Help with awkward speaker placement on Kef 7.1.6 set up

Dazza the Stag

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Hi All
This is my first home cinema build and I need help with a question over speaker placement. The set up will be 7.1.6 using various Kef speakers all around.
I have looked at the Dolby set up guide and that is clear that the L&R front speakers should be ideally in line with the atmos speakers and the L&R rear surround speakers.
My fronts are 1m( to the centre of the speaker ) in from the edge of the room, however at the rear I have a door in one corner. The options I see are the following

1) Keep the left rear 1m from the side in line with the fronts and place the right rear 25cm from the right hand wall to avoid the doorway
2) Put both L&R rear speakers only 25cm from the side walls so they match each other
3) Pull both L&R rear speakers in so they are 160cm from the side walls, ie still out of line with the fronts but they match each other ( but then there will only be around 130cm between them )

I had a brief email conversation with KEF about the overall placement and they didn't show much concern and seem to suggest option , but I would really appreciate your view and what you would do and more importantly why ?

Many thanks

Darren
 
Do you have any pictures of the room or a sketch of the layout?
Even a rough sketch (with measurements and proposed kit) will make it easier to visualise and offer advice.
 
Do you have any pictures of the room or a sketch of the layout?
Even a rough sketch (with measurements and proposed kit) will make it easier to visualise and offer advice.
Does this help?
 

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Does this help?
It does, I took the liberty of rotating it. ;)

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Personally I'd go with option three, pulling the left rear to the inside of the doorway and the right one a similar amount.

Option one isn't great, ideally you want the speakers the same distance from the side walls.

Option two isn't ideal either, you'll get reflections from the side walls and they'd be firing the sound past the outside of the listening position(s) and you risk having a "hole" in the middle.

Option three clears the side walls and although they're closer together than you'd ideally want, they will sound better than either of the other options.

As I said, that's just my opinion, I'm sure one of the installers that use these forums will chip in with some comments.

Great room by the way, nice and spacious!
 
Last edited:
I'd go for option three. In a perfect world they would align but I don't see option three as much of a compromise. The KEFs have a good wide dispersion and I doubt very much you noticed a difference.
 

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