I am pleased to say that I have just recieved my new system.  Beautiful speakers.  But before I actually can enjoy it, I guess I need to set it up first - unless I just want to use them as artwork, which they could pass for.  Anyway, on to business.  I purchased a 7.1 channel system.  The question I have is regarding the placement of the rear speakers (532LR).  I want to place them in the best position for optimal sound.  From what I understand, the side and rear speakers should not exceed 24" above the listening area and should be level with each other.  The sides (534-SS Bipole/Dipole) should not be a problem.  I can mount those in any height range immediately to the side of the listening area.  I purchased the Omni 20.0 Wall Mounts for the rears.  The original thought was to mount those up near the ceiling, which is about 8.5' high (or about 5' above the listening area) and point them downward at the listening area (which is about 3.5 feet off the back wall).  The reason for mounting them near the ceiling was for asthetic reasons, plus there is artwork on the wall immediately behind the listening area.  However, the artwork can be moved and I can mount the speakers on the wall dirrectly behind the listening area about 2 feet above the seating location if need be.  Will I lose anything in terms of the quality of the effect the rear speakers provide if I mount them 5 feet above the listening area and point them downward versus 2 feet above?  Keep in mind, the listening area is fairly close to the rear wall at about 3.5 feet off the wall. 

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I don't have a solid answer for your question on surround speaker placement height as I am still trying to fiddle with my setup as well.  I have a 6.1 setup (633T LR, 634VAC, 534SS for side and rear).  I have the rear middle on a wall mount near the ceiling (8' ceiling).  I think I might replace that with a ceiling mount as I can't point it down as far as I'd like.  BUT, I don't know if I should be trying to point it down further. 

The sides are pointed to ear level from the ceiling immediately to my sides (about 9-10' away on either side).  They are in dipole mode.  I feel like there's a decent ambient sound field being generated but I can't help but feel like it's slightly to the front of me instead of truly wrapping around me.

I had thought about getting a ceiling mount for the rear and pointing it down more like the sides to see if that made a difference.  But yesterday someone posted on my AVS thread that they thought they should be pointing up more (the sides) and so now I'm completely confused. 

I think I'll experiment a bit (I hate to do that because I'm trying to finish my room and this will take at least an hour or more).  Or maybe I'll just wait until the new year.

Heh, guess I really haven't helped you after all.  Sorry about that.  Okay, to anyone else out there that has mounted their 534-SS surrounds up high, feel free to chime in with your experience. 

Thanks,

Mike

Troy,

In my opinion, whatever you decide to do, try and get all of the surrounds at the same height.  If you don't, I would imagine you might be able to notice the sound field is outta wack between the sides and rear. 

There is no magic number that I am aware of about how high above the listener they should be, but many believe they should at least be above the listener (for movies). The main point of debate is around if the speakers should be angled down or not. I have heard good setups both ways. I believe if you feel you must angle them down due to the height, don't angle them directly at the listener, aim them a little higher than that as to create a more ambient sound... but then again, if you set those 534SS's into dipole they might be ambient enough no matter how they are angled.

I am not much help either. The key point is you may want to do some playing around with the setup to see what you like. The omnimounts that attach to the ceiling (Mike has those for his sides) are handy as you can mount them, then adjust the angles to your preference.... the trick is getting them in the right place the first time.

 

I recently had my Aperion system installed and I am very happy.  I live near the Aperion office/warehouse and stumbled onto them on the web.  They are very knowledgeable and helpful, and since I live locally, I can take advantage of excellent pricing on returned merchandise.  Anyway, I purchased five 422 center channel speakers and the S-10 Sub for a 5.1 system.  I was referred to a custom installer who was very helpful as my family room has configuration limitations (fireplace, one wall of glass, openings on two walls leading to the kitchen , and to the dining room).  Due to the limitations, we were forced to mount the rear speakers on the wall, near the ceiling.  However, the setup capability on my new Sony ES receiver has gone a long way toward correcting the problem of a narrow sweet spot.  This thing sounds fantastic, and really rocks.

Jerry

Jerry, I also live near the Aperion office and was thinking of getting someone to install the speakers for me.  Can you give me any information about the company that did your set-up, the amount of work they performed and the price of the work?