5.1 or 7.1, dipole or directional for the surround speakers?

C

cykeltur

Audiophyte
Hi
I have moved and have a 7.1 system but now in the new room it is not ideal conditions.

Do Anyone know what surround types to chose if I had to have the litening position(sofa) only 1,2m from the back wall (to the front speakers( and center) to listening position: 3 m)
(The closest position to place a side surround is 3m, (1.5 to 2 m over ear position) )..

And have
one set dipole wharferdale and one set directional speaker (with tilted baffel)
, and have 7.1 avr...
(Front: elac fs249 and matching center from same series)

Dipol

And
Directional:
DYNAVOICE MAGIC FX-4 EX V.3
( those have upgraded
mids to morel Ew428 or EM428)

Any tips on:
1)
Where to mount the side surround speakers and what model (or should I skip those)?

2)
Where to mount the side surround speakers and what model?

Amp:
3x Dynamic precision pa400 (112w @<0.0009THD "all ch driven", capability >100A per ch., snr: 119dB)

Avr:
Iotavx avx1 (7.1)

Sorry but I like to use the existing items..
 
SithZedi

SithZedi

Audioholic General
I had a similar situation in the back when I originally set up my HT years ago. I solved my problem with a pair of Mirage NanoSats which look similar in principle to the Wharfdales. Mirage doesn't make them anymore but you can find them on Ebay. They are not audiophile but they were great performers and underrated IMHO. I mounted them upside down on brackets on the back wall flanking the sofa, about 6 feet high and let the AV receiver do the rest.
I recently upgraded my back surrounds and retasked the Nanos as Front Presence speakers. They are great at that too.
Anyway, more experienced responses to come I am sure.
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
Hi
I have moved and have a 7.1 system but now in the new room it is not ideal conditions.

Do Anyone know what surround types to chose if I had to have the litening position(sofa) only 1,2m from the back wall (to the front speakers( and center) to listening position: 3 m)
(The closest position to place a side surround is 3m, (1.5 to 2 m over ear position) )..

And have
one set dipole wharferdale and one set directional speaker (with tilted baffel)
, and have 7.1 avr...
(Front: elac fs249 and matching center from same series)

Dipol

And
Directional:
DYNAVOICE MAGIC FX-4 EX V.3
( those have upgraded
mids to morel Ew428 or EM428)

Any tips on:
1)
Where to mount the side surround speakers and what model (or should I skip those)?

2)
Where to mount the side surround speakers and what model?

Amp:
3x Dynamic precision pa400 (112w @<0.0009THD "all ch driven", capability >100A per ch., snr: 119dB)

Avr:
Iotavx avx1 (7.1)

Sorry but I like to use the existing items..
Have a look at this article:
 
C

cykeltur

Audiophyte
20220118_193052.jpg
20220118_192909.jpg

As you see, a sub optimal setup...
And wife approval is in a thin line...
Sorry for moving materials..
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
I have never liked bi/dipole surrounds, but it depends on your setup and room. With couch against the wall, 7.1 is pointless. I would do Atmos 5.2.1 or 5.4.1. The benefits of Atmos are better to my ears than 6.1/7.1 were and won't be impacted as much by your seating position.
 
C

cykeltur

Audiophyte
I have never liked bi/dipole surrounds, but it depends on your setup and room. With couch against the wall, 7.1 is pointless. I would do Atmos 5.2.1 or 5.4.1. The benefits of Atmos are better to my ears than 6.1/7.1 were and won't be impacted as much by your seating position.
The sofa is 1.5m from wall, is that a no go for 7.1 then?
Is it better to buy a new iotavx avx 17 just to get the atmos setup?
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
Hard to tell from the pic that there is that much room behind. 1.5M is doable for surrounds, but I might still skip 6/7.1 and go for Atmos instead. If it wasn't already the plan to upgrade to a new pre/pro, it can wait. So current AVR does not support it I guess is the issue?

To me, rear surrounds never added enough to make it really worth it in my opinion. It did not add as much as I hoped, even with the best implementations in movies. Atmos on the other hand, seems to really expand the sound in a more useful manner, even the front stage. Not trying to spend your money here lol, but I personally feel it is more beneficial.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
I have never liked bi/dipole surrounds, but it depends on your setup and room. With couch against the wall, 7.1 is pointless. I would do Atmos 5.2.1 or 5.4.1. The benefits of Atmos are better to my ears than 6.1/7.1 were and won't be impacted as much by your seating position.
Totally agree. Just for clarity though, your decimals are backward J.
Should read 5.1.2 or 5.1.4.
 
C

cykeltur

Audiophyte
The current setup online support 7.1 :-/
(Not important, but the sub i use is Velodyne DD10)

So:

If not spending 15kusd on the iotavx avx 17, then :
5.1, using the directional speakers with a tilted baffle as surrounds (~1.5m up behind listener in a angle) ?

If spending 15kusd on the iotavx avx 17, then :
5.1.2, using the directional speakers with a tilted baffle as surrounds and bi derection wharfedale in the ceiling?

Correct?
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
Again, I agree with J here. While would never get rid of my rear surrounds, since I don’t have a reason to. Adding even .2 Atmos is better. I think 1.5m off the back wall is probably close enough for rear surrounds, but it also could be far enough off the wall to make a case for .4 Atmos. That allows for left to right overhead panning as well as front to back. It also allows for more interaction between the height and bed layer allowing for more precise imaging. I’m fortunate to have 7.x.4 but if I had to choose, I would sacrifice rear surrounds first.
If that much of an upgrade isn’t in the budget and WAF etc, the couch is probably far enough off the wall for rear surrounds. My feelings on WAF however are that no one single person should dictate a rooms layout. Does only one person live there? Lol
 
C

cykeltur

Audiophyte
Ok:
Throw away the wharfedale speakers
Throw away the avr for a new awr iotavx17.
Then place the back directional speakers on the "back ".
Then by new 2 or 4 atmos speakers (2 in the front or the better way 4 in the ceiling..)
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
Your place isnt really as bad as you think. There have been a lot worse rooms like mine!! The one thing I did notice is that you should pull your center channel away from the back wall so that the baffle extends past the edge of your equipment stand by a 1/2 " or a couple of cm. I would also pull out the towers from the back wall by at least a foot.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
I don't think this room is that bad either. I have also had worse rooms lol.

I'd actually maybe get a small isolation pad and angle the center slightly up. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/Isolation-High-Density-Significant-Improvement-Vibrations/dp/B07DCQW156/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2GGDCR8M43FWO&keywords=moped+speaker+isolation&qid=1642608244&sprefix=mopad+speaker+isolation,aps,116&sr=8-5 Use only half to achieve the angle, either the thin one or the one with the lip. I do this with my center too because it is slightly lower than ear level.

Agree with pulling the mains out from the wall slightly, but doors on both sides, so I understand.
 
Last edited:
C

cykeltur

Audiophyte
So for now:5.1 insead of 7.1 :), then save for 5.x.2 (2-4) setup(read: "hard WAF negation"..;-))
 

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