7.1 Rear and Side speaker distance?

[KingRT]

For HT.
What is the minimum speaker distance between (same side of room) back and side speakers?

Both Back speakers are near the corners.
Both Side speakers are facing your ears.
Both are in a straight line with the Front Speakers.

At some point in closeness, it seems like it would be better with just running a 5.1 setup.

Does a 7.1 speaker set up, upset 5.1 sacds?
Being its a different rear speaker set up?? ( In 7.1, 5.1 sacd's will now fire into the ears directly versus from behind)

Thanks

[Poobah]

Not giving you exactly what your asking... but Currently I have a 7.1 setup, and I'm very seriously considering switching to 5.1.

I have 18.5ish x 12.5ish room... the room layout, placements of windows and doors have pretty well dictated that my side surrounds have to be placed up the wall and staggered from one another.. (they are not directly across from one another) etc...

Additionally depending on what side of the couch your sitting on(one day to be theatre seating), you will be a lot closer to one speaker or the other.. Unless your sitting in the middle. Also the side surrounds because there staggered are pointed in different directions to hit the sweet spot, which also means seats that are not in the sweet spot can be very far out of the sweet spot from one speaker compared to another.

Just lots of crappy variables.

I find it all to be a problem, and I can't help but think that a 5.1 setup would solve most of the issues. So Now I keep looking for used 803n's or 802n's that are within local pickup distance.... Perferably I'd love to have 802's in all four corners of my room.. I personally think it would be a much more realistic and well balanced presentation then 7.1.. at least in modest rooms like mine, where there isn't alot of side room to play with.

[KingRT]

Thanks.
True Story!