I could use some advice on a new home theater project. I am completing a home building project and just finishing pulling speaker wire for my home theater. The room is 16x18' (located in the center of the bottom floor with no windows). The screen placement is going to be on the wider wall, so it will basically be set up as a wider viewing room. I am planning a 7.1 system with projector and retractable screen. Center Channel, two front speakers, two side speakers and two rear speakers with a subwoofer (I own klipsch in my current home and will probably stay with this brand, but I am open)
Several questions: Do I need to have speakers in the rear or can I put them on the sidewall like this:
--------------Front-----------Screen/Center----------------Front-------- + + Side + + + + Side +..................................SEATING AREA + SW --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do I really need to put speakers behind the viewer? The reason I would like to avoid this is that I would like to put the seating (basically comfort couches - 1 row - not theater chairs or multiple rows of seating), I would like to put the seating against the rear wall to give myself a little more room between the seating and the screen. Or, can the rear speakers be just a foot or two from the viewers head, like this?
The concept in having "surround sound" is exactly that. Putting the speakers on the side wall is going to defeat the purpose of the theater experience and the whole "immersing" the viewer idea. It can be done, you'll just have a disjointed audio experience.
And yes you can mix them. Be aware though, that if you are using different speakers, you will have tonal imbalances. Honestly, the ocassional guest may not notice it if they are not listening for it. But if you listen to it constantly, you will find it annoying. Specially if you have listened to a system that is properly put together.