OK, so I have a set of paradigm front floor speakers, center channel and sub. My concern is my rear speaker options. My family room/theater area will have the sectional against the back wall and I need my rears to be there. Would I be better off with ceiling rears that would have to be above the sectional or some bookshelf speakers on the back wall? Any help would really be appreciated.
Rear speaker options?
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The best place for the surrounds is on a side wall. In ceiling would be a distant second choice for me - and on the back wall would be the last option. Try to move your sitting position forward for movie nights - this will help some.
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Not sure how this would sound but you might try the SpeakerCraft AIM's or something like them. Bounce the sound off the back wall. This would at least get the sound somewhat behind you. You certainly could experiment once you have them installed to find the best solution. Putting speakers on/in the rear wall would be the least palatable option IMO.
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Local5o,
Attached thread has pictures of a back wall mounting option. The mounts need to allow for enough angling of the speakers toward listening area. Relevant pics are in post #2.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums...t=49306&page=2
XEagleDriver
Local5o,
Attached thread has pictures of a back wall mounting option. The mounts need to allow for enough angling of the speakers toward listening area. Relevant pics are in post #2.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums...t=49306&page=2
XEagleDriver
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In the main paradigm thread this same situation is being discussed. I don't know about the choices for in-ceiling speakers but the bi/dipolar ADP series from paradigm work pretty well on the back wall, even right against the ceiling.
I have the ADP390's and in a basement setup with no side wall on one side there was no choice but to place them on the back wall. They are near the ceiling and approximately 2-3 feet outboard of the couch. As another poster above has suggested they do sound better if the couch is pulled away from the wall a foot or two but if that's not possible they actually sound pretty good without doing so.
There is a white paper on the Paradigm site and I believe a specific discussion thread on this site as well that describes the bipolar/dipolar speaker setup.
Good luck
Doug
I have the ADP390's and in a basement setup with no side wall on one side there was no choice but to place them on the back wall. They are near the ceiling and approximately 2-3 feet outboard of the couch. As another poster above has suggested they do sound better if the couch is pulled away from the wall a foot or two but if that's not possible they actually sound pretty good without doing so.
There is a white paper on the Paradigm site and I believe a specific discussion thread on this site as well that describes the bipolar/dipolar speaker setup.
Good luck
Doug
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As I said I don't know what's available for built-ins but compared to a direct radiating speak the ADP's work wonders in restricted spaces.
I tried 3 different sets of regular speakers and could not get anything close to the surround "experience" of the ADPs. The only thing that came close was to put one bookshelf on the dining room table and one on the wood stove whenever a movie was on. This solution had a very low WAF and didn't last long. Mounting regular speakers above the couch wasn't good either as the sound was very localized and didn't leave much of a surround feel.
So while I agree they are expensive they do work for the backwall above the couch mounting position. If you take a look at the bi/dipolar info either at Paradigm or here you'll get an idea of why they work -- kind of like the old bose 901 approach finally found a home.
Doug
I tried 3 different sets of regular speakers and could not get anything close to the surround "experience" of the ADPs. The only thing that came close was to put one bookshelf on the dining room table and one on the wood stove whenever a movie was on. This solution had a very low WAF and didn't last long. Mounting regular speakers above the couch wasn't good either as the sound was very localized and didn't leave much of a surround feel.
So while I agree they are expensive they do work for the backwall above the couch mounting position. If you take a look at the bi/dipolar info either at Paradigm or here you'll get an idea of why they work -- kind of like the old bose 901 approach finally found a home.
Doug
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These speakers were mentioned in the paradigm owners thread as a bi/dipolar alternative to the adp's:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/qs8.html
I have never listened to them myself and haven't dealt with the company but it looks like the same idea as the adp......
Doug
http://www.axiomaudio.com/qs8.html
I have never listened to them myself and haven't dealt with the company but it looks like the same idea as the adp......
Doug
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I have no direct experience with the ERD-1's but just looking at specs and the pictures I'd think the ADP-190's are better speakers for this purpose. Note also that they are 4 ohm speakers compared to what paradigm calls 8 ohm compatible which may effect comparison of the specs. I don't think surround channels are usually an issue but my amplifier is only rated for 4 ohms on the front channels.
If your located in Canada the price wouldn't be that dissimilar with shipping. In Canada I believe the MSRP of the ADP-190s is around $500 a pair so you'd be looking at something 450-ish, maybe a little less discounted with no shipping and the benefit of dealing with a local outfit.
I don't think being near the ceiling would bother one more than the other. The first speakers I pointed out (the axioms) may not be suitable near the ceiling as they seem to have a top-mounted speaker.
Doug
If your located in Canada the price wouldn't be that dissimilar with shipping. In Canada I believe the MSRP of the ADP-190s is around $500 a pair so you'd be looking at something 450-ish, maybe a little less discounted with no shipping and the benefit of dealing with a local outfit.
I don't think being near the ceiling would bother one more than the other. The first speakers I pointed out (the axioms) may not be suitable near the ceiling as they seem to have a top-mounted speaker.
Doug
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I owned the ERD-1s for over a year and just sold them - and only because I bought a new 5.0 setup. The ERD-1s are very good for the money. You can try them out for 30 days - if you don't like them you can send them back for a full refund - you are only out shipping to and from.
As I said above - they are very easy to drive.
As I said above - they are very easy to drive.
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I've driven them with a UPA-7 amp most of the time but I did use an Onkyo SR506 for a couple of weeks when my SC885 preamp needed to be repaired. The other speakers were the Emotiva ERTs which are also 4ohm - and an AV123 Bigfoot center. If the Emotiva speakers were difficult to drive that 506 would be dead - my nephew is still using it with no problems.
The 506 is not a powerhouse in anyone's book - the ERDs are easy to drive and can be driven by the average AVR with no problems.
The 506 is not a powerhouse in anyone's book - the ERDs are easy to drive and can be driven by the average AVR with no problems.
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