Dolby's new speaker setup guidelines

[John Holmes]

It seems along with totally revamping their website, some new guidelines are in place for how your 5.1 spekers are to be placed. No more surrounds facing each other. No more angle the L/R speakers at the listener for single person listening enviorments. Click here to get your own impression of these guidelines: http://www.dolby.com/Consumer/HomeEntertainment/Setup/

[Bam!]

Interesting John....man oh man the 7.1 set up....those center backs are far apart :E

Me cannot do dat.... :cry:

My center backs are close together...they keep themselves warm

[aud19]

Aww how sweet Bam's speakers are cuddling! : :lol:

Jason

[Sonnie Parker]

I actually moved my surrounds all the way back into the corners where as they were almost beside the front row. They are about 12" higher than they were... almost at the ceiling now... and I can't tell a difference while sitting on the front row. It made a huge difference in the back row because the rears were over powering the fronts with the previous location with them being too far in front of the rear seating position.

[Burke Strickland]

some new guidelines are in place for how your 5.1 spekers are to be placed. No more surrounds facing each other

While the positon of the surrounds is a bit different for their new "standard" 5.1 set up, the speaker arrangement in the new "corner" 5.1 setup looks very much like the previous "standard" 5.1 setup, with the surrounds at the sides and facing each other. Interestingly, their "new" standard 5.1 configuration (with the TV/video image displayed along a wall instead of in a corner) is pretty close to how I had mine arranged before I stepped up from 5.1 to 7.1. Their previous standard configuration just left too big a gap at the rear to be useful in my environemnt.

On the other hand, their "ideal" 7.1 configuration is just about how I have mine set up now. I can vouch that in "real life", it works very nicely to produce a nearly "seamlless" surround sound field. Having the rear speakers spread apart overcomes the psychoacoustic effect that some people report when theiy only have one rear speaker or two spaced VERY cloely together where sounds that are supposed to be from the rear sometimes appear to be coming from the front. (That just doesn't happen if the rear speakers are spread apart.)

No more angle the L/R speakers at the listener for single person listening enviorments

Perhaps this is recognition that speaker toe-in is best left to individual experimentation (and manufacturers' guidelines for their products) rather than giving a blanket reccomendation on that point.

Burke

[John Holmes]

Sonny,

Your new position seems more effective for those in the rear seats.

Burke,

While the positon of the surrounds is a bit different for their new "standard" 5.1 set up, the speaker arrangement in the new "corner" 5.1 setup looks very much like the previous "standard" 5.1 setup, with the surrounds at the sides and facing each other.

LOL, yes...I scoped that too! And have been trying to figure out why.

Perhaps this is recognition that speaker toe-in is best left to individual experimentation (and manufacturers' guidelines for their products) rather than giving a blanket reccomendation on that point.

Very good point. I don't think it's any secret that, I try to adhere to the THX way of doing things. Why some may ask? I just thinks it makes sense that, you worked with tons of theaters and mixing studios, you should have some clue about what you are doing (I never said it was a good reason) :B . Anyway,they (THX) also have a blanket "aim the left and right speakers at the listening position" statement. I never thought this made sense. As I know many manufactures design their speakers with no toe-in in mind.

Ironically, my M&K THX select speakers are such a design. What makes this funny, THX certified them yet, they contradict basic THX alignment principle. :roll:

And to take things one step further, Dolby seems to support THX as being a compliment to home theater sound.

I'm starting to believe that Dolby's guidelines are the only one's that really matter. As it is Dolby Digital we are reproducing (most of the time) in our hometheater's

[George Bellefontaine]

My 7.1 setup is just about the same as the Dolby example. They are all direct firing except for the surrounds on the side walls, which are dipoles. I have found this mix of dipoles on the side and direct firing speakers at the back wall work very well in my setup.

[GregoriusM]

That corner placement may be just what the doctor ordered for my new apartment come the first of August. Decisions, decisions.

But, at least now I have another option that just might be the right one!

Thanks for the link, John! :T

[John Holmes]

Hope it works out for ya GregoriusM. :T