7.1 Surround Setup Question

[fountboy]

Hello, I have a question about setting up a 7.1 system. I know there are arguements for and against a 7.1 setup seein as there really isnt much material out there for it. But Im going to because there isnt much extra expense in it, at least going to wire for it. Now my main question is, when chosing side and rear speakers, does it matter what kind they are, ie bi/dipolar and/or monopolar?

I have heard put di/bipolars on the sides, a little higher than ear height, and mono direct speakers for the rear. Would this be correct, or just better to go di/bipolar all around? Thanks.

[cam]

I have done 5.1 6.1 and 7.1 and I am now going back to 5.1. I have dipoles on the sides which are awesome. Those are a must I do not care what anybody tells you. I first went with 1 center rear speaker and it just horrified my surround imaging. Got advice to use 2 rear center speakers so I did that too. Same result. The rear center just muddled up everything. I know everybody is going to say I probably do not have the room behind my couch or I did not match my speakers or I did not use a sound pressure meter. Well, I have 11 feet behind my couch, I did timbre match the speakers, and I bought a rad shack spl. Everything should have been perfect. My amp would es or ex all 5.1 material which made it sound not right. When I used actual es or ex material I found no benefit at all. My conclusion is that dipole speakers on the sides is awesome. If you are hell bent on going 7.1 I would recommend the one thing I did not do, that would be to go with dipole in the center rear also. I am glad my speaker guy took my speakers back so I was not out of pocket. Hope this helps.

[kexodusc]

This is totally a case of personal preference.
Most people I know actually enjoy somewhat the added benefits of 6/7.1 setups.
As for di/bi-pole vs. direct radiating speakers.
I owned a really good set of dipolars once. They sounded horrible and exaggerated compared to a good direct firing speaker in my opinion. I've never gone back.
I have yet to hear a dipolar or bipolar setup that I actually preferred with 1 exception.

A friend of mine has a new 7.1 system with 4 bookshelf speakers and 2 dipolars. He placed the dipolars in the rear about 9 feet apart. His room is about 24X18 if memory serves, relatively long, and in this room the dipolars do sound a bit better. However, even he agrees that the added cost probably didn't justify the benefit. For 5.1 music sources, he shuts them off, and just uses 5 speakers.

My advice to you is to see if you can demo a set of dipolar or bipolar speakers in your own home before purchasing, or only buy them with a full money back guarantee...there's no other piece of audio equipment I know of that absolutely must be tested in your room to make the proper judgement. You either like them or you don't, no in betweens.
Cheers!

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I have done 5.1 6.1 and 7.1 and I am now going back to 5.1. I have dipoles on the sides which are awesome. Those are a must I do not care what anybody tells you. I first went with 1 center rear speaker and it just horrified my surround imaging. Got advice to use 2 rear center speakers so I did that too. Same result. The rear center just muddled up everything. I know everybody is going to say I probably do not have the room behind my couch or I did not match my speakers or I did not use a sound pressure meter. Well, I have 11 feet behind my couch, I did timbre match the speakers, and I bought a rad shack spl. Everything should have been perfect. My amp would es or ex all 5.1 material which made it sound not right. When I used actual es or ex material I found no benefit at all. My conclusion is that dipole speakers on the sides is awesome. If you are hell bent on going 7.1 I would recommend the one thing I did not do, that would be to go with dipole in the center rear also. I am glad my speaker guy took my speakers back so I was not out of pocket. Hope this helps.

Cam,

It is not wise to say that owning dipoles speakers is a must. They just do not work in all situations. Recommending dipoles for the rear center not only is NOT recommended by THX, but not recommended by myself.

Because of the shape of our head, getting firm imaging behind the head is very difficult, even with direct radiators. With dipoles it is virtually impossible. No one speaker type fits all setups. Its really a trial and error things for most people, and a intuitive thing for the experienced installer.

[Geoffcin]

Hello, I have a question about setting up a 7.1 system. I know there are arguements for and against a 7.1 setup seein as there really isnt much material out there for it. But Im going to because there isnt much extra expense in it, at least going to wire for it. Now my main question is, when chosing side and rear speakers, does it matter what kind they are, ie bi/dipolar and/or monopolar?

I have heard put di/bipolars on the sides, a little higher than ear height, and mono direct speakers for the rear. Would this be correct, or just better to go di/bipolar all around? Thanks.

Hi, I have a 7.1 system and I DO use Dipoles. The speaker I'm using for surrounds is the Cambridge Soundworks S300, which can be toggled between Bipole/Dipole/Direct. Right now I have the surrounds set to Bipole, which also radiates from the direct facing speakers. The surround rears are set to Dipole, and it provides a subtle sense that you in a much larger room. No you can't generate the effect of someone tiptoeing up behind you, (who would want to?) but I'll settle for the feeling that you are in a much larger space.

[cam]

That sense of space, or I should say, that sense of a larger space is exactly what I am talking about. With the dipoles on the sides it becomes huge. With dipoles on the sides and direct speakers in the center rear the sense of space got smaller. THX is just a guideline that may or may not work. It did not work for me and that is why I am staying with 5.1. The only thing I can not say for sure, because I did not try it, is that just maybe, dipoles in the center rear would be better, despite what THX says. Dipoles make a huge difference for the side surrounds, maybe for the center rear also. Not intended to put down anybodys system, just my opinion. 6.1 and 7.1 is very overrated.

[Swish]

Hello, I have a question about setting up a 7.1 system. I know there are arguements for and against a 7.1 setup seein as there really isnt much material out there for it. But Im going to because there isnt much extra expense in it, at least going to wire for it. Now my main question is, when chosing side and rear speakers, does it matter what kind they are, ie bi/dipolar and/or monopolar?

I have heard put di/bipolars on the sides, a little higher than ear height, and mono direct speakers for the rear. Would this be correct, or just better to go di/bipolar all around? Thanks.

First of all, I use dipoles high up on my side walls as was recommended by the dealer from whom I purchased my Lexicon processor. I'm completely satisfied with it and my friends acknowledge I have the best sounding HT of anyone they know. As for your comment that "there really isn't much material out there for it", I would say that there isn't any material for it. I've never heard of anything mixed specifically for 7.1, but perhaps you know something I don't and that would be a pleasant surprise if there were. In any event, the processors that have 7.1 channel capability take a 5.1 signal and split it into 7.1 channels (Lexicon calls their patent "Logic 7"). If I'm listening to something in DTS for instance, I simply push the "Logic 7" button on the remote and the sides will join the rest of the bunch to give me DTS 7.1. I've bounched back and forth between 5.1 and 7.1 and the latter certainly provides a fuller sound, so I always use it. I'm not an audio expert by any means, but I trust my ears, and this setup is killer. I hope you enjoy yours when it's ready for prime time.

[chimera128]

I use 4 bipolar towers for my surrounds and am quite pleased with the sound in the rear. Sound is always a personal preference though and you should always listen to different setups to decide what is best for you.