I posted this on AVS, and surprisingly have gotten no response...what say thee fellow Axiomites?

I've made the jump from 5.1 to 7.1 - so I've got a couple of questions regarding the rear speakers.

1) Direct or Quad-Polar? I'll have a pair of Axiom QS8's for surrounds. They'll be placed about 3' above me to the sides. I've been wondering if another pair of Quad-polar's would be best for the 2 rear channels, or if a pair of direct firing speakers such as the Axiom M2ti would sound better for the rears. Suggestions?

2) Where should rears be placed? Ear level? 3' above, like the surrounds? How far apart?

My room is about 23' deep. The mains are about 10' in front of me, so I have about 9' behind me as well. The back wall is about 15' across.

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

Craig, I don't do 7.1, and there's about every variation of opinion on the point that's possible. My thought, and from the little I've heard elsewhere on 7.1 setups, is that the QS8s on the side give you all the diffused sound you need and that the M2s for more direct rear effects would be a bit better.

They should be above ear level and separated about the same distance as you are from the back wall(i.e. 9' from what you describe).

Cool. That's actually what I was thinking, is that the QS8's would diffuse quite a bit, so a little direct firing from the rear might be a nice touch. (and the M2ti's are considerably less expensive!)

Thanks for the rear positioning tips. I honestly didn't know at all how rears should be placed.

That's exactly what I did, though with M22s. I don't have another set of QS8's to compare the setup to, but I'm very happy with it.

Every once in a while I'll get spooked, have to mute the movie and check to make sure no one is sneaking up on me.

You could also save yourself a few bucks and amps of spare current by running 6.1 with a single QS8. Not only that, but you'd gain a bit of forgiveness with placement if you couldn't hand it at the exact same height as your surrounds.

Too late for the 6.1 idea. I've already got a second amp, so 7.1 it is.