago, rbjtech said:

To add to Erics excellent points, there will always be a 'sheldon's spot' for the perfect audio experience, so ensure you focus on that and don't try and get perfection for the entire room.

If your listening point is not 'center' then you may also need to audio delay Atmos for the most dominant/closest speakers, as well as possibly reducing the audio level a fraction.  Your ears will tell you when it works - but discreet test signals will not tell you if the 'stage' is working - only a film using strong Atmos will highlight this.    There are plenty to choose from - it would actually make a good thread to list them, along with the chapters or timelines when significant Atmos events happen.

I did start a list like that but it’s now been taken over a with a list of good bass moments.

I’ll dig mine out over the next few days.

[yocker 1247]

15 minutes ago, Apotropaic said:

All good discussion guys, this is what I wanted and I'm not here to necessarily argue. The truth is always how it sounds, looks and feels to ourselves.

I’ve gone from a £30 centre speaker to one over 10x the price and only I can hear the difference. Which I can only describe as an electrifying static in the air, lol, it makes me happy I guess.

I think with Atmos is you either do your best with locations/angles and hope your AVR can adjust the levels and time delay, which I think most will do a good job. Then accept the sound mixers intentions on the tv show/movie. I’m not sure they always have us in their minds, I personally feel there is a massive lack of width and height, but newer TV Shows seem to be better. But unless you get the chance to hear someone else’s you will never really know how good it can be. That’s the essence of my post; to hear people’s own experience of different setups.

The other way is to look at people who have sound mixing experience away from the Dolby/DTX world, and their experiments with creating objects in 3d space and tracking the visualisation with what you can hear. They seem to suggest that Dolby guidelines aren’t ‘correct’ and it’s better to place the Atmos speakers in a vertical grid.

I’m almost over my cold now so will try and find some good examples you guys can try out. My heads been too fuzzy to think straight for days ;(

A center speaker is arguably the most important speaker in a surround setup, a bad center speaker can make dialog hard to impossible to hear clearly.

Don't fall into the audiophile trap of "how the artist intended it"! Artists or music makers don't per say have a way they intend it and even if they did you would have replicate the precise equipment they had when mastering it.
Look at a studio setup, there's usually just a couple of monitors for sound when they mix, no big speakers or anything like it.

I used to work at a place that made guitar pedals (Carl Martin) and they had a studio that i often went to just to enjoy the recording.
I was told by one of those working there that mastering was mostly about how different instruments and voices were meant to get to the fore/background and removing any unwanted sound. Of cause there was more to it than that but it was the most important.
Side note, i absolutely loved their huge reel to reel recorder that they constantly had to repair. Dunno what but was something special about see that thing.

Sorry if it sounded like a rant, i'm just tired of hearing the "as artists intended", specially when coming from people (i don't mean you by any means!) that listen to Spotify and/or think a thing like a special network switch will improve sound so i had to vent a little.  

[jachin99 88]

I usually got an AVR with a setup mic at the very least.  It might tweak things to be the absolute best but usually turns out pretty good.  I'm trying a denon currently but I've always had good luck with yamaha in terms of reliability.