Hi, I've just purchased a new home theatre system (5.1). I will be setting it up in a room which is 12' by 21'. However, the sofa will only be about half the length of the room (10 or 11') away from the TV. My surrounds are Mirage FRX "omnipolar" Surrounds. I am planning to place the Left one about 6 feet high and level with the sofa; however, due to windows, the Right one must be placed about 3' in FRONT of my sofa (same height). Will this cause a big problem? (for two reasons, one being that the speaker will be in front of me, the other being unequal distances from each). Moving the couch further back is not an option.
cutter
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Crap. sorry, I thought i was posting in the home theatre forum. if someone were to answer here, that would be great, but i think i'll post again over there. i am a very bad person.
J. Vigne
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Well, yes, it will be a problem. Do you have any alternatives?
Only other thing I could do is put the surrounds way back on the wall behind the couch (10feet), or I could move the couch even closer to the TV so the the R speaker would not be so far in front of the listener. (LS=Left surround, RS=Right Surround, S=sub)
Jimvm
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If you are not in an apartment and the wiring is feasible, you might consider not going with the FRX surrounds and getting Mirage HDT series in-ceiling speakers. They are designed specifically for surround speaker application. Ceilings are not the best place for surround speakers but in your particular case, they might sound better than having surrounds that are not symetrically placed.
Unfortunately, I live in an apartment, and there's no way the landlord would let me do that. Do you think I could adjust the delay or something to make the speakers sound like they are at the same level?
Why dont u Take the Speaker and Put them on Stand right beside each arm of the couch? that ight work
Jimvm
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I don't know about adjusting the delay; someone with more expertise may be able to advise you.
Depending on how high your ceilings are and how willing you are to live with something that is not very aesthetically pleasing, you might consider suspending the right surround from the ceiling so that it would be positioned at around the same height and distance from the couch as the left surround. You could do this with a bracket or cables with no more damage to the ceiling than you would have if you suspended a potted plant from a ceiling hook. Your wires would be exposed, but not much more than they will be anyway. You would have to somehow attach the bracket or cable to the speaker, hopefully without any adverse effects. If this idea appeals to you at all, you might do some exploring on the Internet and find a company that makes such a bracket or cable. While some may find this idea a little bizarre, there are companies which make speaker that are designed to be suspended from the ceiling. Just a thought.
My wife read your last suggestion over my shoulder, Jimvm; the speaker suspended from the ceiling is a no-go (although I didn't mind the idea). I guess I could go with the speaker stand idea, but I've heard/read that it's best to have the speakers elevated a little. What I was really hoping was that with these specific speakers back and forward firing design, I could somehow compensate for the fact that one is ahead, and one behind (using some sort of delay; but I'm a novice and have no idea about these things).
it is good to have a speaker positioning question here. it makes all the difference, and often people give it little thought.
From your diagram, I would personally choose to put the surrounds right back behind you, the same distance for left and right, maybe near the back wall. You should, anyway, adjust the delays (1 foot less in distance to be compensated by one millisecond extra of delay) as well as the levels (in dB, so each channel sounds equally loud with the test tones, heard from the sofa). The thing to do is buy enough cable for the twice the longest run you will need (cables for two matched speakers should be equal length), then fold up/hide away any surplus length, but keeping the real lengths of cable the same. I wonder where the amp/receiver is in that plan? We have an awkward, L-shaped listeneing room, too. You could even put the sub against the back wall, too. Sub sound is not directional; it should just fill up the volume of air in the room, and that would include the kitchen/dining area, too.
As for stands, they do two things. They bring the tweeters of small speakers up to ear level: that is where the sound is REALLY directional and everything is better if your are on-axis with the tweeter. Then, also with small speakers, the floor tends to soak up the bass. Floor-standers are designed not to need stands, of course.
Chuck_M
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Hey cutter - how about this:
Put a decorative "screen" behind the couch, maybe 5 to 6' hi. It could extend beyond the couch on each side maybe, and incorporate your wife's input regarding room compatability (colors, design, plants, etc. including decorative oppotunities on the exposed backside of the screen). With appropriate attention to mods you might have to make to insure stability, the surrounds could be incorporated into the screen at the ends near the top. This approach would also provide an opportunity to hide the wiring.
Thanks for all the suggestions (keep em comin' if there are more out there).
Chuck, The "screen" idea would not really work with our living room as all of our furniture is really low (sofa is low, TV and electronics on very low stands) to keep sort of an "open concept" of our apartment. The screen would likely break that up. What I may be able to do is to encorporate the screen idea at the BACK wall and put the surrounds back there, as John suggested.
This brings up two questions:1.Do you think it would really sound significantly better with both speakers at the back wall rather than as they are in the diagram? and, 2.Should I get regular forward firing surrounds rather than the "omnipolars" if I mount them on the back wall? (changing speakers would not be a problem, as my whole system is on order anyway - to come in next week)Or would the mirage FRX's work out fine?
I am pleased with forward-firing, directional surrounds. They give good imaging. The way you sketch your front speakers suggests you know all about stereo imaging/ I think the best surround systems just add stereo behind you, and each side, so there is no difference between a "main" and a "surround" speaker. This is personal. Many people like "ambient" surround sound. There is no right or wrong in this.
Well, for those of you still following this thread. I set up my whole system today (well yesterday and today, to be honest);see my profile for system components. I set it up exactly the way I have it in the picture, with the L surround beside the listener and the R surround about 3-4 feet in front, and, after adjusting the levels and delays, it sounds awesome!! And, probably more importantly is that my wife approves of the aesthetics.
In the future, I may add a pair of rear surrounds for the whole 7.1 thing, but I'm really happy with the system right now. Thanks for everyone's input.
