Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Omni Pole vs Direct Radiators for Surround

I'm think of purchasing Axiom's QS8 speakers for the surround portion of my 7.1 sound. However, I've read that:

"...omnipole speakers for that matter all provide more diffuse surround sound experience...but today's surrounds sound soundtracks are recorded and mastered...using direct radiating speakers and the discrete surround-sound channels with Dolby Digital and DTS...You'll get the best and most precise sound surround-sound performance when all of your speakers are direct radiators." - Home Theatre for Dummies, pg 81

Would I be better off with 4 bookshelves speakers like the M22s. Price is the same.

First of all, the Qs8's are not omnipole speakers, they are quadpolar designed. They have 4 drivers all firing in phase at the same time, unlike Bipole or Dipole speakers.

Axiom designed the Q's to basically give you the same experience a movie theater gives you, which has speakers lined along the side walls and rear walls. You DO want to be enveloped in the surround effects, not having them directly aimed at you, which is what a direct radiating speaker gives you.

I'm sure Alan will be along on this question asap, but I think your "dummies" book is wrong. If I remember correctly, Alan mentioned years ago that the engineering done by the studios are intended for speakers like the Q's, not direct radiating.

Another thing I will add, if you want gun fire in action movies to be flying across the room, get direct radiating. If you want the gun fire to seem like it is going right through you, get the Axioms, nuff said.

Axiom's QS series of surround speakers: For only $428 or $540/pair, live like 50 Cent.

Another good one, Charles!

<--- imagining CV going around the 'hood saying, "Ain't nothin' but a CV thang!"

I would have to go with SirQ on this one. Whoever wrote that in the book was rather closed minded or biased towards a singular concept.

Direct firing vs. a bipole/dipole/quad...provide different effects and the results or preferences will vary depending on each individual. I had the same questions many moons ago and sat down in the past with M22s and the Axiom QSx series to derive some of my impressions of the use of each in the surround capacity.

Have a read at the now ancient post and take it for what it is worth; another man's opinion.
M22s vs. QS8s as surrounds

WoW!, one from the archives. Soup Cans, lol..

Keep in mind that if a soundtrack is mixed using direct radiating speakers, they're still played back in theaters using 8-12 of them to spread the sound out through the theater. When sitting in that theater, a patron doesn't hear surround sound coming from a single pair or two, it's all around the sides and back. This is what the QS series does by spreading the in-phase sound out...

Speaking of in-phase, looks like the light waves coming from your nose have undergone some constructive interference.