Is it OK to run two pair of bipoles for surround. (1 Viewer)

[mitch]

Hi All,

I have an opportunity to purchase another pair of Snell SR.5 Bipole surround speakers [they aren't being made anymore but a local store has a pair left over from old stock]. They will sell them to me at a reduced price.

I was thinking about adding another pair of these SR.5's to my current pair which serve as my rear surround speakers. My new Integra DTR 7.8 AVR allows for an extra pair of surround speakers, so I will have the ability to hook them up to my receiver. I guess this is called 7.1 or EX or something [what is that called?].

I'm looking for advice on whether or not two pair of dipole surround speakers in the rear of the home theater will work out OK. Has anyone else out there done this successfully?

My system consists of the Integra DTR 7.8 AVR; Toshiba HD A2 HD DVD; Snell E.5 mains; Snell CR.5 center; Snell SR.5 surrounds and SVS PB 12/Plus 2 Sub.

Thanks for your help and advice.

Mitch

 

[JohnRice]

Unless the room is enormous, I wouldn't run two pair of dipoles in the back. Can you put a pair on the sides?

 

[mitch]

Hi John,

It would be difficult, but I might be able to put a pair on the sides. Why don't you feel that running both pair in the back would work out?

Thanks,

Mitch

 

[JohnRice]

Because dipoles use an in phase-out of phase method to create a diffuse soundfield and if multiple speakers are placed too close together it will tend to cause problems. In theory, they could just start cancelling each other out. A lot of people (including me) feel the ideal setup is dipoles on the sides and direct radiating or bipoles in the back.

Are the drivers on this speaker on opposite sides of the cabinet (180 degrees from each other) or are they angled forward? If they are angled forward it might work. If they can be switched to bipole, then putting all 4 along the back wall in bipole mode should work nicely. You just haven't heard really good surround until you have dipoles on the sides, pretty much straight out from the listening position, or slightly back, and up a few feet.

 

[mitch]

John,

The drivers on these speakers are 180 degrees from each other on a slant. not directly forward. The pair that I have now are incredible for difuse surround sound from the rear wall. With the opportunity to buy another pair at a reduced cost, I wanted to try to improve my rear surround experience. However, it sounds like I may make it worse if I add them to the system and they cancel each other out. You can catch a picture of them if you do a simple Google search for Snell SR5. A few hits down you can see them under some of the reviews [like Audioholics].

If I do hook them up to my Integra, does this give me 7.1, 6.1, or EX?

Thanks again,

Mitch

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Mitch- Dipoles or Bipoles? You have bipoles in the title, but John keeps talking about dipoles.

I run 4 Omnipoles (Mirage's version of a bipolar speaker), and I have a great soundfield back there. I am 100% convinced that bipolars/omnipolars for the surrounds and speakers makes for a great setup, because you still get direct radiation for good spatialization, but you also have a very large reflected sound component which helps avoid too much localization. (I tried direct radiators once in the back of the room, and the speakers were way too localizable. Not really what I want for surrounds or rears.) IOW, bipoles make for a good compromise between direct radiators and dipoles.

 

[JohnRice]

I completely misread the thread title. It does say bipoles, not dipoles.

Go for it.

 

[mitch]

Thanks John & Kevin.

Kevin, how do you have your Mirage bipoles set up in the rear of the room? Are they all 4 straight across or 2 on side walls? My problem is that I don't have the sidewalls to put a pair symetrically across frok each other.

Thanks,

Mitch

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Mitch- 2 on the back wall, and then 2 effectively on the sidewalls. But I only have 1 sidewall in that my HT is 1/2 of the big room that the family room and kitchen share. So the one surround is still opposite the other surround on the wall, but it's out in free space. I just used some of those cube shelf, storage things so it ends up to be a functional setup too. You'd think it wouldn't sound that great, but with auto eq, balanced levels, etc, it's never been an issue.