Rear channel speaker Height

[joe1515]

For a 5.1 set up what is the proper height for the rear surround speakers?

I am probably going to purchase the B&W CM1 speakers and the stands. The stands are only 24 inches high and the speaker is 11 inches high. Is this too low?

Thanks,

Joe

[D1-2005]

a good rule of thumb is to have the tweeter at ear level when standing.

[tbizzle]

From what I've heard (I'm no pro), the tweeters of the front speakers are supposed to be about ear height, but the optimal height for rear speakers is actually 2 to 3 feet above the listeners head

[crazyBLUE]

I am no expert but with the way I have all seven towers in my setup ~ The front 3 tweeters are at ear level & all woofers below ! The surr & surr rears The tweeters are at ear level & there is A mid. above & below & IMO on my setup this sounds incredible the way the whole surround sound track displays itself !

[Hammie]

There are two trains of thought on rear speaker positioning.

The first is the 2-3 feet above ear level while in a sitting position. This will reduce any direct sounds that may be caused.

The second is that all speakers should be at the same height. You see this most frequently with setups that have all towers.

Personally, I don't know which is better. I have mine about 2 feet above by sitting ear level since I have wall mounted bipole speakers. If you do not plan on mounting the speakers, then I would say they should be at or slightly above ear level. Tweeters at about 30" seems way too low and will be blocked by most furniture. If you cannot get taller stands, try building something for them to sit on.

You can also try out different situations so you can get it "just right". But remember, every time you change the position, you should recalibrate your sound in your receiver.

[joe1515]

Thanks for the all input. I figured the B&W speaker stands would be way too low.

[jcurban]

You mentioned 5.1, that means your rear speakers should go on the side walls of your movie room not behind you, for 7.1 the additional 2 speakers go on the rear wall. Check out dolby.com for speaker placement.

[Deadset]

Everything I have read says to put your left and right surrounds at ear level. What I did in my setup, is I mounted them a bit higher than that (on the wall) and tilted them down pointed right at the seating.

I don't have a "dedicated" theater so this was Ok for me, they sound great.

[joe1515]

Instead of going with the CM1 speakers on stands or shelves, I was thinking about installing one of the inwall B&W Speakers. Howerver I do not have room on the side walls to install them the would have to be on the back wall. My couch is right up against the wall (I know not ideal).

Will this sound ok for 5.1, i know they should be positioned on the side.

Joe

[Semp1]

Reference height is 36 inches...

[azncarbos]

Originally Posted by joe1515

Instead of going with the CM1 speakers on stands or shelves, I was thinking about installing one of the inwall B&W Speakers. Howerver I do not have room on the side walls to install them the would have to be on the back wall. My couch is right up against the wall (I know not ideal).

Will this sound ok for 5.1, i know they should be positioned on the side.

Joe

I wouldn't recommend that if your couch is right up the same wall with the in wall speaker.....you would go with CM1 and mount them...For me I just finish installing surround speakers I mounted above me about 3ft. and point at angle toward the main my couch. I notice the different when it was on speaker stand too.

[Cisco in HD]

If you plan on mounting them, I believe it's a height of 5-6' from the floor. I have mounted at that height and it sounds fine to me. I never did like the thought of putting speakers at stand height. It just looks like an accident waiting to happen, IMO.

[Riff Magnum]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

I am no expert but with the way I have all seven towers in my setup ~ The front 3 tweeters are at ear level & all woofers below ! The surr & surr rears The tweeters are at ear level & there is A mid. above & below & IMO on my setup this sounds incredible the way the whole surround sound track displays itself !

You don't have small children do you CrazyBlue? Your setup looks sick btw.

[red_5ive]

Originally Posted by Semp1

Reference height is 36 inches...

I have to agree with this. My prior speaker setup (5.1) had the surrounds wall mounted at about 24" above ear level. I thought this was optimal based on everything I've read about sound diffusion for surround speakers. However, I recently picked up new speakers, and the matching bookshelves I have are too big to wall mount for my tastes. So I picked up some WAF approved 27" end-tables, and the tweeter is sitting right at about 36". I can't believe what I was missing out on sound-wise. I've never heard the "behind the head" effect with so much clarity and pin-point precision in the sound field. I have however had to dump the SPL meter readings and turn the rear speakers way down, as otherwise volume level matching was drowning out my mains & center and was lending itself to speaker localization.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

You don't have small children do you CrazyBlue? Your setup looks sick btw.

Thanks Riff ~ no small ones ~ My son is all grown up & I'm an old man !! Thanks for the comp. !

[Twitch9]

2' above ear level and min 1' from 8' ceiling what ever works best for you. That is the correct height for surrounds. A good rule of thumb is 6' from top of speaker mounting from floor.

[joe1515]

Wouldn't these bipolar in wall speakers work on the back wall

http://www.definitivetech.com/Produc...UIW%20RSS%20II

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by joe1515

Wouldn't these bipolar in wall speakers work on the back wall

http://www.definitivetech.com/Produc...UIW%20RSS%20II

Yes, they should.

I currently have Polk Audio FXi3's on my back wall with the couch right up against the wall.

I will be moving to the B&W in-wall bipole/dipole speakers. In-wall's should provide the same to better surround field as the on-wall versions.

I have mine set to bipole on the back wall and feel they sound great.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by joe1515

Wouldn't these bipolar in wall speakers work on the back wall

http://www.definitivetech.com/Produc...UIW%20RSS%20II

One of the great things about bipoles is that they give you some flexibility with where you mount them. I also have bipole surrounds on my back wall with my sofa up against the wall, and they sound great to me. In a perfect world they would still go on the side walls, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

[joe1515]

Originally Posted by louhamilton

I will be moving to the B&W in-wall bipole/dipole speakers. In-wall's should provide the same to better surround field as the on-wall versions.

Those are the ones I really want but I have hard time justifying spending almost as much money on my rears as I spent on my fronts. I just purchased the B&W CM9's.

Joe