Bipole or not

[al210]

I need to upgrade my surround sound speakers.

I have Polk R50s for left/right.
Polk CS1 for center.

I am using a radio shack bookshelf speaker for the surrounds.

My couch is right up against my back wall. Any suggestions for new surrounds and how to place them?

Thanks

[Blu Haze]

Bipole are betteer.

[Joker]

i just bought polk audio monitor 30 rears and have been very happy with them . they are the same series as your center and sound great !

[PS3_Kiwi]

Originally Posted by Blu Haze

Bipole are betteer.

+1

[al210]

What about location? With my couch at the back wall should I mount either type on each side of the couch about 2 feet above ear level and just point them toward the front speakers?

[rogman]

Originally Posted by al210

I need to upgrade my surround sound speakers.

I have Polk R50s for left/right.
Polk CS1 for center.

I am using a radio shack bookshelf speaker for the surrounds.

My couch is right up against my back wall. Any suggestions for new surrounds and how to place them?

Thanks

Many people prefer bipole/dipole speakers for surrounds. In dipole mode the drivers run out of phase. This creates a diffuse sound field and a more realistic surround effect. I use Aperion 534SS's for surrounds. They are switchable between bipole/dipole modes. Some recommend bipole mode for music & dipole for movies. I leave them in dipole all the time.

Another advantage is that the edges are tapered. This makes them look a little nicer on the wall than rectangular speakers. Here's how they look on the wall:

[MatrixS2000]

Originally Posted by al210

I need to upgrade my surround sound speakers.

I have Polk R50s for left/right.
Polk CS1 for center.

I am using a radio shack bookshelf speaker for the surrounds.

My couch is right up against my back wall. Any suggestions for new surrounds and how to place them?

Thanks

Dipole over bipole...

Can you move your couch forward?

[al210]

Originally Posted by MatrixS2000

Dipole over bipole...

Can you move your couch forward?

No I can't. My couch is 9 feet from my screen. The living room is not very deep.

I do plan on eventually moving the system to a larger room where the couch won't be against the back wall. I want to get the right surrounds for the larger room but use them now in the smaller room untill I move everything in about a year.

[rogman]

Originally Posted by al210

No I can't. My couch is 9 feet from my screen. The living room is not very deep.

I do plan on eventually moving the system to a larger room where the couch won't be against the back wall. I want to get the right surrounds for the larger room but use them now in the smaller room untill I move everything in about a year.

Ideally, the surrounds should be 120 degrees behind you. Here's an article on home theater setup that might help. If you can't do that (which you can't) put them directly to the sides and aim them at you, or maybe slightly toward the back wall. Otherwise it's too easy for your ears to localize the sound which dimishes the realism of the surround effect. You could also raise them a couple of feet above your seating position to help improve the surround field. Bipole/dipole surrounds will help when you're stuck with that space limitation.

How big is your display? If you could move your couch a foot or two from the wall you'd improve your sound (I know you said you probably can't.) If your display isn't too big, it might help you get the 30 degree field of view that's recommended for an immersive theater experience.

[Colglizity]

Originally Posted by al210

I need to upgrade my surround sound speakers.

I have Polk R50s for left/right.
Polk CS1 for center.

I am using a radio shack bookshelf speaker for the surrounds.

My couch is right up against my back wall. Any suggestions for new surrounds and how to place them?

Thanks

Take a look at these def techs. My buddy has them in his house and they sound fantastic... he has the BP1.2X models.

http://www.definitivetech.com/loudsp.../surround.html

[al210]

Originally Posted by Colglizity

Take a look at these def techs. My buddy has them in his house and they sound fantastic... he has the BP1.2X models.

http://www.definitivetech.com/loudsp.../surround.html

These seem nice but overkill price wise I think for my other speakers. I like the idea of the bipoles. Can anyone suggest any others that are not too costly.

I saw a pair of Klipsch Synergy SS.5 used for around $100.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by al210

These seem nice but overkill price wise I think for my other speakers. I like the idea of the bipoles. Can anyone suggest any others that are not too costly.

I saw a pair of Klipsch Synergy SS.5 used for around $100.

Here are some "quad"-pole surround speakers from Axiom - http://axiomaudio.com/qs4.html

US$454/pair

[maseo503]

upgrade your LR and move the R50s to the surrounds for as short of time as possible.

[al210]

Found a pair of Polk R150s ($59 shipped from Fry's). They will match what I have now.

I'll probably upgrade all my speakers when I move my setup into our family room. (whenever that gets finished???)

[Bluray_ne1]

Originally Posted by rogman

If you can't do that (which you can't) put them directly to the sides and aim them at you, or maybe slightly toward the back wall. Otherwise it's too easy for your ears to localize the sound which dimishes the realism of the surround effect. You could also raise them a couple of feet above your seating position to help improve the surround field. Bipole/dipole surrounds will help when you're stuck with that space limitation.

Excellent advice. I have the exact same setup. I have Energy RC-R's set to dipole on the side walls 12" from the rear wall and about a foot above listening level. This works very well.

I also use some older Radio Shack (Realistic) speakers mounted on the ceiling about 6" away from the rear wall pointed back towards the wall and directly over the listening area for 6.1 / 7.1 listening. I don't know if this is the ideal way to utilize 6.1 / 7.1 for my situation, but it seems to work fine.