I can only fit a center surround speaker - no left and right

[eflat]

So at the place I am living we have room for two nice floor standing left and right speakers and a nice center under the TV as well, but design of the room is such that we can only have one center speaker in the back.

Is there or do all receivers send any of the left and right info to the center when they are absent?

 

[dmw16]

Seems you'd be better off getting a 3.1 system (L&R, center, and sub). The back center would probably be a waste of money. You'd be better off investing the cost of the rear center into the front speakers.

 

[eflat]

Originally posted by: dmw16
Seems you'd be better off getting a 3.1 system (L&R, center, and sub). The back center would probably be a waste of money. You'd be better off investing the cost of the rear center into the front speakers.

well I already own everything. it would just work so well if I still got some surround in the back.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Can you check your receiver's own setup? Most of the ones I have used have not allowed me to select a rear center (or two rear speakers) if the surrounds were not already selected.

6.1 gets you a rear center but I don't think you'll be able to select a 4.1 setup with the surrounds missing and a rear center in place.

Would the room set up allow you to put the two surround speakers in back aimed outwards to the side walls of the room or something? (So you'd have 5.1 with two speakers in back but aimed in different directions)

 

[Slick5150]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Can you check your receiver's own setup? Most of the ones I have used have not allowed me to select a rear center (or two rear speakers) if the surrounds were not already selected.

6.1 gets you a rear center but I don't think you'll be able to select a 4.1 setup with the surrounds missing and a rear center in place.

Would the room set up allow you to put the two surround speakers in back aimed outwards to the side walls of the room or something? (So you'd have 5.1 with two speakers in back but aimed in different directions)

This would be my suggestion as well would just be to put the 2 speakers right next to each other pointed outwards, or even on top of one another if need be.

I've never heard of a receiver with 4.1 as an option either.

 

[eflat]

Originally posted by: Slick5150

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Can you check your receiver's own setup? Most of the ones I have used have not allowed me to select a rear center (or two rear speakers) if the surrounds were not already selected.

6.1 gets you a rear center but I don't think you'll be able to select a 4.1 setup with the surrounds missing and a rear center in place.

Would the room set up allow you to put the two surround speakers in back aimed outwards to the side walls of the room or something? (So you'd have 5.1 with two speakers in back but aimed in different directions)

This would be my suggestion as well would just be to put the 2 speakers right next to each other pointed outwards, or even on top of one another if need be.

I've never heard of a receiver with 4.1 as an option either.

Well why not just mix the two channels into one speaker?

 

[destrekor]

What about two dipole speakers on side walls, and then a rear center in the back for 6.1?
So you'd have a front center, front L+R, two rear channel dipoles, and then a rear center.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: eflatmajor

Originally posted by: Slick5150

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Can you check your receiver's own setup? Most of the ones I have used have not allowed me to select a rear center (or two rear speakers) if the surrounds were not already selected.

6.1 gets you a rear center but I don't think you'll be able to select a 4.1 setup with the surrounds missing and a rear center in place.

Would the room set up allow you to put the two surround speakers in back aimed outwards to the side walls of the room or something? (So you'd have 5.1 with two speakers in back but aimed in different directions)

This would be my suggestion as well would just be to put the 2 speakers right next to each other pointed outwards, or even on top of one another if need be.

I've never heard of a receiver with 4.1 as an option either.

Well why not just mix the two channels into one speaker?

Does your receiver let you select that as an option?

 

[eflat]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: eflatmajor

Originally posted by: Slick5150

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Can you check your receiver's own setup? Most of the ones I have used have not allowed me to select a rear center (or two rear speakers) if the surrounds were not already selected.

6.1 gets you a rear center but I don't think you'll be able to select a 4.1 setup with the surrounds missing and a rear center in place.

Would the room set up allow you to put the two surround speakers in back aimed outwards to the side walls of the room or something? (So you'd have 5.1 with two speakers in back but aimed in different directions)

This would be my suggestion as well would just be to put the 2 speakers right next to each other pointed outwards, or even on top of one another if need be.

I've never heard of a receiver with 4.1 as an option either.

Well why not just mix the two channels into one speaker?

Does your receiver let you select that as an option?

well, no, but I'm into music equipment and can think of about 100 ways to do it.

Not too sure that I want to anymore though. I guess I can live with 3.1.

 

[JSt0rm]

Mixing the 2 signals together can present its own issues. Mostly that doubling of mono signals will increase the amplitube by 6db also there could be phase issues as certain frequencies interact. You would need to do a proper fold down if the signal. i.e. -3db drop per side before mixing to mono most receivers can do this.

 

[eflat]

You know I think I should just scrap the damn project and go back to my good old 13" CRT.

 

[mshan]

Is room symmetrical and not overly large?

If so, have you thought about a single soundbar for all speakers except sub?

Lots of companies make them, such as Polk: http://surroundbar.polkaudio.com/

 

[eflat]

Originally posted by: mshan
Is room symmetrical and not overly large?

If so, have you thought about a single soundbar for all speakers except sub?

Lots of companies make them, such as Polk: http://surroundbar.polkaudio.com/

:roll:

What is the point of having surround speakers in front of you?

That bar might be cool from an aesthetic point of view if they made it one long speaker with both left and right (stereo) or mayyybe with the center. I think that is really stuffed too close together for a center too. Stereo with a sub woofer would be cool.


Yeah the problem is though that the room is way irregular. The center of the room is the fireplace and then the TV has to go in the right corner. So it is difficult to even get a couch where I want it to be.



--

the worst idea since a sub-woofer and satellite speakers. Remember when you used to go to a store and all the speakers had at least 8" woofers. I've yet to hear a satellite system with anything less than 8" for the main speakers sound natural with a subwoofer.

 

[mshan]

Rear surrounds are in same 5 channel sound bar.

I suspect it will work best in symmetrical, not too large room since presumably surround effect is obtained by bouncing signal off of side walls.

 

[eflat]

Originally posted by: mshan
Rear surrounds are in same 5 channel sound bar.

I suspect it will work best in symmetrical, not too large room since presumably surround effect is obtained by bouncing signal off of side walls.

yeah maybe but i bet the room would really have to be professionally built for that to work.

Anyway, I'm just going with a left and right speaker. I'm going to get a couple of center channel speakers and put them in the stand under the TV so it should look really clean.

I hate having speakers taking up floor space next to the TV.

 

[JSt0rm]

a couple center channel speakers?

 

[kalrith]

Can you draw us a diagram of the room? It's really hard to think of any more options than the ones already stated unless we have more info.

Are in-wall speakers a possibility? You could also hang surround speakers from the ceiling, which might open up more possibilities. It's just hard to guess at what "way irregular" means and what the possible solutions are.

 

[CubanlB]

Some Infinity surrounds (and I assume others) can be set to Di-Polar, Bi-Polar or stereo input. So basically you get 2 speakers in the same enclosure, with the stereo input setting, pointing opposite directions into the room which would get you 5.1 (assuming you have a sub) with only one physical rear. Depending on your room the separation of the surround channels will most likely be a bit lacking. let me see if i can find the model, Infinity recently discontinued most of their Beta series stuff so this advice might be a bit dated.

EDIT:infinity es250

Discontinued but you could still find it. (like on amazon)

Current C255ES

With all that being said, I'm not a huge fan of infinity, (I find infinity to be very ugly) but this style of speaker is out there, so good luck.

 

[bearxor]

Do you have room for both speakers in the middle? If so, you could run the wire for both, set them both there and then face them opposite of each other and still get surround sound.

 

[eflat]

Originally posted by: CubanlB
Some Infinity surrounds (and I assume others) can be set to Di-Polar, Bi-Polar or stereo input. So basically you get 2 speakers in the same enclosure, with the stereo input setting, pointing opposite directions into the room which would get you 5.1 (assuming you have a sub) with only one physical rear. Depending on your room the separation of the surround channels will most likely be a bit lacking. let me see if i can find the model, Infinity recently discontinued most of their Beta series stuff so this advice might be a bit dated.

EDIT:infinity es250

Discontinued but you could still find it. (like on amazon)

Current C255ES

With all that being said, I'm not a huge fan of infinity, (I find infinity to be very ugly) but this style of speaker is out there, so good luck.

Wow there are definitely some interesting products out there.

I've actually decided to go with projector and pull down screen so I can have a proper speaker arrangement.


The problem has been is there is a gas fireplace smack in the middle of the room where you would want a TV. It was going to be stuffed into the right corner.

However with a projector I can just pull it down for a couple of hours to watch a movie and then roll it up and and have a nice fireplace showing. Plus a 100" screen would be way cool