My thoughts about the room have gone from placing speakers throughout the room for HT/multichannel audio to basically splitting it in half. It is going to be a multipurpose/HT room.
As I mentioned, due to excessive loudness in the back half of the room (if anyone is there during movies), I went with mid ceiling backs. I was surprised that with the M80 fronts, the room was filled very pleasantly when I used 7 ch stereo for music! I thought I'd want to rotate the backs toward back wall, now I don't bother. For me, with the kitchen and dining room in the back half of the great room, this set up was a good choice.
My speaker choice is leaning towards M60/M80 vp150 and 4 qs8's (eventually).
As you notice in my photobucket gallery, I ordered both M60s and M80s. The 60's were very nice, but the 80s just sounded even better in my 31'x23' room. I figured the extra drivers would help fill the space just a bit better. For me it was WELL worth the $300 extra price! Plus, no upgrade-itis, unless an M100 shows up.
Room acoustics and personal preferences make surround speaker choice variable. I am very glad I ordered 4 QS8s to test out for my room acoustics and taste. For only $30 return cost per pair, that is a cheap cost to be able to try them out for sides and backs against direct firing (at least in back 7.1 locations). The consensus seems to be that for side surrounds QS8s are a great choice. In my case, the side QS8s needed to beat out my already installed 8" Kevlar woofer in walls, which have a Much larger interior sound space with very good acoustic deadening material. If I had had direct firing bookshelfs protruding from the wall for sides, I bet the Qs would be my sides today.
If you do not have a small pair of direct firing speakers to test against the qs as 7.1 backs, I'd strongly consider ordering a pair of M2s as well. I wish I had actually done that. Now, spending constraints make me need to wait before thinking of upgrading my backs. If they had been on my first order, I'd have kept 'em!
This process is going to include rewiring the room (low voltage and some high voltage) tearing into sheet rock. Building a media rack etc etc. This a total remodel. The room was a garage and is becoming the HT/MP room.
Good luck with the myriad of decisions you need to make.
