Suggestions for rear speaker placement - Blu-ray Forum

Drew664 · 09-09-2009, 02:09 PM

Well, the gf and I recently rented a movie and she took my spot!

I had to sit over to the side, and I was amazed at how bad the surround effects were presented. Obviously when you look at the picture, you can tell why.

What I need is some sort of speaker placement solution to help minimize this. I'm not interested in spending big money to fix the situation and I would like a non speaker invasive solution (I don't want to have to drill a hole in my speaker, I'd rather put one in the wall).

I saw this on clearance at my local Menards.

Product page.

Now, they had a display up and running and it unfortunately was not working properly. It's mostly a plastic set up, but again I didn't' want to spend big money. Two of these would be under $65. I plan on spreading the speakers out as far as I can against the back wall, and I'm also debating whether or not to raise the speakers or keep them slightly above ear level. I'm hoping this will help spread out the sound, although there is a possibility due to the size of the room that only the middle seat will get proper sound.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Uniquely · 09-09-2009, 02:17 PM

You have a door on one side right where the ideal location would be for your rears, but you could mount them up high so you can get that side over the door and angle them steeply downwards. If you don't like that idea... I would just keep them on the wall you have them on but spread them apart much further.

rmm2112 · 09-09-2009, 02:22 PM

i agree --- get them higher, further apart and angle them downward. I have the same type of situation where the seating is real close to the rear speakers. I do not have bi/di poles myself - just regulat bookshelf speakers and and that is what I did. I don't get to sit centered myself, but with the speakers raised and further apart I can hear the detail from both speakers.

Fors* · 09-09-2009, 02:24 PM

It appears you are running your 5.1 set-up with the use of rear surrounds instead of side surrounds because of the room's limitations. Typically rear surrounds would provide a 7.1 set-up and I do not see any side surrounds. Anyway, I agree with robinandtami to raise them another foot or so (too bad they are not bipoles, it would really help you out in your situation) and spread them out further, and if you get those stands, to possibly angle them in slightly and down.

Hammie · 09-09-2009, 08:33 PM

You can always look into upgrading to bi-poles. They will help distribute the surround sound when on a back wall. I currently use Polk bi-poles in my setup and love the dispersion of sound that they provide for my surround.

Drew664 · 09-10-2009, 02:26 AM

Thanks for the responses. I think I'm going to go ahead and try those Menards wall mounts as they are a cheap solution. The floor model wasn't able to do anything but spin the speaker (no tilt), even though it says it does on the Overstock description. Who knows what I'll end up with when I get them home.

I never thought of going bi-pole for surrounds, but I'm not in the market for them right now. Maybe if the mounts don't work out I'll look into it some more.

So what's the verdict on height?

rmm2112 - How high are yours to get your sound like that? (above seated position)

forsberg21 - One foot above seated position or higher? The goal is to get those seats right next to the wall good surround effects.

robinandtami - All the way to the ceiling? I've seen about an equal number of setups for ceiling mounted surrounds and wall mounted.

Not sure if there is a good height recommendation given my set up in a small room with seating right next to the wall.

Fors* · 09-10-2009, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drew664

Thanks for the responses. I think I'm going to go ahead and try those Menards wall mounts as they are a cheap solution. The floor model wasn't able to do anything but spin the speaker (no tilt), even though it says it does on the Overstock description. Who knows what I'll end up with when I get them home.

I never thought of going bi-pole for surrounds, but I'm not in the market for them right now. Maybe if the mounts don't work out I'll look into it some more.

So what's the verdict on height?

rmm2112 - How high are yours to get your sound like that? (above seated position)

forsberg21 - One foot above seated position or higher? The goal is to get those seats right next to the wall good surround effects.

robinandtami - All the way to the ceiling? I've seen about an equal number of setups for ceiling mounted surrounds and wall mounted.

Not sure if there is a good height recommendation given my set up in a small room with seating right next to the wall.

I was suggesting one more foot higher than where they are now. However, think a bit more about placing the sofa all the way against the wall. I'm not sure if you have a sub, but if you do, having your couch against the wall is not consider the best location, as it can cause your bass to sound "boomy."

Drew664 · 09-10-2009, 01:28 PM

Well it's pretty darn close to being right up against the wall right now. I'd move it closer except the size of the room doesn't really permit that. I do have a sub, but since I live in an apartment I've got it at a very low gain/volume which actually sounds very good in the middle seat. When I watched the movie from the other seat, the LFEs were very, very bad. I haven't had the motivation to buy a longer sub cord yet, but it's on the agenda.

24karat · 09-10-2009, 01:40 PM

I would get the speakers moved out as far as possible so anyone not sitting in the middle seat can also get a true surround experience. I wouldn't go to high or you could lose some of the sound over your head.

Drew664 · 09-10-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 24karat

I wouldn't go to high or you could lose some of the sound over your head.

Yup. The million dollar question is how high do they need to be?

Floor to ceiling: 84"

Floor to middle of the speaker: 44"

Suggested placement: 56" - 62"

I'm kind of looking for a rule of thumb or best practice for rear placement in a small room with seating against a side wall. There may not be one except to experiment.

Drew664 · 09-22-2009, 12:27 AM

Well, an update of sorts.

I went ahead and bought those Menards speaker mounts, and they were as cheap as you'd expect them. However, that isn't the reason I returned them. They didn't fit my speakers, when you tilted the mount down. I got my money back on those and went to plan B.

Plan B

The tops of the speakers are roughly 18 3/4" from the ceiling, and due to their placement and inability to be angled down (I could have built wedges to angle them as I wish, but I won't have access to scrap wood and a saw for a couple weeks..), I've had to bump up their channel dbs to +4. I should also add that originally I thought the new set up was lacking in surround effect. I leaned forward a little bit, and the effects got much better. I've pulled the couch closer to the TV by about 8" or so to fix that, which actually leaves room behind my couch to hide my subwoofer if I choose to do so. Overall, I'd say I've definitely improved my communal surround effects which was the goal, and I definitely won't be buying direct firing surrounds for speakers as they cause too many limitations for HT use.

As far as the quality from old to new at the middle seat, I'd say for now it's a draw. I was used to having my surround come directly behind me, but the side surround set up gives it a good go as well. I'm going to have to give it a good month or so of movie watching before a final verdict is in.

09-09-2009, 02:09 PM	#1
Drew664 Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Oct 2007 Location:South Dakota Home Theater Gallery:28 Blu-ray collection:68	Suggestions for rear speaker placement Well, the gf and I recently rented a movie and she took my spot! I had to sit over to the side, and I was amazed at how bad the surround effects were presented. Obviously when you look at the picture, you can tell why. What I need is some sort of speaker placement solution to help minimize this. I'm not interested in spending big money to fix the situation and I would like a non speaker invasive solution (I don't want to have to drill a hole in my speaker, I'd rather put one in the wall). I saw this on clearance at my local Menards. Product page. Now, they had a display up and running and it unfortunately was not working properly. It's mostly a plastic set up, but again I didn't' want to spend big money. Two of these would be under $65. I plan on spreading the speakers out as far as I can against the back wall, and I'm also debating whether or not to raise the speakers or keep them slightly above ear level. I'm hoping this will help spread out the sound, although there is a possibility due to the size of the room that only the middle seat will get proper sound. Thoughts? Suggestions?

09-09-2009, 02:24 PM	#4
Fors* Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Pottstown, PA Home Theater Gallery:160 4K collection:12 Blu-ray collection:142 Trading Score:11	It appears you are running your 5.1 set-up with the use of rear surrounds instead of side surrounds because of the room's limitations. Typically rear surrounds would provide a 7.1 set-up and I do not see any side surrounds. Anyway, I agree with robinandtami to raise them another foot or so (too bad they are not bipoles, it would really help you out in your situation) and spread them out further, and if you get those stands, to possibly angle them in slightly and down. Last edited by Fors; 09-09-2009 at 05:22 PM.*

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09-09-2009, 02:17 PM	#2
Uniquely Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Sep 2008 Location:Mobile, AL Home Theater Gallery:14 Blu-ray collection:171	You have a door on one side right where the ideal location would be for your rears, but you could mount them up high so you can get that side over the door and angle them steeply downwards. If you don't like that idea... I would just keep them on the wall you have them on but spread them apart much further.

09-09-2009, 02:22 PM	#3
rmm2112 Junior Member Member since:Jun 2007	i agree --- get them higher, further apart and angle them downward. I have the same type of situation where the seating is real close to the rear speakers. I do not have bi/di poles myself - just regulat bookshelf speakers and and that is what I did. I don't get to sit centered myself, but with the speakers raised and further apart I can hear the detail from both speakers.

09-09-2009, 08:33 PM	#5
Hammie Blu-ray Champion Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:May 2008 Location:Washington, DC Metro Home Theater Gallery:53 Blu-ray collection:545 DVD collection:12 Trading Score:12	You can always look into upgrading to bi-poles. They will help distribute the surround sound when on a back wall. I currently use Polk bi-poles in my setup and love the dispersion of sound that they provide for my surround.

09-10-2009, 02:26 AM	#6
Drew664 Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Oct 2007 Location:South Dakota Home Theater Gallery:28 Blu-ray collection:68	Thanks for the responses. I think I'm going to go ahead and try those Menards wall mounts as they are a cheap solution. The floor model wasn't able to do anything but spin the speaker (no tilt), even though it says it does on the Overstock description. Who knows what I'll end up with when I get them home. I never thought of going bi-pole for surrounds, but I'm not in the market for them right now. Maybe if the mounts don't work out I'll look into it some more. So what's the verdict on height? rmm2112 - How high are yours to get your sound like that? (above seated position) forsberg21 - One foot above seated position or higher? The goal is to get those seats right next to the wall good surround effects. robinandtami - All the way to the ceiling? I've seen about an equal number of setups for ceiling mounted surrounds and wall mounted. Not sure if there is a good height recommendation given my set up in a small room with seating right next to the wall.

09-10-2009, 01:28 PM	#8
Drew664 Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Oct 2007 Location:South Dakota Home Theater Gallery:28 Blu-ray collection:68	Well it's pretty darn close to being right up against the wall right now. I'd move it closer except the size of the room doesn't really permit that. I do have a sub, but since I live in an apartment I've got it at a very low gain/volume which actually sounds very good in the middle seat. When I watched the movie from the other seat, the LFEs were very, very bad. I haven't had the motivation to buy a longer sub cord yet, but it's on the agenda.

09-10-2009, 01:40 PM	#9
24karat Member Member since:Dec 2008 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:420	I would get the speakers moved out as far as possible so anyone not sitting in the middle seat can also get a true surround experience. I wouldn't go to high or you could lose some of the sound over your head.

09-22-2009, 12:27 AM	#11
Drew664 Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Oct 2007 Location:South Dakota Home Theater Gallery:28 Blu-ray collection:68	Well, an update of sorts. I went ahead and bought those Menards speaker mounts, and they were as cheap as you'd expect them. However, that isn't the reason I returned them. They didn't fit my speakers, when you tilted the mount down. I got my money back on those and went to plan B. Plan B The tops of the speakers are roughly 18 3/4" from the ceiling, and due to their placement and inability to be angled down (I could have built wedges to angle them as I wish, but I won't have access to scrap wood and a saw for a couple weeks..), I've had to bump up their channel dbs to +4. I should also add that originally I thought the new set up was lacking in surround effect. I leaned forward a little bit, and the effects got much better. I've pulled the couch closer to the TV by about 8" or so to fix that, which actually leaves room behind my couch to hide my subwoofer if I choose to do so. Overall, I'd say I've definitely improved my communal surround effects which was the goal, and I definitely won't be buying direct firing surrounds for speakers as they cause too many limitations for HT use. As far as the quality from old to new at the middle seat, I'd say for now it's a draw. I was used to having my surround come directly behind me, but the side surround set up gives it a good go as well. I'm going to have to give it a good month or so of movie watching before a final verdict is in.

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