Another speaker placement question re 7.1

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I have the Q Acoustics 2000 cinema pack coming today, but with QAV's for rears.

Our room is pretty square with a bay window and the settee is pushed up against the wall facing the TV.

My plan was to wall mount the QAV's up high on the wall behind the settee.

I was wondering, if I bought another pair of QAV's and went 7.1, if I would notice any improvement if I mounted these behind and ot the left and right of the settee low on the skirting (well I say low but its a very big skirting - about 30 inches) and pointed them upwards.

I would then have 7.1 but unsure if I would get the benefit, or if the high speakers would be "rears" or "centre rears" or vice versa with those on skirting?

Hope that makes sense? The dealer said that the QAV's have a wide field anyway and I probably would not get the benefit.

Thanks

 

[nads]

first not many 7.1 sound tracks out there.

2 on a 5.1 set up the surrounds should be to the side of the listener.

3 adding 2 more speakers for a 7.1 set up and these should be to the rear of the listener.

on mine the surrounds are high and just forward and the rears are also high but behind.

and yes it does make a difference when listening to a 7.1 track but not much when mixing a 5.1

 

[Oldboy]

Have to agree with all the points made by Nads

. You would be better off staying with 5.1 if you can't mount the extra speakers needed for 7.1 in the correct position, and definately DON'T put them that low as you simply won't get the benefit of the extra channels.

As Nads said earlier the major problem is how much material is available in 7.1...i have now had to start importing from the US and Asia in order to add more 7.1 blurays for example so bear this in mind also.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks guys

done a quick room sketch to illustrate further - any advice on if I have rears in right place for 5.1 or 7.1 much appreciated.

http://www.imgxc.com/fullimage/YdoUTV.jpg

I can't use stands at all , so am a bit limited, but could wall mount on other walls

 

[The_Lhc]

Hmm, arguably no, the extra 2 speakers in a 7.1 system should be INSIDE the surrounds, not outside them, which is what you've described on the diagram.

Really with 5.1 the surrounds (think of them like that rather than "rears") should be on the sidewalls, level with the listening position.

If you can't do that I'd say where you have the "left rear" and "right rear" on skirting is where your 5.1 surrounds should be, but high up.

Not really sure why you can't mount them high up is you have the "rears" high up though?

Having said all that the positioning of the fronts, centre and TV is not ideal, given where your seating positions are. I'd be tempted to move the lot round to where "chair" is and use "sofa 2" as your main viewing point, possibly moved closer to the screen (depending on how big it is).

Something like this:

 

[Anonymous]

Wow thanks for that.

I think your remodelled drawing would be the ideal scenario, but I probably made the room look a lot bigger than it actually is.

I can't move the screen really, but I take your point about the surrounds not being behind you on Sofa 1.

I could quite easily put all 4 surrounds / rears up high on the wall behind Sofa 1, or I could put the left surrounds high to the left of Sofa 1, and the right high to the left of Sofa 2 (pointing @ Sofa 1).

 

[The_Lhc]

Geoggy:I could quite easily put all 4 surrounds / rears up high on the wall behind Sofa 1, or I could put the left surrounds high to the left of Sofa 1, and the right high to the left of Sofa 2 (pointing @ Sofa 1).

I'm not familiar with the QAVs, but as they're not bipole speakers you need to be able to angle the surrounds towards the listening position, so the wider apart you can get them the better, even if they remain on the wall behind you. That's not so important for the rears (the width I mean, THX recommend having them right next to each other, acting as a point source, but I don't know many other people who agree with the setup) but as others have said, having them low down may well reduce their efficacy.

 

[Anonymous]

They angle downwards looking at pictures on Superfi so hopefully should be OK.

So if I went with the drawing below, it would work for 7.1 and be in line with THX recommendations?

 

[The_Lhc]

I wouldn't worry overly much about the THX stuff but yes that would work better.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks very much for your help

 

[nads]

i would move the surround speakers forward a bit if you can. the left one at the other end of the sloping wall and the right one opposite it.

I think as is will be too rear biased.

 

[Anonymous]

cheers nads - will see if i can do that with window / curtain poles in way etc