I have QS4's now for surrounds. I feel like too much sound is directed to the floor and ceiling rather than into the center of the room. Has anyone tried in wall W2 or W3 for surrounds or does anyone have a reason why it would be a bad idea?
Aaron
The point of the Q's design is to envelope you in the surround experience as the movie engineers intended. The tweeters which should be aiming to the right/left of you, if the speakers are placed correctly, are the higher frequencies you hear. The top/bottom drivers are for lower frequencies, which should not be as directional.
Can you provide input on how you have your Q's setup in relation to your seated area?
sure. Two rows of seating. 1 stadium tier. side surrounds at just above and slightly behind ear level when seated. Rear surrounds just above ear level and centered on the rear wall. [img]http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v417/245/109/1073539802/s1073539802_187146[/img]
Tried to add an image of the room. not sure i did it right. let me know if this worked. If not let me know how to upload an image to the website.
Aaron, that's the specific idea behind the QSs and why they've been so highly praised as surround speakers. The idea is to have an enveloping field of sound from all directions(that's what "surround sound" implies)rather than the more specific location of sound from direct radiating speakers.
Most listeners greatly prefer this, but if your preference is otherwise(and you've already tried using direct surrounds), the speakers that you mention are certainly usable.
Well, Aaron that is one awesome room, I would say it tops mine in many respects. The only thing I can say is you may have the Denon setup wrong possibly. I've owned the 2805, and now 3808 which incorporates Audyssey, the sound is better than any movie theater I've been in lately, even THX certified.
I assume you are using Dolby Digital in PLIIX mode, which makes use of the rears. Do you have your speakers all set to small with the appropriate crossover settings?
I am not sure they are all set to small. Possibly not. so you are saying all event the fronts and center should be set to small? Also I dont know what the right crossover settings are. Honestly I have so much trouble using the Denon set up that I get frustrated just finding what I am looking for let alone knowing what to do once I get there. I had much better luck setting up my Dads Yamaha and his sound is way better. He has the QS8 and a 350 sub versus my QS4 and 175 sub. I am fortunate to be able to spend the money for my own sanity so that is why I am discussing making the change. Also since you were able to view my room you may have noticed the large stone pillar which houses my projector. I thought this might also be one of my problems with blocking some of the sound? Thoughts?
Your theater looks pretty darn nice too. I like especially your componet cabinet and the stage in front of the room. I can tell you put more into the quality of your sound setup than I did. I focused more on the look of the room (not knowing much about how to make the sound right). Is that an amplifier? Maybe that is somehting I should consider?
Yes, all speakers should be set to small, with the appropriate crossover, normally 80hz, but some speakers can be set a little higher. Even my M80's are set to small with a 60hz crossover. Anything below the crossover setting gets redirected to the sub.
It is possible the pillar might be affecting things a little, but the Q's really spread the sound around the room, so I can't believe that is the entire problem.
The pictures of the equipment rack are old, that is my Home Theater PC, and that is my old Denon 2805. I need to update things, I have a newer Denon receiver, Blu Ray player, etc...
I have used seperate amps before, my room is pretty large. But, currently the Denon is all I use, and it gives me plenty of power...
The Audyssey setup will automatically set things up for you. The room has to be dead quiet, and you have to place the mic on a tripod or something at ear level (above seat backs) so you dont' get reflection interference.
I would also suggest going out and buying a SPL meter, Radio Shack is the most common place to get one and use it to set all your speakers manually to the same SPL through the Denon speaker set up. This should help with your lack of surround and subwoofer. I also think depending on where you are sitting, your stone pillar in the middle will most certainly affect what you are hearing from the opposite side of the room, changing to direct radiating speakers, IMO, won't help much.
Now that makes a lot of sense to me! I'll try it however I am still thinking of upgrading to the QS8. Definately want to upgrade the SUB to the EP350. These guys have a great trade in program.
The EP350 is a terrific sub and well worth the meny spent and for your size of room, a much needed upgrade IMO.
I also like my QS8s better than the QS4s. To my ears they have a better tonal match to the rest of the Axiom line than the QS4s, subtle difference but better.
There is a very easy way to determine if the Yamaha truely sounds better or if it's just the differences in your rooms... ask your dad if you could borrow it for a day and test them head to head. I personally think you would be much better off spending your money on speaker upgrades, and room treatments. But if you do a head to head comparo between the twoo receivers and decide the Yamaha is the missing link, then by all means it's your money.
But at least demo the Yamaha in your living room before you part ways with your cash, because I really doubt that's your problem.
aspicer1,
Check out this link for setting up your Denon. Helped me out a ton.
http://batpigworld.com/