Question Rear Speakers to pair with KEF T301

BarryG1983

Novice Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2020
Messages
8
Reaction score
1
Points
1
Age
40
Location
Israel
Hi everyone,
I purchased 2 KEF T301 speakers to be used as the front left and right, and intend to purchase the KEF T301C to be used as the center. I also have a SVS SB-2000 subwofer. Regarding the rear speakers, naturally my original plan was to go with the KEF T101, which should be excellent when mounted on a wall. Then I realized that, since in a 5.1 setup the rear spekaers should be placed on the sides and not behind the viewer/listener, I shouldn't mount the speakers on the wall behind the sofa, so the T101's aren't the optimal solution. My current thought is to buy two Polk Audio Signature S10E as rear speakers which would be mounted on the wall behind but in an angle towards the viewer/listener, kind of side/rear placement. My living room is 4 meter wide (the distance between the TV wall and the sofa wall), 3 meter long.
So the question is, would it pair fine with the front KEFs? I am a bit troubled because of the crossover with the sub, the KEFs start at 80Hz, while the Polks at 67Hz. Might it cause a problem, should the 5 channels be at a similar friquency response lower bound?
Of course I'm open to other suggestions/recommendations, or even a response that the KEF T101 mounted directly on the wall without any angle towards the listener will be perfectly fine.

Thanks!
 
in a 5.1 setup the rear spekaers should be placed on the sides and not behind
Other way around. At the side in a 7.1, behind in 5.1.

dolby_SpeakerPlacement_514_Upfiring-Flat-2560x1280.jpg
 
Last edited:
I mean, behind but in an angle towards the sofa. I have a wall right behind the sofa, so if I install wall mounted KEF T101, they will be facing the TV and not angled towards the listener.
 
I mean, behind but in an angle towards the sofa. I have a wall right behind the sofa, so if I install wall mounted KEF T101, they will be facing the TV and not angled towards the listener.
You can get stands for the T Series. If you have the sofa tight against the wall then perhaps consider something like the MA Bronze FX speakers. They are designed to be set on the wall behind the listener and may serve your purpose better. Although it good to have all the same speakers in a system it's not written on stone when it comes to surrounds.

 
Exactly, the sofa is tight against the wall behind it, and also tight to a wall to the right (it's an "L" shaped sofa). The MA Bronze FX is a bit pricey for me, but their design looks exactly like what I need. Will look for cheaper options and will appreciate recommendations...
 
The problem is I'm in Israel 😅
The two front speakers cost me 568 eur including shipping and taxes, makes little sense to pay more for the rear pair...
 
The problem is I'm in Israel 😅
The two front speakers cost me 568 eur including shipping and taxes, makes little sense to pay more for the rear pair...

Well yeah then something cheaper, the design is basically bipole/dipole so you can search that type of speakers as 2nd hand too, but i have a feeling they aren´t popular there. If you are going to stick with 5.1 and have the speakers close to listener you have to mount them higher and what you can try is to point the speakers shooting each other or perhaps even better put them so that the drivers are shooting upwards toward ceiling and when they are against your wall the sound will bounce from side wall to ceiling to listener making the effects less localizable. This is something many has done for years when 5.1 was popular, now it´s all about 9.1.6 or god knows what. Clearly it´s hard to try it as you have to mount some wall shelves for speakers, usual speaker brackets let`s you only angle them sideways or down, not directly up. Perhaps if you can find Kef Eggs (E3001/E2001/E301 etc) those mounted high enough and pointed down-forward could work ok too.
 
I have a pair of T101 surrounds just behind an L shaped sofa that is right up to three walls. Whilst not the optimal position, they still work well.

I made a wedge out of some spare wood so that they are angled in.
 
hmm, found Fluance SXBP2WH Home Theater Bipolar Surround Sound Speakers (White)
on Amazon. What do you think?
 
hmm, found Fluance SXBP2WH Home Theater Bipolar Surround Sound Speakers (White)
on Amazon. What do you think?

Yep, popular choice in Canada/US as that is Canadian brand. The speakers are quite cheap. Over 100 owner reviews on the site and they seem happy so yeah why not with the Amazon returning option. Just keep in mind that if you stick with 5.1 mount them about 1,5-2feet higher from seated ear height and leave space at least 1feet to side walls if possible.

Or get the super slim T101s, they would look much better cause you have them at the front too. Those bipole/dipole on-wall speakers are always more bulky. @adam-burnley do you have picture to show the guy how you have them? :)

What ever you buy, i would consider the trunking to hide the wires. Not sure are they available locally, usually won´t cost much.
Amazon product ASIN B07HXJHRJB
 
Got approval from the wife to buy the Fluence SXBP2 in white 😄.
Regarding hiding the wires, I thought about using something like the Frankever Super Flat Speaker Wire to get the signal from the receiver to the opposite wall, and then curve two tranches in the back wall to the location of the speakers, so it should be completely hidden.
 
As part of my search for bipolar surround speakers, I stumbled into "Phase Tech V Surround II" which are found on eBay at very reasonable prices, as new. Maybe someone is familiar with those? Did not found any reviews on the net...
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom