surrounds on side or back?

krabby5

Hey all,

I am getting some F/X 500's to replace my Bose for surrounds...I will only be using a 5.1 setup (unless I keep the Bose for surround backs)

Should I place the 500's on the side or behind (since it is a dipole/bipole)

The room is about 20X10 with an opening near the front that opens to another room. There is also a small opening in the back that goes to the front door...but if I used the 500's in the back, they would be centered..

or should I go ahead and keep the Bose for a 7.1?

peteran

Use them on sides in Dipole mode. What do you have for Fronts?

Skynut

7.1 is for big rooms. Do you have a big room?
I put my rear surrounds behind me. They are on the vaulted ceiling facing down at the listening position.
If I did it again I would temporarly put them on ladders or shelves or anything to get them close to where I want them just so I could hear them and play with their placement before doing something permanent.

krabby5

not a very big room...about 20X10 (with an opening in front)..plus the listening area is in the back of the room...so 7.1 might be overkill..I would essentially have the surrounds on the side near the back..and then surround backs on the back wall too close to the side surrounds..

Should I still place the 500's on the side? they will be about 2 feet from the back wall..

My fronts are RT800i's with a CS400i Center and SVS sub

Skynut

The rear surrounds do just that, they surround you in the rear.
I think they can go on the wall near the rear wall and they will reflect sound off the rear wall.
I had mine (fx500i's) on the wall directly (6'5" high) to the left and right of the listening position. I hardly noticed them. I had them turned up and still hardly noticed them.
I put the fx1000's on the ceiling facing the listening position and hardly noticed them.
Now I have replaced my pre/pro and in the short time I have had to listen (20 min last night) I hear my rears.
Tonight I will give a good listen.
I would just recomend temporary placement with wires hanging everywhere until you find the place they sound best, then install them permanently.

aaharvel

5.1 put them on the sides. couldn't tell you whether bi or di is better- experiment. Probably dipole however.

*Seby*-Polk-

aaharvel wrote:

5.1 put them on the sides. couldn't tell you whether bi or di is better- experiment. Probably dipole however.

Then...if I have a 5.1 system, the surrounds must been placed on the sides ??

The 7.1 ... behind right ??? I don't know that....

Skynut

5.1 can put them wher ever you like them or they sound best.
7.1 a pair on the side and a pair in back.
The surround speakers are there to surround you in sound. If you have a big room you might need the extra speakers in 7.1 to surround more people.

puunda

I only found this out recently, but both Dolby and THX say you should have your surround speakers to the side. 90 or 100 degrees to you facing the front. Plus it should be hung higher than your ear level. This is for 5.1, as well and 6.1/7.1.

I've always thought the surrounds should be behind you in 5.1 and still behind you in 6/7.1 and the extra 2 on the side. But apparently this is not so.

John K.

Krabby, you didn't give your exact listening position, but if you have at least 4-5' to the wall behind you, that's enough room to make back surround speakers(even ones that don't match the quality of your other speakers)worthwhile. If so, the FX-500s, probably in bipole mode, should be placed directly to the side of the listening position with the Bose on the back wall, separated by at least as much as your distance from the back wall.

If you don't use the back surround speakers, the FX-500 side surrounds should be placed on the side walls maybe 2-3' behind the listening position so that they can provide some "phantom" back imaging of sounds that are about equal in level in both speakers.