Another bipole query but this time 6.1

[Ian J]

Having just bought a new amp with 6.1 potential I have been concerned over rear speaker placement for the extra rear and having read the article on "setting up" in the HCC supplement I am now confused as well.

As with many posters here, I have a settee pushed against the rear wall and a pair of Boston Acoustics VRS Micros high on the side walls which I am thinking of replacing by Mission M7DS which seem to be available at about £150. There have been a few topics on the positioning of bipole rear speakers including one that is current but they seem to deal with 5.1 and not 6.1

HCC recommend not using a single rear speaker but wiring up a pair in parallel which in my case would be another pair of M7DS placed on the back wall firing left to right ?

My query is that the pair of rear speakers would be directly behind and above both listeners about four feet apart and I am unsure whether this would actually enhance the sound or ruin it.

There have been postings on very similar lines in the past but I am unsure whether the answers are from people who are discussing theory or who are in the same position and are talking from practical experience.

I do not want to buy a further pair of speakers and make more holes in the wall to replace an acceptable 5.1 sound with 6.1 that does not sound as good.

Any advice from either satisfied or unsatisfied 6.1 readers who have their own furniture against a rear wall would be appreciated.

Thanks

Ian

[Gary Lightfoot]

Can you use some spare speakers to use as a temporary set up to help you decide?

I tried some bi-poles for the side speakers in a 7.1 setup, but I didn't like them. I'm now using 4 monopole/direct radiators for my rears.

I may try the bi-poles on the back wall just to see, but for me, direct radiators gave a better side image.

I think this was partly to do with the fact I can't position the bi-poles directly at the side of the seating position, so I'm not sitting in the 'nul'.

I also have about 5ft behind me to the back wall, so my rear surrounds can be direct radiators without causing a problem of directionality, but in your case, the rears may have to be bi/dipoles so they make a wall of sound behind you.

HTH.

Gary.

The reason you should use two rear speakers, and not one, is that with one center rear your brain will "think" the sound comes from the front, (I read this somewhere)...

[Ian J]

Thanks for advice but I am still not sure. I have a horrible suspicion that the speakers would be so close together that they would sound odd.

The problem with using a spare of speakers is that they would need to be 6 foot off the ground and my wife is only 4'11". She might object to holding them up for a few hours whilst I relax testing the sound by playing a few DVDs.

Regards

Ian

I'm with Gary on this one.
I cant stand Bi Poles myself. Blurry soft and horrible... This diffused sound was ok for old Dolby Pro Logic in years gone by but in todays discrete world where the sound engineer can place virtually anthing anwhere forget it.
Monopole is the way to go.
In my case I use a pair of M&K SS150 tri-poles on the sides and (virtually the same size) a pair of M&K S85 monopoles for the rears.
The tri-poles give a very direct sound (as they are partly monopole in a way with a driver firing directly at you) while also firing down the side walls at the same time with a pair of its side drivers.
The choice is yours as they say.
Eric

Are you sure your not confusing bi poles with di poles eric?

[ 21-10-2001: Message edited by: riddler ]

Riddler,
I beg your pardon. You are right of course.
:o
Eric