Floor of Bookshelf Speakers as Surround?

mstum

Have 2 Monitor 70's as Front, want to go 5.1 so I'll need a Center and 2 Surround speakers. I think I'll pick the CS2 as the Center (Not sure if this or the CS20), but I'm undecided for the surround speakers.

Normally I would use a Pair of Bookshelf speakers and put them on the wall, but putting stuff on the Wall is really inconvenient. So I'm thinking of either betting a Stand or another pair of floorstanding speakers.

Does that make sense? As they would be near a couch, I'm guessing that sound from the lower part of the speaker gets "lost"?

I'm thinking of getting a Monitor 50 which only has speakers at the top, but as said, I'm also wondering if I should just get Bookshelf speakers like the Monitor 40 and then a stand for them.

Conradicles

According to THX:


"Surround Left & Right Speakers (SL & SR): Place the SL & SR speakers between 90° to 110° to each side and 2 feet or higher above the listener."


They really do sound much better when positioned 2 feet or higher above the listening position. Stands or floorstanders make it very tough to accomplish that objective.

I would take the time and effort to mount them on the wall or in-wall/in-ceiling. Trust me...been there done that. Enjoy and hope that helps!:)

Eric.

mstum

Thanks. Yes, but Wall Mounting really will cause problems as it's rented property and I want to avoid drilling holes

On the other hand, this is the couch:


As it's right next to a wall, I can't place the left back speaker away from it (and certainly not behind either) so I have no idea how floorstanding would sound.

So I guess Monitor 40's and a high stand/shelf?

ben62670

I would go with two floor standing speakers. It is like having stands built in.

krauley

Correct me if im wrong but in a 5.1 the back speakers are actually suppose to be on the side of you. So no drilling or stands, just get those 50s and set them to each side of the couch and happy movie watching

kingtut

My couch is positioned the same way. Polk representative recommended the rear speakers to be on the side walls, to the left and right of the couch, not on the back wall. The rep cited "speakers fatigue", if they are place on the back wall, as they are too close to the listening position. If you can, place your 50s on some kind of platform to extend the a couple ft above the ear level.

polkfan38

+1 Choose the speakers you want. Some people have gone with another pair of 70s for the rear. What I am doing is Monitor 60s for the front and 40s for the rear. The rears will be on stands about 100 degrees from center with the tweeters about 12 inches above my ears when seated. And they will also be about 6 feet from my seating area. If you have the room, experiment with placement. EVERY room is different and there is no set rule. Just good suggestions!

mikedup2003

monitor 70's are overkill as surrounds for ht use imo. I have the monitor 30's as surrounds and they are great. Not a whole lot is played through surround speakers. Save your money for a great sub or av reciever and go with the 30's ( they can be wall hung, the 40's can not ).

polkfan38

How big is that room?

mstum

polkfan38 wrote: »

How big is that room?

21'x13' or 273sqft.

I think I'll go with the Monitor 50's as I've spoke to the landlord and putting anything on any wall should be avoided if possible (they are paper-thin walls anyway)

josephclemente

My fronts are Monitor 70's with a CS2 center.

I'm running OWM3 speakers as surrounds and have been very happy with them, plus they look great. I have the right speaker on the wall, and the other speaker is on a stand.

The height is just above listening position. I didn't realize 2 feet or higher is much better as mentioned in post #2. I would have done that to begin with if I knew better, but I don't have any complaints so I won't make any new holes.

wutadumsn23

mikedup2003 wrote: »

monitor 70's are overkill as surrounds for ht use imo. I have the monitor 30's as surrounds and they are great. Not a whole lot is played through surround speakers. Save your money for a great sub or av reciever and go with the 30's ( they can be wall hung, the 40's can not ).

That's what I used to think before I got a pair of TSi 500's and put them back there, lol. Man what a job they do. I would recommend the CS2 all day for your center, the CS20 is the timbre match for the TSi series, and eventhough they look similar on paper, I didn't like the way my CS2 matched up with the 500's when I had them up front. Get a pair of Monitor 40's for your surrounds and put them on stands. As for wall mounting the 40's it can most certainly be donem I'll include a link to a thread by a fellow Polkie who did it and had very good results. It is a step by step with pictures and is very well done. By all means though, entertain the option of floorstanders for your surrounds, like I said I love my 500's I have back there now.

-Jeff

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93943&highlight=wall+monitor+btech wall mounting the Monitor 40's