Answered Should i be looking at bipolar/tripolar speakers for rears?

grantypap

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Hi All,
I've recently bought an AVR and set of bookshelf speakers as the beginning of my first 5.1 setup. I'm now looking add to this with a couple of rear speakers but i don't know if i should just go with some regular monopole speakers or be looking at bipole or tripole. any advise?

if it helps, my sofa is about 4 meters away from the fronts and is right up against the back wall. i also have a large windows to the right of my sofa so mounting the speakers to the side is not really an option.
 
For 5.1 just get some decent mono-pole speakers. Bi-pole are for rear 7.1 set ups and dipole are more for ambiance where stereo effect isn't important for example in a restaurant.
 
Nope, since your rears are right behind you, I wouldn't go for monopoles. I use four bipoles, and have a spare pair of dipoles.

Never used tripoles as they're generally expensive.

Bipoles work fine for sides and rears.
 
Let's start by understanding how these speaker work -

Here are Di-Pole and Bi-Pole speakers -

bi-di-pole-1-jpg.417141


Note the direction sound is traveling. I suspect, and especially so in 5.1, most people have Bi-Pole speakers.

Here are Tri-Pole, but conceptually at Tri-Pole can be a BI-Tri-Pole or DI-Tri-Pole. The diagrams below will illustrate the difference.

bi-di-tri-pole1-jpg.557148


Note the direction of sound from the Side speakers relative to each other.

Bi-Pole give a more diffused sound, and are typically made to mount flush on the wall. Rather than at the sides, you may need to place the speakers behind and above the sofa. That is a compromise, but everything in audio is a compromise. You have to simply find the compromises that you can best live with.

If the Surround Speaker are close, to keep them from overwhelming nearby seating, they need to be up high and can be at the sides or to the rear.

In your case, and in pretty much every case, it is the circumstance that dictate what you must and should do. Depending on the circumstance, small Lifestyle Satellite speakers might be the best choice. These are very easy to wall or ceiling mount. Or perhaps basic low profile Bi-Pole speakers.

I would say, though just my opinion, that Tri-Pole are not necessary. They would likely be side speakers in a large multi-tiered/multi-row dedicated Home Theater room. Unless you have that, find some low profile bookshelf, or some low profile Bi-Pole speakers.

Steve/bluewizard
 

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