Help with 7.1 speaker positioning for small room (bad diagram included)

[danbayliss]

Hi, I have a dilema with a 7.1 setup. It is less than ideal. I bought a 5.1 setup and already have 2 floor standing speakers. Please see my simple image and help advise me where the side and top speakers should go and any thoughts. All side and rear speakers will be head height. Thanks in advance

 

[BenLaw]

Ooh, I like the little people on your diagram! Though I'm not sure your partner thinks it's too flattering

With your sofas being tight to the walls, I would not bother with rears. If you look at the thx website you will see 'sides' are traditional in a 5.1. I would look at position '1' for your sides and then, if you must have 7.1, consider front heights.

 

[danbayliss]

Cheers Ben, well I kind of have all the speakers now. It would be a shame not to use all of them. There is no getting around a speaker being near someones head. I've never had side speakers before, but looking at the THX website and all the others, its all an ideal setup. The side sofa and no space I was wondering if anyone had tried a similar configuration.

I plan on experimenting with 5.1 and 7.1 but i am new to surround sound and am all ears to advice. First step your right, i will be putting the sides as far back as possible. its just so much easier to mount the sides on position 2. However whats it practiacally like with rears near your head. is it overwhelming or is it an occasional sound?

 

[BenLaw]

Well obviously you dial them down a bit as they're close to you but they will need to be loud enough to match the rest of the speakers- which means the person on the right hand sofa is going to have the occasional fright! Seriously though, these are the compromises we all have to make in modern living rooms. It is though why I would think about not having rears as well as sides. Very few blu rays have a 7.1 track so you'll mostly be asking your AVR to remix the sound anyway, so I would try front heights for your extra speakers.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Agreed position 1 is best. Agreed 7.1 will be difficult to get spot on. My rears are literally behind the setee and add only a little I guess. I guess ur speakers are not ceiling? They may work high up pointing down. My sides are also close to my old earoles but am currently running them out-of-phase which seems to diffuse the sound without (apparently) effecting the fronts/soundstage etc. My photos give u an idea. Keep us informed.

Front heights? Some say wortwhile but my 'decor' wont really allow and experiments, for me/my setup/my room/my ears were not particularly effective.

 

[danbayliss]

great setup Robin. And thanks again Ben. I looked into height speakers (i never knew this existed) and this seems to be the most helpful review http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10230238-1.html which has kind of put me off doing this.

i think the sofa is more central. the reason for the second position on the rears was because of this http://www.thx.com/files/2009/12/7-1-speaker-setup-400x300.jpg diagram i saw via thq.

I think the thing to do is balance the speakers in every combination. i'll give the heights a go too. I will follow up in a while. i will even try the rears as high as possible pointing down. i never considered these things, I think the compromise is if the tweeter is not head level, someone on one of the sofas misses out

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Thanks Dan. Yr first link seems reasonable tho oldboy (here) swears by his front heights. Not only when they fall on his head. I experimented with a cheap pair of spkrs but not effective. Get a cheap pair from charity shop and play before committing £!

Although yr second link is (obviouslu) correct, it is the ideal with a long room & central settee. Most recommend slightly behind. My out of phase idea has never been commented on here but experimentation is key. Room treatment & speaker position plays a huge part.

Tweeters can be angled to direct sound. The norm with centre speaker.

Keep us informed