# Surround placement



## rac126 (Jul 21, 2010)

I have my setup in a 12' by 14' room. My seating is on the back wall. Should I place my surrounds behind me or on on the walls next to me...I currently have them on the wall next to me but they seem a bit intrusive with effects during movies


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

rac126 said:


> I have my setup in a 12' by 14' room. My seating is on the back wall. Should I place my surrounds behind me or on on the walls next to me...I currently have them on the wall next to me but they seem a bit intrusive with effects during movies


I assume this is a 5.1 system? The Dolby Speaker Placement Guide shows the ideal range to be 90-110 degrees on either side of the center of the screen - in other words, to the sides. However, the specific room acoustics, speaker type, and - most importantly - your personal preferences may dictate otherwise. You should move the speakers back a few inches at a time until you find the sweet spot. It would help if you can move the seating ~2ft off the back wall.

Regards,
sga2


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## fbov (Aug 28, 2008)

+1 and +2 on moving your ears away from the back wall, preferably 15-20%. Bad things happen acoustically near walls. Very, bad things. 

+1 on the rest, and perhaps consider rears (7.1) if all else fails. 

Be sure you're telling your AVR where the speakers are located and match levels by ear if nothing else. Audyssey-type auto EQ is a wonderful thing, but you can tweak if need be. 

Rotate your system so the screen's on the 14' wall (drastic, I know). Mine's oriented this way and there are advantages....

Have fun,
Frank


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## rac126 (Jul 21, 2010)

Yea rotating my room will be drastic, especially because I have my lcd mounted on the wall and an in-wall center speaker mounted right under it. I think I have no choice but to move my seating up a few feet. Now I designed one speaker facing down at a 45 degree angle. Good idea or should they just be straight?


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

rac126 said:


> Yea rotating my room will be drastic, especially because I have my lcd mounted on the wall and an in-wall center speaker mounted right under it. I think I have no choice but to move my seating up a few feet. Now I designed one speaker facing down at a 45 degree angle. Good idea or should they just be straight?


"One speaker" meaning one of the two surrounds? Is it mounted higher than the other (say, over a doorway) and you are compensating by turning down? Whether or not the speaker will perform well turned down is one thing. However, I think you'd almost always have best results when the two surrounds are mounted in an exact mirrored configuration (same elevation, distance, and rotation pitch and yaw) WRT the listening position. Of course, this is not always possible. 

In general, you need to consult the speaker manual and/or clarify what type (mfgr/model) you have. Some speakers are designed for, and work best when, mounted flat against the wall even though they might recommend mounting several feet above ear level.

If you decide that having one at 45-degrees is best, you should try the other in a similar configuration. And don't be afraid to experiment!

Regards,
sga2


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## rac126 (Jul 21, 2010)

45 seems a bit intrusive so I tried 30 degrees and I got more of a surround effect. I will take pictures of where am at right now as soon as I get back home in a few days so you guys can get a better idea


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Firstly. move your couch out 2' from the back wall..Then position your surrounds at the sides of the couch and slightly behind.. and approx. 6' above the floor..
The best angle for your surrounds is so that they are pointed about a foot above your head..The wider the room the less angle down is needed..


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## rac126 (Jul 21, 2010)

That sounds like it will definitely work. Thanks for all the info. I will post pics once I finish fabrication


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## rac126 (Jul 21, 2010)




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## rac126 (Jul 21, 2010)

What do you guys think?


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Well.. either you have a very low ceiling or those speakers aren't 6' off the floor..
In the second shot, it looks like the speakers are mounted on the ceiling..I'm confused! :scratch:


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## rac126 (Jul 21, 2010)

IN the shot where you see the both speakers is the surrounds the other shot..the speaker is on the ceiling. I just mounted the surrounds where they were because there were already holes, I just wanted to see how it would look and get some opinions.


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## Zeitgeist (Apr 4, 2009)

How tall is your ceiling?

Seems too high to me..

I'd be afraid that it would sound like it's coming from above - rather than behind or left/right.


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