Quick Question...immediate answer needed if possible (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Moore]

I am wiring my house through the attic for my surround sound speakers. I had to stop midway because I dont know the best place to put my surround speakers.
My seating area is against the back wall. Should I mount the surround speakers on the back wall in the corner with the speakers facing foward, or on the side walls with the speakers mostly facing the couch?
If I mount them on the back wall, then the speakers will be facing outward and it doesnt seem like the sound would be good for the seating since its against the back wall. Then again, is it ok for the surround to be coming from the side?
Please help. I want to finish it up tomorrow morning.
Thanks

 

[MatthewJ S]

what are your surroung speakers?

 

[Brian Fellmeth]

They should be on the side walls aimed at the ears of those sitting in the listening position- like a giant pair of headphones.

 

[Anthony Moore]

For now, I have an old pair of Pioneer surrounds. But I wanna upgrade later.
IS it still a good idea to put them on the sides?
Thanks everyone.

 

[Zbigniew]

Why don't you wire both places ? Cost of cable is close to 0 compared with effort to pull it through. Prewire both - sides about 2-4 feet from the back wall, and back wall around outer edges of your seating space.
This way you can later add on dipoles on sides, and in-wall backs.
I was wiring room before finishing basement - and I am wery happy that I prewired both sides and back for full 7.1 system. Doing it now would be a major pain.
_zjt

 

[Anthony Moore]

ok, say i do wire both ways...
but with the regular speakers I have now, do i put them on the side wall like brian said? Is this the majority opionion?

 

[Steve T]

If your seating area is against a back wall I would recommend what Brian said, mount the rear surrounds on the side walls and aim them down at the listening position. If you can, I would recommend that your seating not be against the rear wall, but a couple of feet in front of it (if possible). I once had surrounds mounted to the side walls and aimed down, which sounded good, but later moved the surrounds to stands behind the listening position which sounded much better (for music especially). I have also read that it is not advisable to place the listening position against a rear wall due to reflections.

 

[Alex F.]

If feasible, I suggest installing a shelf adjacent to the rear corners (on the back wall or, preferably, the side walls), about 6 feet above the floor. You can then try aiming the speakers in various directions (including up towards the ceiling, which often provides excellent diffusion). By experimenting with positioning, you'll find out what works best in your room. (As always, for wall-mounted speakers, I recommend that heavy-duty safety wires be installed in case the main supports fail.)
I would not, however, aim the speakers downward towards the listening area. You want to use the ceiling and walls to provide a substantial degree of diffusion, especially when the surrounds are not tonally matched with the front speakers, as apparently in your situation.
Additional info is available from Dolby.com.
Happy listening!
[Edited last by Alex F. on August 02, 2001 at 04:20 PM]