I'm looking for advice on the placement of some combination of 650 and/or MPX speakers. We have a room that is 14.5' wide with a 9' ceiling and a couch on the back wall that spans 14' (the couch essentially touches three walls). I'm debating how to handle the side surround/surround back channels. The surround back would be overhead, so my debate is what speakers and where to place the side surround speakers.

I read in the forum that it is recommended for the MPX to be a minimum of 18" from the adjoining walls. My thought was to place two MPXs overhead ~4-6ft apart for the surround back, and a pair of MPXs on the side walls a couple feet above the listening position erring slightly forward. Would the side surrounds be too close for the people sitting on either side of the couch? Or would a bipole speaker positioned slightly high work well? I could place four 650s in the ceiling spaced 4' apart and orient the tweeter directly at the primary listening position. Note that if all four speakers are in the ceiling, then the room layout requires them to be aligned against the back wall.

Thanks,
Brett

Hi Brett, Setting up a 7.1 home theater system (with your main listening position against the rear wall) is challenging - and would involve some compromises (since the rear surrounds aren't really behind the main listening position). With this in mind, I would be inclined to use a set of Invisa MPXs as your side surrounds. I'd also suggest placing them in your side walls - approximately 15 inches away from the rear wall, and 6 feet (or so) above the floor. Their angled drivers produce a great balance of focused sound and spaciousness, and they'll also produce better integration with your front sound stage. Next, I would be inclined to use a set of in-ceiling Invisa 650s as your rear surrounds. I'd suggest placing these Invisa 650s in the ceiling approximately 6-8 feet apart and within 12 inches of the rear wall. (I'd also recommend angling their tweeters directly toward the main listening position.) Happy Listening!