I have a 5.1 surround sound set up that I havent really tweaked yet. I was watching a movie last night and it sounded like all the audio was coming from the front of the room. The only time I heard any of the rear speakers was when music was being played or during a scene that involved a lot of shooting and stuff being blown up. Now with that said, I can adjust each speaker I believe up to +5db I believe. It may be more though.
My front speakers are on stands and my center speaker is located below my Plasma screen. The subwoofer is in a corner that is also in the front of the room.
My 2 rear surround speakers are positioned facing each other with my couch in the middle.
I had thought about placing the rear speakers behind the couch so it would sound like I was right in the middle of the action so to speak.
I guess my overall question is how loud should the rear speakers be compared to the rest of the system? Should they be the same as the others?
Your speaker manual should note the levels of the speakers. The fronts are different from the backs. You must also factor in the distance from the listening area to the speaker.
I'm sure everyone has preferences to the volumn of their rear speakes, but I've always like them a little louder so I feel an equal volumn from all my speakers.
Try adjusting the setup of your speakers via the receiver. Additionally, you may want to sample the presettings to assure that your in 5.1 or more .