rear surround speakers placement

[dvdpfstr]

I am new to the HT topic and trying to learn all I can to get my HT up and running. I have a new house that was pre-wired for HT and the rear surround speaker wires were run to the ceiling that is approximately 18 feet high. I am planning on using AV123/onix x-ls speakers for surround and am wanting to know if it will be ok to mount these speakers from the 18ft. ceilings? I am planning on purchasing the Onkyo TX-SR805 at the same time with the speakers. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[AVRat]

That is definitely NOT the optimum height position for the side/rear(?) speakers. Are you running a 5/7.1 setup?

 

[avaserfi]

Generally you want your surrounds about 2 feet above ear level to get the feeling of being surrounded by a cloud of sound without entirely being able to locate where every sound is coming from. Check this article for more information: http://www.audioholics.com/tweaks/speaker-setup-guidelines/home-theater-speaker-layout-an-essential-guide

 

[Warpdrv]

My side surround speakers are about 8ft above me, but they are tilted down towards the LP aimed about 1 to 2 ft above my head.
I had absolutely no choice on the height, so I did the best I could...

Works out perfectly...

 

[dvdpfstr]

I am going to start out running a 5.1 setup maybe eventually moving to a 7.1. The speaker location in question is so high because the room has a lofted ceiling that high. There isn't a wall directly behind the listening/seating area because it leads straight into the kitchen. There is a loft area above the kitchen that is open to the HT/family room. I could run the speaker wiring from the attic through a partial wall in the loft which would enable me to mount the surround speakers approximately 5 to 6 feet above the listening area but would require more work and some drywall removal/repair.

 

[avaserfi]

You should really read the article I posted. If you are going with a 5.1 set up the surrounds should NOT go behind you, they should go to your left and right at a 90 degree - 110 degree angle (assuming straight forward is 0 degrees).

 

[dvdpfstr]

Ok, I read the article and it really helped me understand what my options might be for my room. If I ran the surround wires down the wall I could have them come out directly to the side maybe barely in front of the listening area(a foot maybe). I am trying to find the optimum placement but slightly behind is not really an option because the room opens up to the rest of the house. I should also mention that I ordered a pair of Onix X-MTM,s for the mains, x-cs for the center, and x-sls's for the surrounds. I know I cant get perfect placement for the surrounds but need help with the best position for what my situation allows.

 

[avaserfi]

I know I cant get perfect placement for the surrounds but need help with the best position for what my situation allows.

You will find that most of the time people don't get perfect placement of speakers and thats not such a bad thing. Well placed speakers along with proper calibration will still sound great so don't fret.

 

[MDS]

My room is similar although the ceiling is only 9 feet tall.

The builders installed j-boxes and ran speaker wire to ceiling locations that would be directly above my head and perhaps 8-12 inches in front of me - not exactly ideal but it can still work. You have to do the best you can given the limitations of the room.

I had additional speaker wire run to the sides of the room for the side surrounds. That location would be better but presents another challenge because now the surrounds can't be wider than 11 inches and who wants a speaker a foot or more deep hanging off the wall? That's the problem I see with mounting bookshelf speakers like the x-ls on the side walls.

The side wall mounting would be better than the ceiling but you may want to consider a different type of speaker - like a wedge shaped bi/dipole. You can always use the ceiling location for the rear surrounds of 7.1 (even though they won't be anywhere near to the ideal location) because the rear surrounds are way less critical than the side surrounds.

 

[dvdpfstr]

I should clarify that I have ordered the Onix x-sls's, which is a tower speaker. I agree that given the dimensions of the x-ls bookshelf speakers that I did not necessarily want to mount them on the walls which is why I ultimately decided on the x-sls towers. Not to mention that by the time I would have invested in the mounts for the wall I could have put that money towards a little better speaker. I have continued to read everything I could since my original post and feel like I have learned a great deal and I appreciate all the replies to my post. Now I just need to finalize my choices on speaker cables from the posts in the wall plates, sub, T.V., receiver....... and on and on.