Quick help needed for surrounds.

[Nightbird]

I have RT15 which are just regular bookshelf speakers as my side surrounds and FXi3(triangular cabinet Bi-directional)as my rear surrounds in my 7.1 setup.
I need your expert opinions if I should leave the setup the way it is or should I move the rear Fxi3 to the side surround spot? The main seating area is directly in line with the side surrounds(currently the RT15's).

What if I completely eliminate the RT15 as side surrounds and just swap them with the FXi3's?Will they give me a better effect? Right now,I'm not sure if the Fx13's are being used to the fullest (or it seems that way) since they are about 9 ft behind the seating area.
I'm running them off a Pioneer SC 1525.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[chumlie]

Get rid of the 15's and leave the i3's where they are and see what that sounds like. Make sure the i3's are the suround on your reciever.

[flyfisher]

If you are going to eliminate the the 15's and keep the fxi's at the rear,someone correct me if I am wrong,I believe you should run them in bipole.See how it sounds or even flick the switch if you notice a difference.Then move then to the sides and go from there.

[Syndil]

It is my understanding that the bipole/dipole design was intended for side surrounds. It diffuses the sound making it more difficult to pinpoint, but since they are off to the side, they are still effective as side surrounds since the sound is present in one ear much more than the other.

With the rear channel, you need to know the sound is coming from the rear, and since the rear channel hits both ears equally, it needs to be somewhat easier to pinpoint.

For this reasoning I would try the FXis as your side surrounds and the bookshelves as rears.

[Nightbird]

Not sure if I want to eliminate them but trying to make the best out of my present setup.My question is more towards how to position the 2 speakers for ultimate performance?

If you are going to eliminate the the 15's and keep the fxi's at the rear,someone correct me if I am wrong,I believe you should run them in bipole.See how it sounds or even flick the switch if you notice a difference.Then move then to the sides and go from there.

[Nightbird]

As per the manual on the i3's you can position them either way(rear and surround) and flip the switch based on the position.I was looking more for the positioning of both speakers for the best sound?Any other ideas?

It is my understanding that the bipole/dipole design was intended for side surrounds. It diffuses the sound making it more difficult to pinpoint, but since they are off to the side, they are still effective as side surrounds since the sound is present in one ear much more than the other.

With the rear channel, you need to know the sound is coming from the rear, and since the rear channel hits both ears equally, it needs to be somewhat easier to pinpoint.

For this reasoning I would try the FXis as your side surrounds and the bookshelves as rears.

[Syndil]

I have not looked at the manual for the i3, but I will bet that they are only shown as rear speakers in a 5.1 configuration. In other words, they may be mounted behind you, but they are still carrying the side surround channel of a 5.1 setup. Of course, in 5.1, there is no rear channel.

I believe this was done to add an additional mounting option for the convenience of those that were unable to mount speakers on their side walls. But I still believe the bipole/dipole design was not intended to carry the rear surround channel. I would still recommend the i3's as your side surrounds, and the bookshelves as rears.