Please Help!!

[Brian27]

I am juggling between 2 different placement options for my living room. My living room opens up to my dining room and my couch sits in the opening with the back wall of the dining room 12 feet behind couch. I only have 1 side wall cause the other side is open to the kitchen. I currently have a 7.1 set-up with my fxi30,s hung from ceiling and monitor 30's on back wall. I know it would be better for my fx's to be on side walls but is impossible. My other option is to move couch 2 or 3ft from a different wall and place my fxi30's on wall behind me and stay with 5.1 set-up. If I stay with my 7.1 should I just get more front firing speakers and not use my bipole/dipoles???? Also I mainly watch movies so what is best height for surrounds?? PLEASE HELP!! I AM AT A LOSS!! THANKS

[Brian27]

My HT includes:
Onkyo TX-sr800
Rti38 mains
Csi20 Center
Fxi30 surr.
Monitor30 surr.
Velodyne CHT-10 sub
Polk psw303 sub
Samsung HD841 dvd ply.
Sony KP46WT500 HDtv

[gwh]

My other option is to move couch 2 or 3ft from a different wall and place my fxi30's on wall behind me and stay with 5.1 set-up.

I vote for this option.
I had some 30's mounted around 5ft above my head in the seated position on the back wall and I thought it sounded fine,
could have been a little lower, but due to a doorway that's as low as I could put them.




G

[Frank Z]

How about moving the FX's to the rear wall and put the moniters30's slightly behind the primary seating area. The ideal height, according to Dolby Labs (www.dolby.com) is 2-3' above the listeners ears. This may not be possible but it's something to shoot for.
Is it possible to suspend the side surrounds from the ceiling?

Remember to calibrate your system using an SPL Meter after each change in speaker placement.

[Brian27]

Yes my fxi30's are on the sides hanging from ceiling now with my monitor 30's on back wall 12ft behind me. I am using omnimounts but they dont extend down enough and dont hold the weight but cannot find any other mounts in nearby stores. Is my rear wall to far back from my couch at 12ft?? My apt. offers very little placement options.

[Frank Z]

12' is a bit far but you should be able to compensate using the speaker delay function if your receiver is so equiped.

[danger boy]

Originally posted by Frank Z
Remember to calibrate your system using an SPL Meter after each change in speaker placement.


this is SO important. I changed out front speakers.. and something just wasn't right.. well I never recalibrated with the SPL after i changed out the fronts.. i was missing something.

Once I did.. everything was fine again. it's so important to do it.

[Brian27]

Yea it has the regular speaker distance set-up which fixes delay and another delay option special to onkyo that pretends to move speaker 10ft closer or farther away. I just didnt know if moving couch to another wall and just use fxi30's on wall behind me in 5.1 setup would be better cause of the no wall on the right side.
Also I am 7ft away from main speakers.