Kuwen Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I've browsed similar topics on various forum but keep coming up short in locatinga plan/problem like my own. My question is, although both Dolby and THXrecommend that surround speakers be placed on the sides of your room, Ihave a wide couch and a narrow room and I don't believe it's conduciveto such a setup. The issue is exacerbated even further given that theback of the couch is up against the wall and thus I really can't locate the speakers on the side of the wall and still be behind the listener. I've attached the partial floor plan (everything is to scale) for thearea in question which shows the three different options, side mounted,corner mounted and rear mounted. The corner mount option would appear to be the choice that minimizes sound reflection from the walls which from my limited understanding of things, is a good thing but I can find no information that even talks about this option. I believe the biggest deterrent to the side mounted option is that factthat the speakers practically overhang the seating area but perhaps Icould mount it higher up the wall and tilt it down some. The rear mount option seems ok but it locates the speakers closer to the lsitener than what I believe to be desirable and per the standards, surround speakers are suppose to be on the sides and a rear mount is further away from that objective than a corner mount. The speakers I intend to use for surrounds are RS-52s. Any opinions or comments is greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 who did the cad drawing? i have my entire living room in Inventor. a must have for people with OCD like me....lol! i'd suggest just hooking them up and seeing which sounds best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 why are the screen and speakers so far from the wall? how are you controling light, do you have to climb up on the couch to shade the window? looks like the surrounds will be very close to your head in either position, but I think your best option would be side wall up a bit higher, mounted flat not tilted. but if you have the ability to test out all choices I would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuwen Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 who did the cad drawing? i have my entire living room in Inventor. a must have for people with OCD like me....lol! i'd suggest just hooking them up and seeing which sounds best. I'm in the process of developing the basement and a CAD drawing of everything was the best way to ensure accuracy. The problem with hooking them up in multiple locations is that I want to plan ahead for where the surround jacks are going to be located since I'm running the speaker wire in wall. So while there will be some flexibility to move them after everything is finished, if I don't nail the location first try, it won't look as clean. why are the screen and speakers so far from the wall? how are you controling light, do you have to climb up on the couch to shade the window? looks like the surrounds will be very close to your head in either position, but I think your best option would be side wall up a bit higher, mounted flat not tilted. but if you have the ability to test out all choices I would. The screen and speakers are set out from the wall simply because I want to minimize the distance from the couch to the screen, I know it may sound anal, but THX/Dolby standards state that for a 50" screen, the viewing distance should be something on the order of 7' or so and thus until I can get a projector up and running, this is the best compromise. Since it's new construction, a shade will have to be purchased for the window, but it's something that will be properly colored for the space (dark) and often left closed, but yes, climbing on the couch to operate it will be neccessary. In continuing my research on the matter, I came across some literature (page 6) about the effects on mounting bipoles on the side walls, too close to the rear wall (which it would have to be in this case, else mount the speakers ahead of the listener) and how that can cause excessive sound reflections. Frustratingly enough, the only bit of information I can find on actually corner mounting them is in this thread where a Klipsch employee states: they are supposed to be mounted to the side of your seating area, not behind. behind you would be your 6 or 7.1 speakers which are called surround back speakers. if you can not mount to the sides then put them in the corners, angled down. to answer your question the recommended height for surrounds are 5-6ft. above floor. ...with respect to mounting RS-52s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 You are right on seating distance, I think I have seen it quoted as 1.5 x screen width. Do you really need/ want the couch to go wall to wall? My thought was if you pushed the screen back, (speakers also for better imaging) then bring the seating foward,(you would need to be able to walk behind) you would then be able to put the surrounds on the side wall, but if you really need that much seating you might consider in-ceiling surrounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 It is very difficult to get proper sound localization from surrounds when your seating is against the back wall. Due to reflections, your brain KNOWS that there's a wall there and any sense of 'stuff happening behind you' gets lost. There is the additional difficulty of bass building up along walls and in corners. I highly recommend pulling that seating unit from the back wall 1-2 feet. Now see that space between the wall and seating? For your first two surrounds (these will be hooked up to the SIDE surround outputs) put two bookshelf speakers back there aiming UP. That's right. The sound will reflect off the back wall and ceiling, wrap around you and give you a very satisfying sense of surround. I've heard this setup and it works. Really. This room is not right for 7.1 so I wouldn't even try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Another option would be to install ceiling speakers for your surrounds, get the 5650's and aim the tweeter pod off the back wall, again the reflecting principle will have some of the sound coming from behind you. There is no substitute for good speaker placement. If they're not wide or behind the seating position, it's not going to sound like good surround sound. The number of speakers at this point makes no difference if you can't get remotely close to THX specs. Google 'THX speaker placement' for good articles on this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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