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New member here, need help with 7.1 speaker placement

798 Views 1 Reply 2 Participants Last post by blued888, Jan 2, 2009

MMcCraryNJ

Discussion Starter · Jan 2, 2009

Hi all! New member here, just got an Onkyo HT-S7100 Home Theater In a Box system and I have a couple of questions about the speaker placement that I could not find answers to, or could find multiple answers to but would like the best one.

I'm having a little difficulty mapping out how exactly I should position my speakers for a 7.1 home theater setup. I've consulted numerous message boards, websites, and even the manuals for my products, but I still have a couple of questions that are unanswered.

1. I've read that the side surround and rear surround speakers tweeters should be above ear level by about 2-3 feet. Would it be detrimental if they were only slightly above ear level, like 8-12 inches? I know that if they are at ear level they can overpower the front speakers which isn't good, but in my situation it might be impossible or a very big pain in the ass to get them that high up, as wall mounting options are limited and most speaker stands I've found only go so high.

2. Does the front center channel have to be perfectly in line with the other two front speakers, or can it be 10-12 inches lower?

3. I know the side surrounds should be placed to the sides of the main listening position at 90 degree angles, but is it ok if the rear surrounds are a little bit further back, maybe 3 feet further back from being equidistant from the front speakers or so, so as such when you are in the main listening position, the front speakers are a bit closer to you than the rear speakers? Or should you, and the side surrounds, be right smack in the middle of the fronts and the rears to get good sound? Or will the autocalibration mic that this systems comes with even out the speaker levels regardless of their location? This one is probably the most confusing as I have seen diagrams showing multiple locations.

If anyone can be of any help, it would be much appreciated. To restate, this is an Onkyo HT-S7100 HTIB system I'm setting up which has the TX-SR606 receiver. I can also draw diagrams for anyone who is confused by what I mean.

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blued888

· #2 · Jan 2, 2009

Quote:
Originally Posted by MMcCraryNJ /forum/post/15435694

1. I've read that the side surround and rear surround speakers tweeters should be above ear level by about 2-3 feet. Would it be detrimental if they were only slightly above ear level, like 8-12 inches? I know that if they are at ear level they can overpower the front speakers which isn't good, but in my situation it might be impossible or a very big pain in the ass to get them that high up, as wall mounting options are limited and most speaker stands I've found only go so high.

I have my surrounds at ear level because I have even more limited placement options but they don't overpower the front speakers since I calibrated my system using an SPL meter.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MMcCraryNJ /forum/post/15435694

2. Does the front center channel have to be perfectly in line with the other two front speakers, or can it be 10-12 inches lower?

My center channel is 1.5ft above my floorstanders, I just tilted it downwards in order for it to point to listening position. I have no issues with my setup, with yours, you may try tilting the center speaker upwards.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MMcCraryNJ /forum/post/15435694

3. I know the side surrounds should be placed to the sides of the main listening position at 90 degree angles, but is it ok if the rear surrounds are a little bit further back, maybe 3 feet further back from being equidistant from the front speakers or so, so as such when you are in the main listening position, the front speakers are a bit closer to you than the rear speakers? Or should you, and the side surrounds, be right smack in the middle of the fronts and the rears to get good sound? Or will the autocalibration mic that this systems comes with even out the speaker levels regardless of their location? This one is probably the most confusing as I have seen diagrams showing multiple locations.

I would put my surrounds on my sides to maximize the surround effects and put the rears at least 3ft behind listening position. Ideally, the mic should be able to correctly even out levels regardless of location. If you're not satisfied with the results of auto-calibration, I would suggest that you head over to RadioShack and get one of their SPL meters.

Hope this helps somehow.

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