I presently have a 3.1 setup consisting of Aperion 6T towers, a 5c center, and a Klipsch SW-112 sub. My annual bonus is due to hit Monday and I was looking for ways to improve my HT. I found a guy by me who has a 6c center channel for sale. Alternately, I could get a pair of surround speakers (likely 5b, 4b, or 4bp) to round out the 5.1 setup.
Regarding the 6c. From what I've read, its a noticeable improvement from the 5c, in that both 6.5" woofers are active, as compared to the 5c which has one active and one passive. This is also the direct companion to my towers. For what its worth, I'm currently running my 5C a few db hot to better hear dialog.
For the rears, the issue is mostly mounting as my couch is against the back wall, but has about 3-4' on either side of it. So I would basically be mounting the speakers close to the ceiling pointing downward angled at the seating position. The other question is which speakers to use. I know THX recommends surrounds be able to reach down to 80hz, which only the 5Bs can do, but they are quite large at 12" tall. The 4Bs are shorter at 8.75", but they only reach down to 120hz. (Note: my sub crossover is set at 80hz). The 4BP actually get down to 100hz (-3db), but since the wall is right behind the sofa, I don't know how much benefit I would be getting from them. I'm also open to any other suggestions of surround speakers that may work better. I would like to stay in the same product line, but since they're surround, its not a requirement.
What do you guys think?
Home theater Details: Room is approximately 12' x 20'. The couch and TV are on the 20' sides pushed to the right of the room. The left part of the room (left while facing the TV) is open to the kitchen and hallway). They will be powered by my Pioneer Elite VSX-52. The corner that one of the speakers would be placed in is above a space roughly 3-4' square that has an end table in it.
