I'm building a home theater and need some advice on surround speaker configuration and placement.
Here are some factors that seem pertinent to the discussion:
- TWO ROWS OF SEATING - second row 50" back and on a 12" riser
- Dolby EX - so I will have rear speakers in addition to sides
- 7'-9" ceiling
- Room width 17'-6" with seating in the middle, so 4' to 5' to each side wall
- Back wall 4' behind second row
- Wall locations directly beside both rows ARE available, but the walls
are broken between the two rows of seating on each side by doors, and
in front of the front row by a 5' door on one side and a fireplace (flush
with the wall) on the right.
1) Should I use TWO PAIR OF SIDE SPEAKERS, one for each row? And if I do,
should these be dipoles or something else? If dipoles, would they be
wired in phase or out of phase - should the drivers firing toward each
other be in phase or out of phase?
2) Should the side speakers be the same height, or should the surrounds
for the second row be placed 12" higher (and therefore at the same
relative height from the seating)?
3) How about ceiling mounted dipoles? I know this has been done to good
effect, but I don't want speakers sticking down. How about ceiling
mounted in-wall dipoles?
Don't just say "mount your speakers thus and so" but tell me WHY I should
use a particular type of speaker (dipole, bipole, tripole, direct) and
why it should be placed the way it is (height, fore and aft, etc).
David Hays
Here are some factors that seem pertinent to the discussion:
- TWO ROWS OF SEATING - second row 50" back and on a 12" riser
- Dolby EX - so I will have rear speakers in addition to sides
- 7'-9" ceiling
- Room width 17'-6" with seating in the middle, so 4' to 5' to each side wall
- Back wall 4' behind second row
- Wall locations directly beside both rows ARE available, but the walls
are broken between the two rows of seating on each side by doors, and
in front of the front row by a 5' door on one side and a fireplace (flush
with the wall) on the right.
1) Should I use TWO PAIR OF SIDE SPEAKERS, one for each row? And if I do,
should these be dipoles or something else? If dipoles, would they be
wired in phase or out of phase - should the drivers firing toward each
other be in phase or out of phase?
2) Should the side speakers be the same height, or should the surrounds
for the second row be placed 12" higher (and therefore at the same
relative height from the seating)?
3) How about ceiling mounted dipoles? I know this has been done to good
effect, but I don't want speakers sticking down. How about ceiling
mounted in-wall dipoles?
Don't just say "mount your speakers thus and so" but tell me WHY I should
use a particular type of speaker (dipole, bipole, tripole, direct) and
why it should be placed the way it is (height, fore and aft, etc).
David Hays
