Surround speakers are the subject of many rumors, myths, and die-hard rules invented by those that think the know best. Truth be told, there is no die hard rule for surround speakers. Deciding which type of speaker design and placement to use has more to do with personal preference than any techno-geek laden rule.

Should you use direct or reflecting speakers?
It depends on the sound you want your surround speakers to produce, and there is still no tried and true method of which way surround speakers are supposed to go. The proof of this is in the THX industry specs themselves.

In commercial theaters, surround systems use very directional speakers that produce a very directional non-diffuse sound. Yet THX specifies that home based surround systems should employ dipole speakers that have drivers on the front and back of the speaker to produce a very diffuse sound field that envelops the listener. It gets better... The newest THX spec for 6.1 surround sound provides the addition of a center surround channel that is very directional behind you.

So, according to THX, the best home-based surround system should:

1. Incorporate diffuse dipoles (based on the argument that surround sound should be non-directional)
2. Also use direct speakers for the surround center channel to make surround sound more directional.

"What?" and "Huh?" are the best questions to ask after hearing this simplified, realistic look at the THX spec.

It's just proof that not even the most trusted home theater specification company in the industry can decide which setup is better. So they simply play it safe by choosing both types, which in turn poses the idea of having not merely 2 surround speakers, but possibly 3 or 4. Now what spouse would allow for that to happen? For that matter, what room can accommodate that many speakers without the speakers overtaking the room? Price becomes an issue as well, if your on a budget the need to buy more speakers will, most likely, force you to downgrade to cheaper speakers. If you have expensive speakers, adding a couple more will definitely be a heavy drain on your pocketbook. It's simply a nonrealistic decision that's not honest about the decisions you'll need to make about your surround system. The truth follows...

The simple truth:
You, the consumer, need to decide what you prefer your surround system to sound like. You have 2 speaker array choices that'll produce very different sound qualities:

1. Reflecting Speakers: Use multiple drivers facing different directions to produce a diffuse soundfield that is open and all enveloping.
2. Direct Speakers: Use drivers facing one direction (directly facing the listener) and rely on soundstaging to create the openness of the soundfield.

Advantages
Reflective: provides a general surround sound atmosphere that is blended together and provides a non-distracting ambient sound. This is the setup that provides the best front to back blending since the sound is being "reflected" around the room.

Direct: provides a very direct surround sound that relies on soundstaging to produce ambient effects. This setup provides the possibility of having both Reflective and Direct sound qualities available. The reason for this is due to the soundstage capabilities. If the sound engineer wants a diffuse ambient sound they can simply edit the sound to sound that way. If they want a directional effect they can do that too. The main advantage direct has over reflective is that the soundstaging capability can also effectively simulate a center surround channel; bringing you one step closer to 6.1 sound of you don't have that capability.

Note: the soundstaging capability of direct speakers is extremely dependent on speaker quality, placement, calibration, amplifier quality, and sitting location.

Disadvantages
Reflective: simply cannot produce a soundstage the simulates a center surround channel.

Direct: is usually harder to blend with the front speakers. Requires more room to setup (figure on needing as much room as the front main left and right speakers).

Setup
Reflective: Can be placed anywhere that bounces sound off the back walls and into the room. The more reflections the better. Dipoles are best setup directly to the sides of the listening position, 7 feet up on the wall, with the null area facing the listening position.

Reflective speakers offer the simplest and most diverse options for speaker placement.

Directs: Mirror the same setup used for you front main left and right speakers, except that you will almost always have to toe (angle) in the surround speakers to your listening position to produce the best sound.

Direct speakers are the hardest and most demanding surround speakers to setup. They require symmetrical placement of the speakers which may not be an option in many rooms.

How do you find out which setup is right for you?
You can either buy a set of each type of speaker (pricey and not recommended), or you can go to a dedicated home theater shop (Tweeter or other various local vendors). These specialized home theater shops should easily be able to give you a demo of each type of surround speaker configuration. They will also be able to give you some advice to help you out further, but be warned, many will also have their own set of surround sound setup rules.

The choice is yours. Pick speakers that create the type of surround sound you want your system to produce; and setup accordingly.

For more info on speaker setup check out the On Setup: Speakers section.