7.1 Setup

[rompower]

Hi all!

I have a little issue...

Here's the setup
802D, htm1d, front/left and center. That part is ok. Problem is for side and back.
I have 803D and plan to buy 805S to complete the 7.1.

It is better to place 803D on side? back? Why? Music in movie are going to back or side in 7.1 setup? I'm kinda confused.

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

[kgveteran]

I would put the 803d on the side.dts soundtracks are 5.1 unless they are ES.Also music 5.1 would sound better throught the 803S on the side.Rears are better suited to the 805S as I find it to be less demanding.

Kg

[rompower]

and.. what about 7.1? :P same pattern?

[style]

Hi have front the 803D, Htm2D center and 805s rear. (5.1)

I have in my mind a system 7.1 with the Smcs as front speaker...
The 805S is a wonderful speaker,No words.

A 805S attached on wall? mo thank.

As side om wall I prefer the Smcs.


Greetings Omar

[rompower]

I would put the 803d on the side.dts soundtracks are 5.1 unless they are ES.Also music 5.1 would sound better throught the 803S on the side.Rears are better suited to the 805S as I find it to be less demanding.

Kg

OK but.. with new audio codec DTS-HD, DTS-MA, a lot of 7.1 are coming out... What would you do? buy some 804s for back? eheh

[Hdale85]

I am one of the ones that believe a properly setup 5.1 system can be just as good as 7.1 if not better. A lot of times 7.1 is used for people who just don't want to take the time and set their room up correctly. I don't believe in throwing more speakers at a problem to fix it And even with DTS-HD MA I believe they are still mostly 5.1. Either way you really won't be missing a lot with 5.1 vs 7.1. I've been contemplating this in my head lately as I'm building some speakers and I'm trying to decide if I want to build 7.1 or 5.1. Unless your room is huge I think its probably best to stick with 5.1. I'm not sure my room is big enough for something like that... It's 17x13.

[rompower]

Yeah.. enough large to put a 7.1... 18X23X10... non parallel wall...

[kgveteran]

I am one of the ones that believe a properly setup 5.1 system can be just as good as 7.1 if not better. A lot of times 7.1 is used for people who just don't want to take the time and set their room up correctly. I don't believe in throwing more speakers at a problem to fix it And even with DTS-HD MA I believe they are still mostly 5.1. Either way you really won't be missing a lot with 5.1 vs 7.1. I've been contemplating this in my head lately as I'm building some speakers and I'm trying to decide if I want to build 7.1 or 5.1. Unless your room is huge I think its probably best to stick with 5.1. I'm not sure my room is big enough for something like that... It's 17x13.

I would still maintain that 7.1 adds to the experience, no matter how small the room. There are scenes in movies that the rear channels wont even come alive,then there are scenes in Transformers where they are a very big part of the action.My room is about 13'x15'.When listening to the concert DVD "Growing Up" by Peter Gabriel I would rather listen to it in DD w/PLIIx than "dts".My setup is about as textbook rectangle post production as you can get.Well treated and corrected by Audyssey.I would say stick to the 7.1 with the smaller of the two surrounds to the rear.Sorry for expounding!

Kg

[Hdale85]

Yeah not saying 7.1 is horrible I was just saying that if you have a properly treated room 5.1 will sound just about as good. It just depends on the material more then likely. I may do 7.1 as it wont be much more money and if I don't like it I can switch it. Just have to mess with the setup.

[Chris D]

I'm also one of those people that believe in the 7.1 experience. It's not just material that's encoded in 7.1 discrete channels, but applying processing to material, like using DPL IIx, creates a 7.1 output that is an amazing immersive soundfield. Really is more enveloping.

[kgveteran]

Really is more enveloping.

Thats it in a nutshell

[FroDaddy]

I'm also one of those people that believe in the 7.1 experience. It's not just material that's encoded in 7.1 discrete channels, but applying processing to material, like using DPL IIx, creates a 7.1 output that is an amazing immersive soundfield. Really is more enveloping.

I share the same opinion. I was a 5.1 believer until I tried 7.1 WITH Dolby PLIIx; the PLIIx exceeded my expectations of what post processing can do in real time. It really is more enveloping.

Another benefit I noticed was the "stereo" effects that are encoded into the 5.1 surround channels. In 5.1, your brain interprets them to be above your head although in most soundtracks the stereo surround effect was meant for something to be behind you. PLIIx takes this stereo effect and routes them to the extra rear channels where the effect was meant to be for most soundtracks. (The most common exception are jet flyovers, but they still sound logical coming from the rear in 7.1)

An additional benefit is that PLIIx makes the rear channels a stereo pair, so 360 panning effects really do move around the 4 rear speakers seamlessly. It will take a 6.1 soundtrack and make the extra rear channel blend with the adjacent side surround channels if the soundtrack is coded for it.
Also when effects move diagonally through the theater, PLIIx will properly handle this as well. For example a car effect moving from the Front Left + center then into the Right Surround + Right Rear Surround moves right through the theater. In 5.1, this wasn't as clear or dramatic.

I was skeptical of how well Dolby PLIIx could handle the matrixing, but I've never had anything but a huge smile since adding the two rear channels. I'll take a properly setup 7.1 PLIIx system over a properly setup 5.1 system any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

[kgveteran]

Rompower,

What are the rest of your components ? Sounds like you have some pretty good speakers!

KG

[rompower]

SSp-800, Classe CA-5100 and CA-3200, Denon 3800BDCI
802d and 803d and htm1d.... and prolly 804s for back surround.

Arcam CD36 and Arcam A32 (will go in living room once I get my basement settled) with probably CM7 or something like this.

[rompower]

What about you KG ?

[kgveteran]

Denon 3808ci receiver as a processor.Pioneer DVD,HDTV cablebox.Outlaw M-200 mono's for the mains,behringer a500's for the four surrounds and four QSC 1450's bridged for the subs.The mains and surround are all from HT Guide and the subs are (4) sealed Adire Tumults 15's.Screen is a SMX AT CIH 100x42 with ,Optoma HD79 with an Aussiemorphic lens.It's a pretty simple setup.

Kg

[Hdale85]

Hmm you have a lot of stuff I've been looking at, like the Aussiemorphic lens, and the SMX screen. How do you like the SMX material? I wish he still sold material as his finished screens are in a way different price range to the material he used to sell.

[rompower]

4 subs??? damn, you watch your movie outside the room??? eheh

[kgveteran]

Hmm you have a lot of stuff I've been looking at, like the Aussiemorphic lens, and the SMX screen. How do you like the SMX material? I wish he still sold material as his finished screens are in a way different price range to the material he used to sell.

It was a fluke. I was looking to upgrade, then I started looking at AT material.By weeks end I made the purchase and it was the last week of the sale.Pure luck.

AT screens are fantastic.The voices come from the center of the screen as they were intended.I really like the SMX material.The lens looks great to.Even with the 720p PJ I have , very happy still.

I thought that the speakers on a shelf would sound bad.They sound great.Once I filled in around them with some pillows I had lying around and OC 703 board I also had on hand it all came together.

Kg

[kgveteran]

4 subs??? damn, you watch your movie outside the room??? eheh

It's all about headroom.The only time they break a sweat is showing off during WOTW dts.Most of the time they loaf !

Kg

[Hdale85]

So they aren't sitting on top of the stands and what not anymore? Got any updated pics? Sounds like your avatar is outdated.

[kgveteran]

Here is a pic of the monitors on the new shelf. I'm still surprised they sound good being flush with the wall, but they do.

I remember sitting in the movie theater watching Transformers and asking myself , what would bring this experience to my room. It was the AT screen!



Here is the whole mess all covered up with my DIY SMX 100"x42".

[Hdale85]

I really want a curved SMX screen but he wants a freaking fortune for one...like 2700 shipped for 92".

[kgveteran]

I really want a curved SMX screen but he wants a freaking fortune for one...like 2700 shipped for 92".

The material was about 600.00 and the material for the frame was about 300.00.

I use 1.5"x2.0" aluminum tubing with solid machined corners. Why curved?


It was kinda weird though. I had to raise the center channel about 8".The voice sounded too low.Another problem was my XO point.100hz was too high, with my subs centered there was a tendency to bring the acoustic image down.I'm at 80hz again with little trouble.Just nitpicking!

[Hdale85]

Curved just kind of makes you feel more enveloped in the screen. Also it can help with color uniformity and focusing problems on the edges. When he first got the material he was selling it much cheaper then what you paid. The main reason I don't want to go with an SMX screen now is he went all commercial and left all his DIY buddies behind which are the ones that pretty much started his company. Now all the DIY guys he started with the screens are kind of out of reach as far as cost goes.