Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Advice regarding Rears in a 7.1 setup

Hello All,

I am looking to make a purchase in the near future and was hoping for some input.

In reviewing the options available, it seems the selector defaults to adding 2 "quadpole" surrounds when choosing a 7.1 setup. Based on THX standards, they seem adamant in suggesting rear speakers in a 7.1 setup should be directional and pointed towards the listeners.

All this as I am debating choosing one of the axiom 5.1 systems and adding bookshelfs for rears(with the quads as surrounds) or going with the "suggested" 4 quad setup.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks in advance,
Mandrake

Welcome to the forum Mandrake,

Do you have the dimensions of your room?

For surrounds (side) I always recommend the QS4 or QS8. For surround back speakers you can go either way IMO. If budget allows I would go with the QS series for surround back as well but bookshelves such as the M2v2 would also be sufficient in that application.

Cheers!

Hello,

Thanks for the reply!

The dimensions are 15' Long, 10' wide and 8' high. There is an opening at the rear left side 5 feet long that extends the rear from 10' wide to approximately 17'.

Any suggestions on packages would also be welcome. I was considering the Epic 50 175 with the possibility of either extra QS4s for the rear or M3V2s.

Considering the "hole" in the room, would unidirectional bookshelves give me better sound for the rear channels?

Secondly, would you consider the M50 series sufficiently future proofed for an eventual larger home theater room? (Say 20'X 15'X10'?)

Thanks again for your help,

Hi Mandrake,

I would suggest upgrading the subwoofer and go with the Epic 50 350 package for $200 more. The EP350 will do a much better job filling in the low end especially for home theatre (movies) as would the EP175. It will be much more satisfying. For the surround back speakers you can go with what you suggested in with the M3v2 (staying on budget). The M3 bookshelf speakers would work best as the surround back because they use the same 6.5" woofer and 1" tweeter as the M50's which would provide an excellent tonal match with your mains.

Cheers!

15ft is not all that deep, so not so sure 7.1 would be a huge improvement, especially if your sitting near the back of that 15' dimension.

To answer your question, I would not give up my rear Q's for bookshelfs, direct radiating is great only if your in the sweet spot.

Personally, I would go with a 5.1 setup right now for two reasons. It will allow you to upgrade to M60s and QS8s which have better depth, midrange and power than the M50s and QS4s and 7.1 in your present room imho doesn't seem necessary. You could add your rears if and when you set up a larger theatre where the M60s would be a better choice in the future room you described. I don't know what your budget is but my own preference, (re. MY) would be to go this route and add rears later if you go to a larger room but not compromise on the 5.1. In the end, it's what YOU want though, happy speaker hunting!

Mandrake,

I have QS8's for both sides and rears. I tried various configurations in the past (both direct and bipole) and I find that I really like the QS8's all around. Since your room is 15', 7.1 will work well if your seating is at least 6-7 feet from the back wall.

Mandrake, welcome. You'll find the QSs to be magical for side surrounds. As to the back surrounds, it may be a relatively close decision. Using QSs there also would be advisable if you were sitting relatively close(say 4-5')to the back speakers, which might make the direct speakers a little too direct at that short distance. On the hand, if you're much farther away(unlikely with a 15' room)the directional speakers would have more room to disperse and could still locate effects specifically intended for the back a little more definitely.

Mandrake - I'd agree with others here. I run a 7.1 setup as well (with QS8s in the rear and on the sides). However, before I put in the two rear speakers, I would consider other upgrades. The upgrade to the M60s and EP350 would be considerably more noticeable than the upgrade to two extra speakers in the back of the room. The upgrade from 5.1 to 7.1 is a very subtle difference, especially in a room of your size. (My own room is only a bit longer than yours, around 20', and in my room the difference is very very minor)

Plus, if you upgrade to M60s and the 350 now, it's very easy to add the other two QS(x) speakers in the future when budget allows. If you do it the other way, it's a lot more difficult to upgrade in the future. Have fun shopping, feel free to keep hitting us up with questions as you consider your options.

Jason

Thank you all so much for your input. I think I am going to bite the bullet and go with the M60 setup. Considering in the package I get the bigger sub, higher end surrounds and better towers, it's hard not to justify the higher price tag.

Now comes step 2, the search for a proper receiver. Any suggestions considering the M60 setup?

Again, all your help is very much appreciated. It seems the more I research, the more indecisive I become. Luckily I have a good friend at a high end audio/video store who would be happy to let me audition some receivers. I just hate going in there since I have to walk by a 7.1 setup with BW CT 800’s and acoustically treated rooms.