Choosing MA surrounds - normal? dipole?

[Djizasse]

Hi all.

I'm currently looking for a 5.0 (sub will come later) speaker set for my living room. I'll be using the set to listen to music, movies and games.
The room is 23 feet (7meters) x 13 feet (4meters). The front will be at the smallest wall and the listening position (couch) is going to be in the middle of the room.

I've been listening to a few sets and I'm very inclined on the Monitor Audio Bronze Reference Series. I would get the BR5s to the front, the BRLCR in the center but haven't decided on the rears.
I've got 3 possibilities (or at least I think I do):
- 2 x BR1
- 2 x BR2
- 2 x BRFX

Between the BR1 and the BR2 is just a matter of low frequency, physical size and money. But the BRFXs add another variable. They have two tweeters, one pointing to the front, the other to the back. They can be switched between bi-pole and di-pole. I've read what this means, but what I would like to know if these speakers can preserve the 3D position of the sound. I would like to play games that rely on 3D sound position.
Imagine a chopper making a perfect circle around your head, will I also hear it circling around me? Or will the surround sound be somewhat blurred and lose the 3D position?

Hope I make sense.

 

[Davemcc]

If you weren't in Portugal, I'd let you use my B/FX so you could try them out yourself since I'm not using them right now. But I don't think they caused any muddiness or lack of clarity while I was using them. IIRC, you have the option of running them bi-pole or di-pole or bi-amping with separate surround/rear channels in each speaker. It gives you lots of options.

 

[Midcow2]

Surronds and sub don't have to match

It is a good idea to match the fronts and center to maintain timbre. However, the surrounds and sub can be form a different speaker vendor.

If you want to stick with Monitor Audio and I assume stay in the Bronze linebecause your room is faily long with the couch in the middle. Where are you planning on positioning your rear surrounds?

I think either the BR1 or the BR2 on stands at ear level right behnd the couch would be provide ouststanding surround sound. Maybe I am worng but it looks like the BRFX has a front facing midrange and two side facing tweeters. It seems you would use it a a front or rear center speaker. If you can drive two center speakers the BRFX would make an excellent rear center speaker!


As far as the helicopter circling , a lot of that is how the original track was recorded and how you AVR decode the surround sound.

Later on get an SVS or Hsu sub

 

[rnatalli]

If you go with the BR2's, let me know as I'm selling a pair in cherry.

 

[Djizasse]

Thanks for the help. But I still got a few questions. I apolagise if I cannot express myself in a few words.

The precise position of the sound is only important in games. In a game like Unreal Tournament, you can pinpoint where the sound comes from, just by listening to it. You can really discern the difference between an enemy right behind you, or slightly to the left.

Here's the two WAF certified layouts. My movie and music listening position is the brown "puff" (a large pear-shaped couch), gaming is done on the couch. My wife prefers to lie in the "chaise longue" on the left. The front line of speakers are two BR5s and one BRLCR. No subwoofer yet, I'm still studying the subject (DIY? HSU? SVS?).
I don't show a layout with back wall rear speaker mounting, not yet WAF certified.

The first layout would have two speakers right behing my listening position. I think it has a too narrow rear soundstage. My wife would be outside it.

The second layout would have two speakers behind the couch and to the sides (wall or shelf). I prefer this one cause it gives a wider surround (encircling both listening positions).



Assuming the second layout is the best, I was planning on using the BRFXs with each midrange driver facing each other (blue arrows), the 4 tweeters are represented by the red arrows.

It seems to me that in bi-pole mode, with all the drivers in phase, there're two tweeters pointing at the listening position and another two firing back. These last two will create reflections at the back wall that will reach the listening position with less volume than the other two "front" tweeters. This will contribute to a more difuse surround. I wonder if I will still have the ability to pinpoint the positional origin of the sound when I'm gaming.

In di-pole mode, one of the tweeters is out of phase with the other tweeter AND the mid range driver. I know about destructive wave interference, but I don't know what will happen in this mode. It's one tweeter in phase with one mid range driver, both out of phase with another tweeter, multiplied by two speakers... to much for me to digest lol

Anyway, is there hope for my "precise sound position" games with the BRFXs in this second layout?

 

[Midcow2]

I like yor second position could you modify slightly ?

Thanks for the help. But I still got a few questions. I apolagise if I cannot express myself in a few words.

The precise position of the sound is only important in games. In a game like Unreal Tournament, you can pinpoint where the sound comes from, just by listening to it. You can really discern the difference between an enemy right behind you, or slightly to the left.

Here's the two WAF certified layouts. My movie and music listening position is the brown "puff" (a large pear-shaped couch), gaming is done on the couch. My wife prefers to lie in the "chaise longue" on the left. The front line of speakers are two BR5s and one BRLCR. No subwoofer yet, I'm still studying the subject (DIY? HSU? SVS?).
I don't show a layout with back wall rear speaker mounting, not yet WAF certified.

The first layout would have two speakers right behing my listening position. I think it has a too narrow rear soundstage. My wife would be outside it.

The second layout would have two speakers behind the couch and to the sides (wall or shelf). I prefer this one cause it gives a wider surround (encircling both listening positions).



Assuming the second layout is the best, I was planning on using the BRFXs with each midrange driver facing each other (blue arrows), the 4 tweeters are represented by the red arrows.

It seems to me that in bi-pole mode, with all the drivers in phase, there're two tweeters pointing at the listening position and another two firing back. These last two will create reflections at the back wall that will reach the listening position with less volume than the other two "front" tweeters. This will contribute to a more difuse surround. I wonder if I will still have the ability to pinpoint the positional origin of the sound when I'm gaming.

In di-pole mode, one of the tweeters is out of phase with the other tweeter AND the mid range driver. I know about destructive wave interference, but I don't know what will happen in this mode. It's one tweeter in phase with one mid range driver, both out of phase with another tweeter, multiplied by two speakers... to much for me to digest lol

Anyway, is there hope for my "precise sound position" games with the BRFXs in this second layout?

I like your second position. Would you be abled to move your couch out towards he center slighltly, from the left wall. In otherwords. The souund would be phenominal if you could locate it between the two blue arrows of your second position.

If not you second postion, with some sound level adjustment would be very good!

 

[Djizasse]

Pulling the couch a little to the center would be great. But it would block the passage and that's a "no no"

I'll have to try and get a BRFX pair to test.

 

[AVRat]

In your situation, I’d opt for the second layout using the BR1s facing toward the opposing front speaker.