5.1 vs. 'poor' 7.1

[STRONGBADF1]

Shadow, I think that that option is only available if I get a divorce

Nova, wrt the W150 I just assumed that that would be the correct choice for the center. What am I missing?

I just spoke to someone from Axiom (Brent) and he suggested what the other Brian suggested except he suggested QS4s for all the surrounds.

Brian

Did you think about or did Axiom have any thoughts about in-ceiling placements for the rears?

p.s. I would also be worried about in-wall/ceiling because you can't move them if needed as j garcia points out.

 

[hoosier84]

I have a similar problem to Brian. We are about to start finishing our basement with one room being a 12' by 22' or so HT room. We should be able to put enough space between the back row and rear wall to enhance the rear sound but we have a big 5 1/2 ft wide window on one side that begins roughly 11 ft from the screen area. Given the location and he drapes we will need it with it, I don't know if we can do side surround for 7.1.

Are there any work arounds for window issues like this? How far back in a 22-foot long room should a 7.1 side surround speaker be? Can you put it up on the ceiling? The ceiling will be roughly 8 ft high. Or should I just forget the whole idea and just go with a 6.1 setup? I'll save on my receiver purchase at least if we go that older option.

 

[jcPanny]

Surround speakers

Check the dolby guide on this site.
You need "side surrounds" for a 5.1 system. A 7.1 system adds "rear surrounds". The side surrounds in a 5.1 or 7.1 system should be at the sides of the listening position. Ideally, your listening position would be close to the middle of the room.

There are several options out there for speaker mounting. There are Omnimounts that allow the bracket to be attached to the ceiling and connected to a bookshelf or surround type spekaer. Axiom speakers have a threaded fitting for use whith these types of brackets.

Unless you buy very expensive in-ceiling speakers that can adjust the direction of the sound toward the listener (like Trid or Speakercraft AIM speakers) than you will get poor performance from a speaker in the ceiling producing sounds that are supposed to come from the sides or behind the listener.

 

[BrianPatch]

Unfortunately for my situation I cannot use in-ceiling speakers. I have cathedral ceilings and I just re-did them with wood. I didn't think about re-doing the HT system until after I finished the ceiling.

 

[Shadowx28]

Shadow, I think that that option is only available if I get a divorce

Brian

Brian, exactly how determined are you to get the best sound?

haha no, but are you using these speakers for anything other then movies, and music? If not, I would almost suggest magnepan speakers (www.magnepan.com) because they are supposedly good for envoloping people in sound. If you want to be able to pin-point the location of the speakers, thats when i would not recommend magnepan speakers.