Mic placement with multiple rows, tiers and surround speaker sets

I have a home theater with two rows of three positions. Each row has its own direct radiating surround Ls/Rs off a y cable per channel mounted several feet above and slightly behind the sitting position. The second row is elevated on a platform which is also built as a bass trap. There is a center rear channel on the center axis in the rear (i.e. 6.1). The rear wall has been acoustically removed, and the room is heavily treated (side walls and ceiling).

I have both the SVS AS-Eq1 and MultEq XT in play.

I have read in the AVS setup guide that the vertical position of the mics should not vary. What is the rationale for this recommendation? How do you recommend handling rows at significantly different heights?

Also, is there any special handling for two rows of surrounds? Will the y cable and resulting time alignment issues have a material impact?

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    Audyssey Labs

    The info in the AVS guide should probably be updated to include rooms with elevated seating in the second row. It's really better to have the mic at ear level in each row and so that would put the mic at different levels in the two rows.

    Y-cording the surrounds on each side is the way to go. That's what movie theaters do to provide more uniform ambient sound to a large audience.

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