I like our house, but I hate the way they installed the speakers.  I don't understand what they were trying to do.  4 speakers?  Not layed out where they are evenly spaced no matter where you sit.

The black circles are the speakers.  The wife WANTS to use the ceiling installed speakers.

The AV hookups are in the wall behind the TV.  Putting the TV on the wall to the left isn't an option because wires would be running from it to the AV outlets.

What can I do with this setup and what kind of theater system should I get.

I was thinking to have one installed where the red circle is.  Would it be worth it?




Yes, my artistic skills are legendary.  

There is no red circle.  



You can make that setup work though it seems weird.  Get a 7.1 channel receiver and use some decent front mains, subwoofer, and the ceiling speakers for your front effect speaker and the rears as your rears (program it to ignore the rear center speaker).  I always like yamaha but you can use onkyo, denon, whatever.  If you only want to use the built in speakers it will sound like shit.  Depending on what kind of speakers they used they may still sound like shit.  Most good speaker companies do make good 6" diameter built in type speakers.





ETA: So that fat circle behind your couch is a speaker?  Good, then you've got everything you need for a 7.1 setup but the front mains (they need to be beside your TV), the center speaker (below or above TV ideally) and a subwoofer.  Of course the receiver to run the whole thing too.



EATA:  In light of recent developments, yes put a speaker where the red circle is.



 

Um, your tv is in the fireplace?

Gas fireplace, TV shelf and AV outs are above it.

yeah.......do whats in red

What are you wanting to put where the red circle is? The receiver?

A 5th speaker.

The black circles are where the speakers are in the ceiling.  The spatial part is right and the speakers are all the same size.

They may have put them there due to framing or mechanical obstructions. With that said, is there any reason why you couldn't cut them in the right place and patch the drywall after? Instead of trying to fudge it and ultimately still end up with a compromised system, why not spend  a little extra time and money and know its as good as it can be for the layout you have. If you don't, trust me when I say you will look at the off center speakers every time you walk in the room. May not be a big priority for you though, your call.

I can help you design a good speaker layout that will be in the correct surround configuration, plus keep them in the ceiling which will keep the wife happy.

You can have a perfectly acceptable surround system using all in-ceiling speakers. Pictures of the fireplace etc would be helpful as well.

I think I would take the out of place speaker out and move it to where you want it and then patch the hole or put some other speaker in the hole that is not hooked up. That keeps all the speakers the same and the sound then sounds natural....