Which Would Be Best - Rear Speakers.

hlxbravo

hlxbravo

hlxbravo

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Keeping with the Monitor Audio BX range that I am putting together (currently have floorstanders and centre), I am now about to take the plunge on the rear speakers, using as 5.1 not 7.1 and as such the rears will be mounted about a metre high, on the wall that my settee is pushed up against (so wall is approx. 300mm behind my head when seated) and about 1500mm each side of the centre seating position.

As you can see in my photo :



With this in mind I am torn between the BX2 (standard bookshelf style) or the BXFX range. I am thinking the BX2 may be a little large for my wall mounting and I am leaning towards the BXFX in all honesty, especially for anyone sitting in the outside seats :p

So I am looking for advice please on my dilemma, would the 6 1/2" mid bass driver in the BX2 make a notable difference over the 5 1/2" that is in the BXFX.

:confused:
 
I think you're right to be concerned about the size of the BX2s as rears for your lounge. You'd probably even struggle with the smaller BX1s. There's just not enough space to fit either of these standmounters in that space.

The BXFX will fit better. Really they should be on the side walls rather than the rear. That goes for all surround speakers in a 5.1 system. But that's not practical in your case.
 
Quick update....the BXFX's arrived yesterday and they have a slightly larger footprint than I thought, although I had checked the sizes but not too bad (just appear bigger in the flesh). Anyway they are up and the only annoying thing for me is the fact that my BX floorstanders, and BX centre all have removable magnetic grilles, for some reason (probably cost) these surrounds have clip on grilles, which when removed leave unsightly holes visible and I do like them removed to be honest (must be the Mr. Grumpy in me coming out)

Next thing is, I have seen before a recommendation to a couple of test discs (setup etc) and I cannot remember the name of, or find them, anywhere...help please.

Cheers.
 
For audio (and video) then Digital Video Essentials HD Basics, Disney WoW, Spears & Munsil.

Disney is the simplest but somewhat "My First Calibration Disc" standard. Spears & Munsil is a much more comprehensive tool but fairly intimidating for a first time user. It actually has an incredible array of test patterns and tones which provide great diagnosis tools. There are explanations with each too. So if you can get past the "OMG.... where do I start?!" phase then this is a disc that will see you through from basic to really quite advanced set-up techniques.

Somewhere in between is Digital Video Essentials HD Basics. It's easier to get in to than Spears & Munsil, and you're not overwhelmed with hundreds of patterns so it's good for quick set-ups. However, there's more to the disc than meets the eye. The audio tools are good as well. There's a very useful picture/sound sync test pattern which will really help you dial in lip sync.

Disney WoW is the cheapest at £15-£20

DVE and Spears are more at around £25-£30 each but IMO well worth the extra.


Use your smartphone or tablet as a sound meter if you haven't got one. It'll do at a pinch.
 
Thanks for that Lucid....shall have a look at them individually and see what appears suited to me.

Shall pop a piccie of how they look Bob when I get a moment. Not completely happy with the sound so far, dunno why exactly, there's just that many modes on the Yamaha Rx-v 675 that I just don't which I should be using for what. Generally I have it on Dolby PL II movie for TV and films, for music it is on 7ch stereo, with the extra speakers deselected in the settings (why there isn't a 5.1 is beyond me) but then there are extra buttons on remote for music and movies. So if I am using Dolby PL II movie mode, I can then scroll through things like spectacle (which I read is for film watching iirc), standard, sci fi, roleplaying game, drama etc.

Also having run the YPAO setup, I find that FLAT sounds the fullest, FRONT sounds like it suggests...and weirdly the NATURAL setting - well, sort of a flat sound with no depth :confused:

Have to get to grips with one of those discs and see where I end up :eek:
 
I think you're on the right track. DPLII Movie generally works best for TV. I also use 7ch Stereo for music when it's just background listening.

Blu-rays, DVDs and anything with a bitstream audio track should be recognised and decoded by the amp in it's native format. The additional processing such as Adventure, Spectacle etc just mess about with the channel separation, tonal balance, echo etc. TBH I rarely use them but I do know of a few who like the extra kick that some of the modes provide.

It doesn't surprise me though that the auto set-up doesn't quite nail the sound. Don't get me wrong; compared to just guessing at the channel balances and speaker distances then these auto wizards are a massive improvement. But you'll still get better results with a tape measure, test disc and sound meter.

Here's a review from someone who was in the same situation as you. They had run Onkyo's set-up wizard several times but never felt like the effects channels worked properly or that voices were clear...

"Having chosen our TV we decided to have it calibrated in order to maximise its capabilities. Initially a little sceptical about the difference calibration would make we were very impressed with the increase in quality which resulted.

The expert calibrator, Chris Frost, quickly arranged an appointment convenient for us, and calibrated the TV for both films and games; furthermore he configured the sound system on the AV receiver, which we have had for 4 years and were surprised at the clarity and improved performance which a professional tuning could achieve.

Having had the TV calibrated we were somewhat shocked to find how much we had been missing in terms of details which we hadn’t even realised existed in games and films, and which enhanced the experience hugely.
The calibration will also prolong the lifetime of the TV and will ensure that its power usage is more economical.

I can thoroughly recommend his skills and would be happy to endorse his services."

You can achieve the same kind of results with a test disc, tape measure and sound meter.
 
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