7.1 Setup Questions

[FuzzyReets]

Hi. I'm wondering if I was going to put together 7.1 with some different speakers and for the 2 sets of rears (side and back) would I want a larger pair as the side speakers or the back speakers? Thanks.

 

[just-some-guy]

depends on a few things = room size & shape, music and/or movies, your taste.

imo. you want bi/di poles for the sides, and monopoles for the rears.
mount em at least 3' above your head.

they can be of different brands. mine are, and work awesome.

the size. well. if you buy good speakers, they will be the right size.

 

[just-some-guy]

your HD7's should be fine for the rears.

 

[FuzzyReets]

Right. Well i was going to try to put together 7.1 system by adding my old Pioneer 15" CSD9900s into the mix. They are very large so maybe that's not such a good idea as either. Bummer.

 

[sptrout]

If I understand your question correctly, you are asking which location a poster would recommend placing the better of two pairs of speakers. (I am asumming that you already have these speakers now.) If all your speakers are not equal than I would rate the positioning as follows (best speakers first).

1. L&R
2. Center
3. Sides
4. Rears

Remember that there is very little native 7.1 material available so the rear speakers get used rarely except if you use one of the audio matrixing options that then add the rear speakers into the mix. This is not the case for most all DVDs & Blu-rays which almost always have a 5.1 audio track so your side speakers are almost always "in the game." Place your money where it will do the most good IMO.

 

[FuzzyReets]

If I understand your question correctly, you are asking which location a poster would recommend placing the better of two pairs of speakers. (I am asumming that you already have these speakers now.) If all your speakers are not equal than I would rate the positioning as follows (best speakers first).

1. L&R
2. Center
3. Sides
4. Rears

Remember that there is very little native 7.1 material available so the rear speakers get used rarely except if you use one of the audio matrixing options that then add the rear speakers into the mix. This is not the case for most all DVDs & Blu-rays which almost always have a 5.1 audio track so your side speakers are almost always "in the game." Place your money where it will do the most good IMO.

Yeah you are right. Maybe I'll just go 6.1, although there aren't very many 6.1 out there either. What is good for the additional speaker for a 6.1 setup?

 

[just-some-guy]

Right. Well i was going to try to put together 7.1 system by adding my old Pioneer 15" CSD9900s into the mix. They are very large so maybe that's not such a good idea as either. Bummer.

how big is the room ? if you can place them a ways away from you, they could work ok. until you got the money for Bi/Di poles. always use what you have first, this will "get your feet wet" , before spending money.

pics of room ?

 

[sptrout]

Yeah you are right. Maybe I'll just go 6.1, although there aren't very many 6.1 out there either. What is good for the additional speaker for a 6.1 setup?

Multiple people posting at the same time makes things interesting.

I am a little confused now that I have read the other responses and then looked at your signature. Your signature lists your HD7's as "rears"; is that correct, or are they really used today as your side speakers?

In any case, I would not bother with a 6.1 system; that poor speaker would mainly be a dust collector. Even a 7.1 system that is not designed correctly (all speakers good, and in the correct location) is not all that great. I know that from personal experience, my rear speakers are 1) no good, and 2) in the wrong location. However, do to a variety of reasons, I cannot make any changes to speakers 6 & 7 (BTW-not included in my signature).

Back to your basic question - - try the big speakers and see if you like the results. Nothing much to lose except time and the pain of running the cabling. At one time I had some former front speakers (12 inchers) used as sides and they worked OK. The main problem is that they set to low for proper side speaker placement (way to heavy for above ear level), but it was the best I could do at the time.