Which way do I go? 5.1 Dipole or 5.1 standard speakers?

[Palbal]

I would like to know if it is better to go with dipole or standard speakers in the rear in a HT 5.1 set up? The room is 24' long x 15' wide. It will be facing the short wall with a wide sound stage.

 

[sleeper]

Usually for multi-channel music (SACD, DVDA) I prefer matching speakers; for home theatre a more difuse rear soundstage is prefered. So, basically...
music=standard surround speakers
movies=dipole surround speakers

Just an opinion...

sleeper

 

[Palbal]

Thanks, That makes a lot of sense. Do you have any speaker suggestions for dipole speakers with a limit of $300 for each speaker?

 

[AVRat]

What are your front three speakers? Polk, Def Tech, Axiom, Energy, Paradigm, and others have good products that will meet your need.

 

[Tex-amp]

Di-poles were part of the original THX standards in the old Pro-Logic days when surround sound was matrixed out of the processor and dipole's diffuse nature helped with the effect. Now movies are recorded in 5.1 with sound engineers able to place a sound with a speaker and THX has dropped di-poles from their standards.

All of that to say it is a matter of personal preference these days. Some people love them and others don't like them. If you have multiple rows of seating it may be a good idea in your long room.

 

[Palbal]

AVRat-My three front speaker are all the exact same small NHT SB-1s; however I am looking to upgrade them and the other speakers. I have a Sunfire Signature Sub. I am looking for more mid bass, which is desperately needed for a more balanced sound. One of my problems is that I can only spend $300 per speaker. Right now I have a difficult 7.1 set up. Because of the fireplace centered on the end wall my TV is in the corner with the left speaker next to it and the right speaker on the other side of the fireplace because of lack of space where the TV sits. I have decided to go the (long) side wall and go with a 5.1 set up because of it. That is unless someone can convince me that going with the Mirage, MIROMNISATV2PB will take care of the problems with this unbalance set up. With these speakers I am concerned about getting enough mid-range. I think that diffused sound would be better for movies since I never just sit a listen to music. I was considering going with the NHT Classic threes with the matching Classic three center channel speaker. The center channel speaker will be approximately $400.
Tex-amp. Thank you for such helpful information. I do not have a theater where multiple row seating is possible. It is a great room.