From 5.1 to 6.1

I will try and explain this to the best of my ability. We are moving into a new home where the great room will have the equipment in the middle of one wall, the listening area across from it, and the surround speakers placed on a plantars shelf behind and above the listening area. The planting shelf is somewhat angled, so the speakers will not be firing directly forward. They will be at a slight angle, as if firing at a diagonal. Since they will not be on the side of the listening area, I'm wondering about how adding the rear surround (which would also be placed on the plantars shelf, in the middle, would impact the surround fields. It would kind of be aiming the same direction as the rears, with the rears being more out to the ends of the shelf. Can anyone get this mental picture in their head? If you picture the front stage and how you have L,C,R speakers across but each facing the same way for the most part. This is kind of how these speakers will be on this plantars shelf....they'll be spaced apart, but also be facing in the same general direction.

Would adding a rear center make much difference? Or am I best served by sticking with a 5.1 set up?

Well if I am picturing it right it sounds like it will work just fine. You may want to try to aim the speakers at your listening position as best as possible, including angling them if they are above you head. As far as the difference it really depends on the movie but if you can afford to do it I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it strongly. When you find a good movie that takes advantage of the 6th channel it makes for a very cool effect, things that are supposed to be passing right above you head sound like the are.

Hope that helps some,


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m-mmeyer
GO TWINS
My DVD's

It does help, thanks! I really can't come up with any reason not to hook up the rear center and give it a shot. I just didn't know if having the L/R surrounds more in the back instead of on the side would preclude me from having an "accurate" surround field. Additionally, I was concerned that if I can't get the L/R's on the side, that the three surrounds would be too close in proximity to one another to make a difference (from 5.1). But I'm excited to see what the 1050 can do with the rear center....if I can just find some way to pick up another mini-monitor to go back there!

Very cool! Always fun to do a new setup! I agree, though. Definitely give it a try. I love my rear center!