I'm moving from a large to a small apartment; from large symmetrical room to a small asymmetrical room for my stereo/HT. A contractor is in the apartment for the next several weeks doing needed work including painting, so this is the time to run cables.

I may be a fanatic, but I am unwilling to put a screen and speakers directly in front of my windows.

Here's the layout:

http://www.kinnor.com/AV/LR-AV.jpg

The room is 13'7" x 18'3". The alcove to the top right with the 83" screen is around 10' wide, 2' deep.

I use both 2 channel stereo for critical listening, and 7.1 surround for film, etc.

Speakers being contemplated: L&R: Usher BE-718. Surround Mirage OmniSat v2 Sats and CC.

The focus of my concern is 1) the asymmetry of the L and R surrounds, and 2) the voicing differences between the Usher and Mirage speakers in the front (though I'm not ready to spring for 3 Ushers (if they're even available in threes).

Your expert comments would be most welcome and appreciated.

Your room looks similar to mine. My fronts are Usher CP-6311 and an S-525 center which fits below the tv in my entertainment stand. There's no way I could squeeze an x-616 in there. After running Audyssey on my receiver, I find that the front three match very well when watching movies/tv. I'm not sure how well the mirage would match with the Usher's, but it may work fine for you. I listen to music in 2 channel 99.9% of the time, so I'm not too concerned about a perfectly timbre matched system.

I would recommend moving your couch out from the back wall for best SQ. You also might want to consider going 5.1 instead.

It may work ok from a volume standpoint with lots of volume for the right surround. The problem I see is that the right surround will be effected by room acoustics more than the left surround which most likely will change the sound quite a bit in relation to the left surround. Not to mention that the right surround will also create more ambient sound given it's distance and the left one will create hardly any in comparison which may make the both the surrounds locatable. I suggest you run practice wires to all your speakers and try that setup out before you start making permanent changes. Your left surround will sound like someone yelling in your ear while the right sounds like someone yelling from the kitchen rather than both sound like someone is yelling in the room you're in.

Also I don't know if those speakers in back upper wall are dipoles or not but if they're not, you should just hang 7.1 up and stick with 5.1. The back speaker sound is going to shoot on or over your head. I never say no to 7.1, but I think I would in your case.

Have you considered putting the right surround on a free floating stand? How high up the walls are your surrounds going to be? In terms of making the system more symmetrical, this is the only option I foresee. Or possibly ditching the 7.1, like others have been saying and stay with a 5.1, and mount the right surround on a swivel from the rear wall at the same time, dropping the left surround back a bit.

My $.82

Thanks for the responses!

I'd love to test out different options, but 1) the room is unfurnished so the room has an Rt approaching that of a cathedral, 2) I don't have the speakers, 3) my amps are in another state waiting to be moved and 4) the contractor needs to do the wreaking/rebuilding/cabling before any of that stuff arrives.

This is (probably justifiably) scaring me.

The ceiling is 8'1", with a 2" crown moulding. I plan to mount the surrounds just under the crown moulding.

Some, elsewhere in this forum, have claimed that they've used OmniSats (billed as largely omnidirectional) in asymmetrical surround applications with success.

I agree that the couch is quite close to the rear wall. I'll likely move the coffee table and pull the couch forward for critical listening; pushed back for more than a couple of guests.

My current setup (in FL) is 6.1 and has surrounds rather far apart. The center-rear channel really helps fill in the surround info. It is positioned much further back relative to my seating than I can manage in this new (NY) apartment. I was hoping the rear channels might help unify the sound field.

Another option I had considered for the R surround is mounting it on the rear wall, under the crown moulding and some distance to the right of the couch.

Without familiarity with the OmniSats, I'm concerned that their playing off of radically different wall configurations on the left and the right sides would adversely affect the uniformity of the sound field. In another thread on AVSForum, others have opined that the characteristics of the OmniSats help overcome issues of asymmetry.

-Tom

Might work better to get some in-ceiling speakers rather than to place them in the corners and to hope they will have a diffuse soundfield.

Without familiarity with the OmniSats, I'm concerned that their playing off of radically different wall configurations on the left and the right sides would adversely affect the uniformity of the sound field. In another thread on AVSForum, others have opined that the characteristics of the OmniSats help overcome issues of asymmetry.

-Tom

You're probably right in your thinking. I'm personally against Mirage's design because their tweeter is designed to shoot all over to seem more spacious when in reality when placed near walls it will cause many unwanted reflections and distort the highs. I think direct firing sealed or front ported is your best bet in your situation to minimize this effect. I say put your surrounds on stands at ear level at near equal distance from your seating position and adjust the distance on your receiver until they cannot be located. Thats just me though. I have no problems with stands.

Unfortunately, I can't do an in-ceiling install -- the ceilings are pre-stressed concrete slabs.

Given some of the comments here, I'm considering pulling back to 5.1 or perhaps 6.1 to better cement the rear soundfield.

I'd love to put Thiel PowerPoint 1.2s on the ceiling near the rear wall but am loath to spend that kind of $$$, and despite their modest size, they're still large for a room that small.

I honestly don't think 6.1 would work in that room if the speaker(s) are directly above the couch like that. I'd definitely consider 5.1.

My 7.1 has the rears at about 5-6 feet further back from my sitting position. Side surrounds are parallel to the seat.