Using non-matching surrounds w/340SE

[RJW]

I am purchasing 340 SE for LCR duty but as my listening room setup requires the sofa to be against the back wall I would like to use dipole surrounds on the side walls, left and right of the sofa at ear level. As Ascend does not make dipoles I am considering the Paradigm ADP470. Also, I would like to use two CM170 behind the sofa on the floor facing upwards to give me as close to 7.1 as possible.
I realize this is far from an idea setup but this seems to be the best that I can come up with at this time. Any and all suggestions/ comments/ criticism is welcome.
Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[Quinn]

I used my 200s on the floor, behind the couch, facing up as surrounds until the kids climbing behind the couch and on the speakers forced me to mount them on the wall. Worked fine for me other than the kids.

[Eddie]

dipoles should be great for HT, less so for surround music. I would not worry about them not being the same brand, unless perhaps if you are really, really picky about your HT.

I have 340s (classics) across the front too and have never had ANY Ascends as surrounds---used some Mordaunt Short MS05s, Polk R20s, and currently some Polk Monitor 30s. Since I do all my music in 2-channel, the 10% or so of the HT output that comes out through the surrounds doesn't particularly concern me. Have also tried the HTM-200s and CBM-170s as surrounds when I had them on loan, can't honestly say I noticed any significant difference at all during movies.

[curtis]

First, you can't put CBM-170's on the floor facing up because they are rear ported. The HTM-200's would work fine that way though.

My opinion on matched surrounds differs from Eddies. While non-matching surrounds would be OK, Once I had a full timbre matched system, it made a significant difference in scenes with panning between the front and rear sound stages.......even voices of actors matching no matter where they were coming from. The don't come from the surrounds often, but when they do, it makes a difference.

[RJW]

Yes, I believe I will go with the Paradigm ADP 470s for the dipole surrounds and use the HTM 200s behind the sofa for the rears!

[RJW]

Curtis-yes I missed the rear ports on the other speakers so the htms it must be!
I am concerned about the timbre matching but with my sofa right up against the rear wall I think I must have the dipole speakers to get the bet surround sound experience.

[ebh]

i'm wrestling with the surround issue while the couch is up against a wall as well.

i probably won't be going 7.1, but i'd like 5.1. i am thinking about putting some htm-200s on tall stands. I think i can get them close to the right positions a bit behind and above the listeners on the sides just by putting them on some thin stands and moving the couch out just enough to get the stand to fit in the corner.

then in a year or so when i move down to LA i'm going to hopefully pick an apartment based on its potential for a good music/home theater setup as well as a decent kitchen. those are my priorities. the fiancee/wife may not like the living room setup, but i think she'll deal.

[curtis]

Curtis-yes I missed the rear ports on the other speakers so the htms it must be!
I am concerned about the timbre matching but with my sofa right up against the rear wall I think I must have the dipole speakers to get the bet surround sound experience.

Why?

You are going to have sound bouncing off of the rear wall anyways.

[RJW]

Why?

You are going to have sound bouncing off of the rear wall anyways.

As a noob I am reading as much as possible and one of the articles I read on HT said the dipoles placed to the side "envelope" the listener in sound which gives a much better sense of being "surrounded" verses the directional speaker being pointed directly at the listening position.

[curtis]

but being so close to the back wall will change the effectiveness of the dipole IMO. The "enveloping" sound will now be bouncing off of the back wall because it is so close.....which I think will get muddied up because of it.

Dipole/bipole vs direct is a subjective thing.....it is best to experience them both and then decide.

Did that article also tell you that when the soundtrack of the movie is mixed, they usually don't use dipole/bipoles?

I'm biased and like direct better.