Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Polk Adio surrounds vs. axiom

A quick question on surrounds. My system will be in my living room where my couch and loveseat are against the walls debind them. I had already run wires years ago when I re-did the room. The wires stick out (barely noticeable) at the top of the wall near the ceiling. I intend to use the swivel mount bracket for the QS8. http://www.axiomaudio.com/fullmetalbracket.html

So basically the surrounds will be almost directly overhead at 2 seating positions. How will this work? It seems the Axiom are less directional than other brands which should help in this situation. Am I right?

I am glad to hear that. I can't really fit 2 more ch in my small room, but glad to hear I am not missing much with a 5.1 and QS8s.

While you may get many very accurate responses that your setup is not “ideal”, I can say that the QS8s will work better in your set up than any direct radiating speakers. My directs were almost directly overhead (in the ceiling) as my seat was on the back wall. I never had a good surround image, although the tweeters were aimed to bounce of side walls. In my new room the QS8s are about two feet behind my seat, and near the ceiling. So my current set up is better, but still not ideal, and similar to the first. But in terms of surround imagining, there is no comparison. The quad-polar design (if that is accurate) of the QS8s really does an impressive job of creating a surround image that is both accurate for tracking a moving object, but expansive for those non-pinpoint sounds that create the impression of depth.

Others can do more justice to the “why”, but I would not hesitate to suggest the QS8s even in your situation. In fact, I think this design is more important in the case of near-field listening position as you and I have. As a direct radiating speaker is moved further away, it is easier to create imaging; right over your head is not so easy. The Axioms will help dramatically, in my experience. Good luck.

Exactly, The dispersion of a direct radiating takes some space to achieve, so when sitting close the sound is pinpointed, the QS's appear to eliminate this space requirement.

Some day I need to post some pics of this room. It is probably one of the worst to set up that anyone had ever seen. But it's what I have to work with.
My new 52" LCD is in a corner under the satirs going upstairs. One M80 will be angled off the wall on the left and almost against the wall (but on a bit of an angle) The right M80 will be beyond where the TV sits against the side wall of the stairs and actually out in the open with the nearest wall about 10' behind it. I bet that looks pretty ugly in your mind.

Exactly why I have realized in my 2 weeks of research that there can't possibly be any other speaker for me in the surround department.

That is unacceptable. Box up your speakers and AVR and ship them to an address I will provide you.

I could just cancel the order. Wouldn't that be easier. Oh wait! I was just going to place the order. Maybe I'll just forget the whole thing.

Bob, my room is based of a corner loading as well, although not as hard to set up as yours with the stairwell in the picture.

Mains


Left surround


Right surround


Center rear


AV equipment

You probably have pretty good acoustics in there. No standing waves with the walls that way, right?