Surround placement issue (1 Viewer)

[Sami Kallio]

I finally has the FP up and running, speakers and sub are setup temporarily. One problem I will have is how to setup the surrounds. I will go with 5.1 as I really don't have room for 7.1 in this room (13x11).

I have 3 pairs of Polk LSi7's that I am using for fronts, centre and surrounds. The problem will be that the surrounds would be directly at the listeners side when the chairs are horizontal and they would also be very close to the back wall. Can't be good as they would reflect from the walls. The question is would I be able to mount some of these di-/bipole speakers (LSiFX) before the listener instead of straight on the side? I will not have problems with the heights, just the depth of the room.

Any other alternative placements? I am not really that concerned about the surrounds, they are an added bonus but I would like to get them setup the best they possibly could. I really can't move the seating any closer to the screen as the picture is a little over 100". It's the right size for the distance as it is, IMO, and I can't resize it without some major work (CRT FP).

 

[John Garcia]

If your seating is up against the wall, the best bet is to experiment a little. Try pointing them forward, not toed in too far, so that you hear the reflection, but not the speaker directly. Surrounds are SUPPOSED to reflect off the walls. In my previous setup, I had them behind, and facing each other, reflecting off the back wall, for the most diffuse effect. You could also try putting them towards the inside and facing the outside wall, or even on the floor pointing up.

Yes, you could mount LSiFX in front of the listening position slightly, though this would still not be optimal. You could possibly put them above the listener on the back wall, on either side and they would diffuse into the room.

Prioximity isn't a huge problem, you handle that via level adjustment with an SPL meter, however you will still tend to notice a bit more of the sound from whichever speaker you are closer to.

 

[PeterK]

I would reccomend putting them on a floor or small end table and pointing them up. Makes for a nice diffused sound.

 

[Sami Kallio]

Putting them on the floor would mean they would be right below listeners ears (once the chair is folded back). I'm not sure how well it would sound but I will try. That way I wouldn't have to build any arms to hook the speakers to and hang on the ceiling. I can only place the left surround to a wall, the other side has a corridor to exit door and it would be up in the air.