Rear speaker placement with THX EX Amp - The definative Answer?

Paulherb

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Hi every one,
Just bought my self a JVC THX Ultra amp and have been reading quite a few threads with regards to rear speaker placement.

I have set my rear speakers as instructed in the amps manual. i.e I have 4 B&W 601s, 2 placed to the side of the listening position and the rear 2 placed behind the listening position(about 4 foot apart as instructed on the Dolby website. All speakers at hear level.

After reading quite a few threads the vibe I am getting is that the 2 side speakers should be 2 or so foot above hear level and slighly behind and the rear speakers should be even slightly higher and close together, not 4 ft apart.

Can any one give me some advice?

Any help would be most welcome!

Cheers


Paulh.
 
Hi

Place them where you think the sound is best to you. Specs for THX Ultra 2 now recommend Dipoles at the sides, placed around 2-3 ft above head height, and Monopoles (Direct Radiating) as Surround Backs, as close together as possible but slightly higher than the side speakers.

You have to take into account that everyone´s rooms are different so the positions must be taken as a guideline. Experimentation is the key to getting it all sounding right.:) It also depends what type of speakers you have, Dipole/Tripole/Monopole etc etc.
 
Hi Jase,
Thanks for the reply, not sure what sort of speakers I have, they are jus B&Ws 601s.

Cheers

Paulh.
 
Originally posted by Paulherb
not sure what sort of speakers I have, they are jus B&Ws 601s.


They´re direct radiating (monopole) speakers.:) I have my speakers at the sides but pointing backwards & outwards so the sound bounces off the side and rear walls & appears to come from all around the back. If they point directly at me, its too "in yer face". I have the Surround Backs right next to each other and angled downwards towards where I sit.

Works well for me but might not work in someone elses room.
 
I know this is slightly of topic, but the view of some members, whose views i trust, are that the best speaker combination should be all identical speakers. Is the industry disagreeing with this? They must be by suggesting both mono and dipoles in a system

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You can mix dipoles, monopoles, tripoles etc as long as the drivers are tonally matched i.e M&K SS150 Tripoles tonally match the 150 THX front speakers as well as the S85 speaker.:)
 
But there are those who argue that the speaker should be IDENTICAL...... differences in enclosure sizes will of course mean difference in sound
 
In theory all speakers should be identical. But in reality thsi will hardly ever be the case.
Like Jase said as long as the tonal balance can be matched then this is the best comprimise for a home enviroment.

If you look at the new Jamo THX packages the LCR and surrounds are the same speakers, but the surrounds have small drivers on the sides to act as dipoles. But unless you have a dedicated room, and don't like music, i doubt many will buy these speakers.
 
In answer to the original question, I would suggest much the same as Jase has said, the side two about a foot above sitting position and facing slightly backwards towards the rear wall, and surround backs close to each other and about four feet higher but angled down towards the listening position.
 
Originally posted by buns
But there are those who argue that the speaker should be IDENTICAL...... differences in enclosure sizes will of course mean difference in sound

In an ideal world all speakers would be the same. Unfortunately compromises have to be made with regards to room size, placement etc. If you take THX as an example, you´re not likely to find any dipoles that match the front speakers in size so they voice match instead. If THX didn´t specify dipoles you could use the fronts as rears, depends what sort of system setup you want.

For most people a setup with 5 matching satellites & sub would be ideal i.e 5 x Kef Q1 and a sub. Some others may want floorstanders at the front but not at the rear etc etc. At least we have a choice.:)
 
Originally posted by buns
But there are those who argue that the speaker should be IDENTICAL...... differences in enclosure sizes will of course mean difference in sound


As will differences in placement, even if the speakers are identical (although identical speakers may well mean such differences were kept to a minimum).

In any case, I'd like to see someone wallmount a pair of floorstanders :) :eek:
 
Originally posted by MikeK


In any case, I'd like to see someone wallmount a pair of floorstanders :) :eek:

:D Or a sub for that matter.:eek:

Actually, I read somewhere that M&K were designing a wall mount bracket for their sub range, assuming you have walls strong enough to take the weight!
 

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