In reply to:
THX head Tom Holiman says about 90 degrees is best for side imaging
This obviously refers to movie soundtracks, and nobody is arguing that the best place for surrounds for DD and DTS movie soundtracks is high and to the sides, and that's where my QS 4's are.
In reply to:
Composer and audio researcher Wendy Carlos calls putting surrounds at 135 degrees "the worst possible surround setup",
That is Carlos' opinion. Also, 135 degrees is not the same as 120 degrees, and Carlos doesn't specifically adress speakers at that position. Carlos also says that 9 speakers and 2 subs is ideal, but that simply isn't practical for most people, so any setup involving only 5 speakers is going to be a compromise. The fact remains that high res music is mixed using surrounds at + & - 120 degrees, so this is how they are meant to be listened to. If Carlos' opinion was widely held within the industry, I'm sure mastering technique would be different.
In reply to:
I've tried both ways, and especially for music I agree with the above researchers -- about 90 degrees works best for me.
This is the one argument you can make that I will not dispute. The bottom line is that the reason we are involved in this hobby is for our own enjoyment, and whatever sounds best to your ears is best for you. You have a 5.1 setup, and side surrounds may be the best for your setup, as your surrounds have to do double duty for movies and music. It may not be the best setup for somebody setting up a 7.1 system, as the original poster was.
That being said, we may actually be closer on this issue than we realize. My seating position is near the back wall, so I really can't get my rears as far back as 120 degrees, so my setup is more like 0 degrees (VP 100), + & - 30 degrees (M60's), + & - 75 degrees (Qs4's), and + & - 105 degrees (JBL Pro III's). What I can testify to is that high res music sounds much better when I send the surround channels through my slightly behind me monopoles at ear level than my high and slightly to the front of my listening position dipoles.
Based on my own research and listening experience my recommendation for anyone setting up a 5.1 system would be to have the surrounds at 90 degrees and high, monopole or dipole, according to individual tastes. For a 7.1 system, dipole surrounds at 90 degrees or a bit forward and high, and monopole rears somewhat behind the listening position at ear level or halfway between ear level and the level of the surrounds are ideal as far as I am concerned.
Mark
