Surround distance setting?

[banta24]

Hi there,

I recently got my system up and running and have a question about my surrounds. I am using Polk fxi3's, in Dipole mode, parallel to the listening position and about two feet out from each side of the seats. My question is: Do I set my amp's "distance" setting based on the distance out to the side from my ears, or the distance front to back? i.e. 2 feet out to the sides, or 0 since they are on the same plane as listening position.

Thanks for your time!

Banta

 

[ozdvduser]

The distance is from your seating position to the Speaker, so in your case it is the distance from your ears.

 

[banta24]

Thanks! Sorry for the newbie question.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Sorry for the newbie question.

No such thing. Each question is important to someone to learn more.

 

[banta24]

I have another related surround question so I figured I'd post it in the thread I already had going...

I have a bit of an odd shaped living room and would like some advice on the setup. The room is sessentially a rectangle and I have the system running along the lenth of the room. The weirdness comes in because the long left and right walls are totally different. One is a solid wall with two windows spaced equally and the other has two openings in which you can enter the room. In the middle of the openings is a fireplace. Because of the size of my furniture I have had to put my couch along the long wall across from the fireplace and my loveseat perpendicular to it. This makes the loveseat the optimal viewing seat. However, my difficulty comes with my dipole surrounds. I have one against the long wall, but the other is forced to be on a stand next to the loveseat, which backs on open space. I can definitely hear a difference in volume from the two surrounds with a test tone, so I adjusted it accordingly, but I get the feeling that since the reflection of the soundwaves is quite different based on each speakers' location, that the effects I hear could be much more convincing...

After all that, my question is: What would you do in my situation? Would you keep the f/x speakers to the side of the loveseat or move them to the rear of that position and set them in bipole mode? (mine are switchable) Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time!
Banta

 

[mtrycrafts]

I have another related surround question so I figured I'd post it in the thread I already had going...

I have a bit of an odd shaped living room and would like some advice on the setup. The room is sessentially a rectangle and I have the system running along the lenth of the room. The weirdness comes in because the long left and right walls are totally different. One is a solid wall with two windows spaced equally and the other has two openings in which you can enter the room. In the middle of the openings is a fireplace. Because of the size of my furniture I have had to put my couch along the long wall across from the fireplace and my loveseat perpendicular to it. This makes the loveseat the optimal viewing seat. However, my difficulty comes with my dipole surrounds. I have one against the long wall, but the other is forced to be on a stand next to the loveseat, which backs on open space. I can definitely hear a difference in volume from the two surrounds with a test tone, so I adjusted it accordingly, but I get the feeling that since the reflection of the soundwaves is quite different based on each speakers' location, that the effects I hear could be much more convincing...

After all that, my question is: What would you do in my situation? Would you keep the f/x speakers to the side of the loveseat or move them to the rear of that position and set them in bipole mode? (mine are switchable) Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time!
Banta

I am having a bit of visualization where exactly your surrounds are but in any even, try to get them in the same relative direction and position from your listening position. One being on the wall and the other in free space will make some differences.

If your receiver can set distance to each speakers, measure and set them. Try to use a test DVD and a Radio Shack spl meter, analog, to level match all speakers. Don't adjust by ear. This should help you.

Set those rear speakers to what presentation you prefer the most.

 

[MDS]

With di/bipole speakers, the NULL of the speaker should be aimed directly at your ear. The null is the face of the speaker between the two drivers and when it is directly aimed at you ear you get no direct sound - that is how di/bipole create the enveloping sound. The drivers fire in opposite directions, either in phase as in bipole or out of phase as in dipole, and you get no direct sound as would be the case for normal monopole speakers.

 

[banta24]

I've used the DVE disc for calibration, but had to do it by ear. Radio Shack has become The Source in Canada and don't sell SPL meters anymore I'll hunt around a bit for one though and see if that helps. The main thing I've been noticing with the surround content is that it never sounds convincingly "behind" me and is often quite localized sounding. Is that something I should be hearing from the type of setup I have? Could my surrounds be set too loud?

Thanks again for all your help!