Surround Sound Speakers or bipolar?

Question

I just bought a Onkyo SR606 and not sure if I should just stay with the 5.1 speaker system or upgrade to 7.1. I have been looking at the Fluance speaker systems and was looking at bipolar speakers for the back. Do the bipolar speakers need to face the listener or are they intended to fill the room?

Answer 1

The choice is yours to make. Bipolar speakers sound considerably different from monopolar speakers. You simply have to listen to them and decide which you prefer for your system.

Bipolar speakers are designed for surround sound and have 2 angeled faces. Nether speaker actually faces the listener though they are "pointed" at the listener. Go out and listen and see which you like better.

Answer 2

The Bipolars are designed to mount to the back wall and deliver towards you without any adjustment other than "listening height"

That's about all you really need to concern yourself with.....

They can be used as the surround L and R or the surround BACK speakers....

Your Onkyo manual will show you the suggested layout of the 7.1 system....

Answer 3

I have no idea what you mean by "bipolar" speakers. Looking at the rear panel picture that the amazon page for this reciever shows, its clear that it has the usual 7.1 speaker setup, plus an additional set of Zone 2 speakers. Your owner's manual would be a better place to look at what you can do with those plugs.

If you have a 5 speaker, plus one subwoofer speaker system, then all you need to do is add one more pair to get yourself up to a 7.1 rig. Pick a pair of speakers that reasonably match your existing set, or maybe pick a better pair, so that you can upgrade one position other than your mains. Or, get a really good pair to be your new main speakers, and demote the rest all down one spot. Aside from the centre and sub.

Personally, I am a big fan of Infinity speakers, and their Beta line is in the process of being discontinued, for newer models. So, there are some really great deals to be found on many of the Beta models. Vanns and BPAV are a couple of good places to look, including also amazon, but the first two have free shipping within the US, and no tax. I have a set of Beta 10s and 50s, and they're great.

With a 7.1 system, you want all of the speakers at least facing into the listening area. Many rooms with stuff against the walls (Bookcases, paintings, wall hangings) make for poor of asymmetrical spaces to "bounce" sound in, so you want a good mix of facing speaker positions.

I can understand the price appeal of the Fluance models, but the smaller ones don't seem to be all well thought of, and the Infinity Betas, which are going for near half off list, I can testify that their sound is awesome for any speaker of that size and price.