Greg, I am a pro audio installer based on Vancouver island and I have a few suggestions, but first a basic question: Are you planning to hire a pro for the wiring job? If so, they should be able to provide you sound advice. Your best bet is someone who deals in both the installation and the equipment. You should find that a good shop will take some time to visit your house at no charge in order to earn your business.
a few comments: "An amp with tuner (we like to listen to local radio) will be discretely placed nearby" - note that most local radio is also streamed on the internet and therefore available on your SB "am I correct to assume that the speakers will sound better if they are mounted on the side of the bulkhead in similar orientation to an in wall speaker so that the speaker are pointing out horizontally, rather than vertically downward? I hope I am making myself clear." If I understand you correctly I think you are going with exterior speakers that mount to the wall rather than in-wall, and I think this is a great choice. If you are thinking about flush mount then I'll comment that both orientations can sound quite good, but given a choice I recommend in-wall installation rather than in ceiling. In any case it is extremely important that the speaker has an air cavity to operate in, so you need to stay away from exterior walls where the insulation will dampen the sound. "I am thinking of a budget of $200-300 for these speakers. Perhps about the same for the amp/tuner Any suggestions? I am in Canada. Winnipeg to be exact." I generally steer customers towards Paradigm (a fine Canadian brand) and so far they are quite delighted with the results. Your budget is reasonable, go visit a local dealer. "In the future, as our budget allows, we would like to place some speakers in the living room, driven by the amp/tuner in the kitchen. Although we won't get then now, I would like suggestions about placement for pre-wiring." There is no simple answer looking at your diagram. Where do you sit in the living room? Do you want full sound at the dining room table? Do you want independent and local control of the volume in this room? Is there attic or crawlspace access to run wires over or under this room? The decision on where to place speakers (and how many) will depend on the answers to these questions. "Last, we don't have a fancy TV or surround sound audio, but I would like to pre-wire the family room for this. Comments on speaker placement are welcome. I don't think I will purchase/install any "in wall" or "in ceiling" speakers, but merely place wires for future speakers." Make a decision on where the display will be located and where the equipment that feeds it will be. If the equipment is located near the display then you only need to wire for the back speakers. Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask a pro to come visit! Brian -- friendlyfire ------------------------------------------------------------------------ friendlyfire's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=15066 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=42250 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
