Just bought a 2nd hand 7.1 channel receiver to handle my dvd collection, mostly old movies which have been downloaded and 'burnt'. In order to overcome the different audio qualities of the dvd's, i have opted for this unconventional speaker set-up (to make full use of the many speakers I have, the number of viewers, the room acoustics, etc). 2 centre speakers below the TV, 2 front and 2 rear speakers to the front channel, 2 speakers each for the rear surround - a total of 10 speakers. And for the setting, instead of Dolby, DTS, etc which had not existed then, I used Neural music, etc for the special effects. I am open to criticisms or even condemnations.

It all depends on what movies you are watching. That is my HT/AV receiver set up where 'effects' are important. For music only, I use a different amp & speaker combo (direct source / bypass without tone controls).

1. I wire the centres together to the receiver centre out. One wire to one centre, another to the other, in the same binding post of the receiver. Instead of bi-amping or bi-wiring,I guess I call it bi-speakering! So long as the receiver output can handle it and both the centres are preferably 8 ohms resistance.

2. Besides 'neural music', the other setting is Neo 6 music. Before I had this receiver (Pioneer VSX 1020), the even older 2nd hand receiver (Marantz SR66) only has Dolby and the sound is mostly concentrated in the centre without much from the front and rear surrounds especially for older movies without surround sound.

3. No subs. My belief is that if the front speakers can go down to about 35 Hz or below, it will be sufficient for the 'lows'. In that way, you save on electricity since all speakers are passive rather than active. Too much vibration is also bad for the walls and your heart!

Thanks for enlightening me on the terminology & the difference between parallel and series connections. I prefer parallel connection as I think that my amp can handle loads of 4 ohm and I don't have to increase the volume. I may have to pay the price for my folly later on.

Appreciate your informative and illuminating comments. I admit my shortcomings but my only excuse in not getting a sub is my 'stinginess' in not wanting to spend more on home theater setup. TQ

'He' finds it most amusing and intriguing to have 2 very senior hi-fi enthusiasts discussing about "him". To be honest, he was beginning to 'see the light' and was almost persuaded to go out and buy a reasonably priced sub as soon as possible after reading the solid sounding & unbiased comments. Unlike 'frequency responses' etc, the human mind is a very complex organ with a wide ranging and inter-related inputs coupled with an equally bizarre array of output options and responses that totally disregards the 'truth' and facts and selectively favors the alternative path and hence continue to remain in the 'dark'. In the final analysis, Paskal is right - It is not for "him" given the circumstances:-
1. He has opted for larger drivers with lower frequencies in an attempt to reproduce the lows in the system.
2. As he has amassed a lot of speakers through the years (1st speaker was Acoustic Research 18 in 1983!), he is trying to make full use of them to try to replace the need for a sub, which is active, instead of passive.
3. His interest is more in hi-fi than in home theatre, and there lies his priority. He watches movies less than he listens to hi-fi which is located in another room with a different set-up - where 'consistent frequency response' at low volumes can be reproduced for less.
4. Well, he is still 'stingy' when it comes to home theatre as a good sounding subs, even a used model, can increase the cost of the HT set up, what with HD big screen TV's and HDMI AV receivers, etc.
To conclude, He thanks you all for participation in this interesting discussion. He believes that he will be 'haunted & taunted' for a long, long time.