Bipolar Surround Height?

[PaniqL]

After searching many topics regarding similar questions i have got too many mixed answers that it is hard to make a decision, i have 2 Klipsch RS-42 II speakers which are bipolar.

I would like to know what height to place them at, The general trend is 2-3FT above ear level but then many galleries and recommended placement diagrams tend to have floor standing speakers or speakers on stands about ear level.

I thought i should make a topic to get ideas that will be more specific to me and hopefully will get some helpful responses.

I will only be listening to movies or Games,
my bedroom is very small,
It will be a 5.1 setup so they will be behind me on the back wall,

I just wanted some opinions, if i am mainly listening to movies will having them quite high be effective?

If my room is small will it fill the room move with them being high?

Thanks

[Goat1]

Personally ,I had my surrounds,Def tech 8040 surround across from each other on the wall about 3 ft above listening level. Too high.. I put them on stands just above ear level and had them aimed at the corner of the couch. What a difference that made. I think I'm going to keep them there,a much better enveloping sound..

[PaniqL]

Originally Posted by Goat1

Personally ,I had my surrounds,Def tech 8040 surround across from each other on the wall about 3 ft above listening level. Too high.. I put them on stands just above ear level and had them aimed at the corner of the couch. What a difference that made. I think I'm going to keep them there,a much better enveloping sound..

Ill probably just have to play around with different heights,
but i dont really want to have to drill holes at different heights to try,

"Normally, surround speakers are placed at or above ear level. However, for movies, installing them 2ft to 3 ft above ear level is preferred. In a 5.1 setup, you have three options for installing bipolar speakers"

Just read Big Daddys thread, but then also looking at Dolby's recommendations and they are just above ear height, but also in cinemas the side speakers are really high

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by PaniqL

Ill probably just have to play around with different heights,
but i dont really want to have to drill holes at different heights to try,

"Normally, surround speakers are placed at or above ear level. However, for movies, installing them 2ft to 3 ft above ear level is preferred. In a 5.1 setup, you have three options for installing bipolar speakers"

Just read Big Daddys thread, but then also looking at Dolby's recommendations and they are just above ear height, but also in cinemas the side speakers are really high

I am sure you did not read the threads very carefully.

A Guide to Bipolar, Dipolar, & Direct-Radiating Monopole Surround Speakers (PART I)

Normally, surround speakers are placed at or above ear level. However, for movies, installing them 2ft to 3 ft above ear level is preferred. In a 5.1 setup, you have three options for installing bipolar speakers:

1. On the side walls, above and behind ear level.
2. Hung from the ceiling, above and behind ear level.
3. The rear wall, above ear level.

A Guide to Bipolar, Dipolar, & Direct-Radiating Monopole Surround Speakers (PART II)

Bipole speakers can work both on side walls or rear wall. Ideally, in a 5.1 setup, they should be placed on the side walls slightly behind the listener and a couple of feet higher than the listener’s head.

A Guide to Bipolar, Dipolar, & Direct-Radiating Monopole Surround Speakers (PART II)

How High Should the Surround Speakers Be Installed?

The side surround and rear surround speakers should normally all be installed at the same height and about 2 to 3 feet above ear levels when you are sitting down. They should not be installed too far above the ear level. Otherwise, coherence of the front to the surround field is lost. Unfortunately, in many cases, people have to place the surround speakers too high because of space limitations in their rooms.

A Guide to Bipolar, Dipolar, & Direct-Radiating Monopole Surround Speakers (PART II)

Direct radiating monopole speakers produce a very localized sound (i.e., you know where it is coming from) as the sound waves are emitted only from one direction (from the front of the speakers). In contrast, Bipolar/Dipolar speakers have two sets of drivers, usually one in the font, and one in the back of the speakers. The two drivers are either in phase with one another (Bipole) or out-of-pahse with one another (Dipole). The sound is coming out of two directions and also reflected against the walls, making a less localized and more of a diffuse sound. A pair of Bipole or Dipole speakers can do the job of multiple direct-rating monopole speakers found in commercial movie theaters.

A Guide to Bipolar, Dipolar, & Direct-Radiating Monopole Surround Speakers (PART II)

The most important effect of direct-radiating monopole speakers is localization and imaging. This may be a desirable feature for the front speakers, but the localization of the surround channel sound in the listener's head can be very distracting. They may work if the listener is seated exactly on the center line between two identical surround speakers. Direct-radiating surround speakers are not very desirable if you are sitting off-center and close to one surround speaker.

As THX has pointed out, commercial movie theaters use quite a large number of speakers for each surround channel. Even with discrete surround information, an array of speakers like this do not create a distinct direct sound. Moreover, although these speakers are direct-radiating monopole speakers, the fact that they are placed very high combined with the large size of the room and their long distance from the audience makes it possible for the sound to become more diffuse than a similar array of speakers would create in a small home theater. Because monopole speakers radiate sound in only one direction, anyone sitting closer to one monopole surround speaker than another would only hear the closest speaker. The effect become too “in your face” and very distracting from the movie.

A Bipole or Dipole surround speaker, however, radiates sound to the front and back of the room and creates more of a diffuse sound. The viewer hears the surround effects from many different directions and cannot pinpoint their source. In addition, the more ambient atmosphere created by bipole or dipole speakers have the advantage of not calling attention to the speakers, even if a viewer is sitting closer to one side. This allows the individual to pay more attention to the movie.

[Goat1]

It also depends on the shape of the room,size of the room,and preference of the sound you like.