[emptychair]

Hi all, seeking some feedback and advice for a friend of mine as I have no personal experience with bipole surround speakers. Attached is a layout of his room. Currently SL, SR, SBL, and SBR are all direct radiating speakers but he's itching to see how much better bipoles might be.


My concerns are:


1. SL is right in a small corner, meaning one side of the bipole will pretty much be outputting up against a wall. Would that negate the effect of the bipole?


2. SR is on the edge of a wall which opens up to the rest of the room. Would the other "missing" wall negate the effect of the bipole?


3. SBL and SBR have no real placement concerns, but I wonder if direct radiating speakers are still better for the rears?


4. Has anybody switched from direct to bipoles and experienced a significant improvement in the surround field?


5. Would the placement restrictions negate any benefit the bipoles might normally offer?


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Patrick Murphy]

Bipoles would be a little more diffuse than direct and dipoles would be even more and would create a null in the center (no direct sound).


Most bipole/dipole speakers are selectable so you can pick your preference. Some even give you the option for direct along with it.


I use dipole as I don't want a speaker blaring in my ear. Others prefer bipole/direct for the enhanced localization, particularly with music.

 

[floridapoolboy]

I use these http://emotiva.com/erd1.shtm and can't say enough about them. I came from direct radiators, and now use the ERD-1s in bipole mode. My room has one side surround a few feet from a corner while the other side is more open, and I think they still sound great. I preferred the bipole over the dipole setting, since I can't get the surrounds in the ideal dipole position. Whichever way they are used they represent a real bargain, highly recommended!

 

[cavu]



Quote:
Originally Posted by emptychair /forum/post/18103582


I wonder if direct radiating speakers are still better for the rears?

Yes.

PS. Friends don't let friends use dipoles.

 

[emptychair]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Murphy /forum/post/18103649


Bipoles would be a little more diffuse than direct and dipoles would be even more and would create a null in the center (no direct sound).


Most bipole/dipole speakers are selectable so you can pick your preference. Some even give you the option for direct along with it.


I use dipole as I don't want a speaker blaring in my ear. Others prefer bipole/direct for the enhanced localization, particularly with music.

Thank you! I see they work by bouncing sound off walls...any concern that the lack of a wall on one side (see attachment in first post) will hinder their performance?

 

[emptychair]



Quote:
Originally Posted by floridapoolboy /forum/post/18103712


I use these http://emotiva.com/erd1.shtm and can't say enough about them. I came from direct radiators, and now use the ERD-1s in bipole mode. My room has one side surround a few feet from a corner while the other side is more open, and I think they still sound great. I preferred the bipole over the dipole setting, since I can't get the surrounds in the ideal dipole position. Whichever way they are used they represent a real bargain, highly recommended!

Thanks! I know you have one a few feet from a corner, but do you feel they would still be better than direct radiators if one were placed literally a couple of inches from a corner?

 

[emptychair]



Quote:
Originally Posted by cavu /forum/post/18103732


Yes.

PS. Friends don't let friends use dipoles.

That's what I initially thought, but there are users who are very happy with bipoles for rears. Have you compared bipole vs direct for the rears? Is it just a personal preference thing?

 

[floridapoolboy]

I've found that the closer you are to surrounds, the more bipoles help to prevent the speaker in your ear effect. For surround backs direct radiating works well, but bipoles may let you use a 7.1 setup when the rears are closer than ideal. In a large room it becomes a tossup, but I wouldn't use dipoles unless they could be placed ideally. Even then experimentation is in order, to see which is preferable.

 

[cavu]



Quote:
Originally Posted by emptychair /forum/post/18104587


Have you compared bipole vs direct for the rears?

To be clear, a bipole is very similar to a direct speaker and very much different from a dipole.

Quote:
Is it just a personal preference thing?

Even THX recommends a direct radiator for the rear surrounds while they suggest a dipole for the side surrounds.


But for a complete answer get Floyd Toole's book " Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms " for an extremely thorough and entertaining discussion of all the issues!! You could probably even borrow it from a local library.

 

[Patrick Murphy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by emptychair /forum/post/18104556


Thank you! I see they work by bouncing sound off walls...any concern that the lack of a wall on one side (see attachment in first post) will hinder their performance?

It seems that you have some wall on the surround right and that should be sufficient to get it bouncing forward and behind the seating area. As I mentioned before, I would endeavor to find a speaker that has both options so if you don't like it one way you could simply flip a switch and have it the other.


Googling "bipole vs dipole" will give you a lot of reading material.

 

[emptychair]

Thanks everyone! I did research ahead of time and understand the theoretical differences, but I just wanted to hear from those with first hand experience.


If not for the corner placement on one side and lack of wall on the other, I would have no hesitation recommending bi/dipoles. I take it then that even with those placement/room issues it is still worth the upgrade...

 

[Muzikal-JRNE]



Quote:
Originally Posted by floridapoolboy /forum/post/18103712


I use these http://emotiva.com/erd1.shtm and can't say enough about them. I came from direct radiators, and now use the ERD-1s in bipole mode. My room has one side surround a few feet from a corner while the other side is more open, and I think they still sound great. I preferred the bipole over the dipole setting, since I can't get the surrounds in the ideal dipole position. Whichever way they are used they represent a real bargain, highly recommended!

I second that! They are great surround speakers.