Rear and side channels..moving up!

[mbjames]

I am looking to buy either four B&W 705's or 805's for sides and rears, using mostly the lossless HD-DVD's, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc.. I currently have 804's up front and HTM2 center. My current rears and sides are ceiling mounted (these are being replaced) and I'm using Sunfire amps to drive them. I also have a pair of rear subwoofers (so bass is not a real big consideration in the actual side or rear speakers.)

Are the sides and rears worth investing the extra dollars on expecially with the new formats?

How do they compare except that that 805's are twice the price or the 705's?

Can the SCMS rear channel speakers be used on stands and sound correct? (I have an all glass rear wall and no where to wall mount them)

lots of questions!

:B

[Blindamood]

If you cannot wall mount the SCMS, then I would advise against them. There really is no benefit, other than a bit less $. I definitely would not try to standmount them, as the base is not very deep, and it would be hard to secure.

Sounds like the 805s would be your best option, based on your front setup.

[mbjames]

Can a rear speaker be too close? I have about 1 foot behind my couch, so that's about 2 feet from the rear speaker to the primary listening position. Someone said you need at least 3 feet or the sound from the 805 would be too direct and not pan correctly. Any thoughts on this?

If you are sitting very close to the rear speakers, it will be difficult to integrate them into the surround sound. They will the dominant sound you hear, even with the proper level and distance settings. Also, the "sweet spot" will be very small. A slight shift of the LP, (listening position) to the left or right will make that speaker the pre-dominant speaker. Unless you have at least 3 to 5 feet behind you for rear speakers, you are better off with a 5.1 system.

Craig