# Bipole/dipole



## alecsus27 (Nov 21, 2010)

Hi,

on second thought I'm planning to buy Monitor Audio BXFX as surrounds, instead of Tannoy Mercury VS (as part of a BX2/BX Centre/, which will replace the would be Tannoy 5.0 setup - I do hope the Yamaha RX-673 receiver will be able to drive them well)

I wonder if the continuum spatial/surround effect won't become somewhat bothersome after some time. If I keep them in bipole would they sound more 'normal'?


Also, I have no place for rear positioned speakers, my couch (listening position) is right against the back wall, so the best I can do is to place them on the sides, in the corners. My question is: given the specifics of a bipole/dipole speaker, should I hang them on the side walls, or on the rear wall? Of course, in both cases they will have about the same positioning, in the corners.


Thanks.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Putting dipoles/bipoles in the corners is not a good idea as they are designed to be placed mid wall or at least 4' away from a corner.


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## alecsus27 (Nov 21, 2010)

Ok, I may move them farther from the corners, say some 2-3 ' away, but should I put them on the side walls or on the back wall?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

given the couch is against the back wall I would think the side walls but not really sure.

Edit, on second thought I think on the back wall angled down would be best that way at least the sound will still be coming form behind you rather than in front of the listening position.


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## alecsus27 (Nov 21, 2010)

I will see about that, thanks.

Checking on other forums, most of the opinions are for the side walls, even as close as half feet from the corners.


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## phillihp23 (Mar 14, 2012)

I would think putting them on the back wall and using the bipole setting. I know i have some Bipole/Dipoles i use as side speakers and they are set on Dipole.:scratchhead:


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Typically with a di-pole speaker you would want to place them on a side wall directly in line with your seating position and about 2 feet above ear level. This way you would be sitting in the "null" or "cancellation zone" where you would get the most benefit from the enveloping sound field without being able to pin point the location. The BXFX surrounds are a little different in that they only have opposing tweeters so I'm not really sure how they would work along the 90 degree axis. In any case I don't think they would work very well in the di-pole setting and placed in a corner. I'm also not clear on what the dual mode feature does on this speaker? If it enables you to switch them to bi-pole mode your best bet would be to position them behind you as bi-pole speakers produce pretty close to 360 degree sound field and will disperse the sound around the room. If the dual mode enables a direct radiating or mono-pole they may work okay in a corner.


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## alecsus27 (Nov 21, 2010)

I see, ok. They can be switched between dipole and bipole - no direct radiating.

I will probably put them on the back wall (altough, given the position, they will still be on my sides - listening place right against the rear wall) in bipole mode. I take it they will be about 2 feet above ear level, and quite close to corners (some 2-3 inches)

*Edit*: actually it's not that simple - I've looked at a local store description and it says "switchable direct mode/ambient sound". I wonder if by 'direct sound' they mean bipole setting or direct radiating?
Here's the whole description passage (I think it's taken from the official site):

"The versatile BX-FX dual-mode surround speaker adds the facility to switch dispersion for side or rear channel use, allowing the BX-FX to optimise five or seven channel systems. Utilising a single 140mm (5 1/2") C-CAM® bass/mid-range driver flanked by two 25mm (1") C-CAM® tweeters on angled baffles, the super-compact BX-FX is easy to position for amazing surround effects and is available in the BX range of finishes for a closer décor blend.
Acoustically matched with all other BX loudspeakers for excellent surround sound imaging and consistent timbre.
*Switchable dual-mode design for direct or ambient sound.*
New C-CAM® tweeter has greater sensitivity and a wider bandwidth beyond 30kHz.
New C-CAM® bass and mid-range drivers refined by FEA analysis.
Single bolt-through drivers. A design feature which means the driver is not fixed to the front baffle and cannot transmit vibrations and therefore colouration to the cabinet.
Improved cabinet rigidity and stability.
High-quality terminal panels blend easy access with high-end functionality.
Choice of four high quality vinyl wood finishes."


I think I'll give them a call 

*Second edit*: now that I've managed to take them out of the boxes, looks like they've shipped me a prior model of BXFX: the grills are not magnet binding (as for BX2 and BXC), but there are holes provided for them to fit. In addition, unlike the BX2 and BXC boxes, the box of BXFX does not have imprinted on it the fabrication date. So they've sent me an older model, arrrgnn....
I'm writing right now an email to the seller and I'll probably ship them back tomorrow, for a replace with the last model.


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## alecsus27 (Nov 21, 2010)

After an email exchange with Monitor Audio they've assured me that the BXFX had always had non-magnetic grilles. Still not decided where to mount them - on the sides or on the back wall. I'll have to do it tomorrow morning and I think just to make sure I'll drill holes at both rear and side walls - then I'll switch their position to check which sound better.
Here's a picture with the back wall and position of couch. As you can see the left side wall is quite limited - in that the door starts quite close to the corner. And also, the door is not in line with the wall, making a depth of more than a foot - the thickness of the wall


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