Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Ok, what is the best speaker layout for 7ch

7 identical speakers is not required for movies but it certainly doesn't cause any problems either. 3 identical across the front is best followed by 3 speakers from the same family across the front for a near perfect tonal match. The surrounds and rears can be mixed for movie use, but some people are more susceptible to the tonal mismatch, so YMMV.

For surrounds you can't beat the enveloping sound the QS series offers and depending on the distance to the rear channels you can go with either direct radiating, like the M22 or if the speaker is close, say under 6 ft, the QS8 again. The idea for the surround/rear channels is to put you 'in' the movie not throw the movie at you like a direct firing speaker does if it is too close, no chance for diffusion.

For that 2 channel setup unless you are into pipe organ music the M80s will play as low as you need to go, especially with a strong amp to feed the power required for good bass.