Tip of The Day: Mixing and Matching Speakers

[admin]

As a general rule, we do not recommend mixing and matching different brands of speakers in a surround sound system. Even mixing different lines within a particular brand can present problems. In order to maintain a reasonably consistent timbre (sonic signature) between different speakers, it's a good idea to have a matched system. Matching your front three speakers is most important, but if the manufacturer of your front speakers doesn't make a suitable surround speaker you can consider going with a different brand for surround speakers. Still, we recommend trying to stay within the same brand and series for all of your speakers. A notable exception to this rule is the subwoofer, which fills in the low end. In fact, there is rarely any reason to keep your subwoofer the same brand as your main speakers. There are several companies specializing in subwoofers, such as SVS, Hsu Research, Velodyne, Rythmik, and Power Sound Audio whose products have consistently proven to be better than many of the alternatives on the market.

Tell us about your mix and match loudspeaker successes and *gasp* failures.



Discuss "Tip of The Day: Mixing and Matching Speakers" here. Read the article.

[theaterphile]

hey I know about the rewards of having all the same type of speakers in a surround setup , but I had awesome results with a pair of B@W cdm 9nt that I modded for the front channels with a def tech clr 3000 center channel and a pair of paradigm legend v3 for the back surrounds . Yamaha a1000 receiver powering the center and carver a220 powering the front and back channels it sounded awesome . Then I swapped the B@W's for a pair of Dali Ikon 7's and the whole thing fell apart . Ive tweaked everything I can think of and it just aint the same . WTF . Any suggestions !!!!

[lsiberian]

Matching surrounds normally results in a lower quality front set because they are overpriced for the system. My tip is put as much money as you can in the Subs and Front speakers. Cheap out on the surrounds.

[Cliff_is]

Matching surrounds normally results in a lower quality front set because they are overpriced for the system. My tip is put as much money as you can in the Subs and Front speakers. Cheap out on the surrounds.

I tend to agree. The price of some surround speakers are way too high compared to the matching main speakers.

I have also really noticed the benefits of full-range surround speakers. I went from using a typical bi-pole design that played down to 80Hz, to a active full-range towers, and have really enjoyed the capabilities of the towers as surround speakers.

[gene]

I tend to agree. The price of some surround speakers are way too high compared to the matching main speakers.

I have also really noticed the benefits of full-range surround speakers. I went from using a typical bi-pole design that played down to 80Hz, to a active full-range towers, and have really enjoyed the capabilities of the towers as surround speakers.

Floorstanding surrounds is good if you can place the listening seats far enough away from the surrounds otherwise they will tend to be too localizable. It may be preferred for music, but not as much for movies.

[Cliff_is]

Floorstanding surrounds is good if you can place the listening seats far enough away from the surrounds otherwise they will tend to be too localizable. It may be preferred for music, but not as much for movies.

I should clarify, they are pretty close to the listening position but they are also bi-pole speakers.

[Steve81]

Floorstanding surrounds is good if you can place the listening seats far enough away from the surrounds otherwise they will tend to be too localizable. It may be preferred for music, but not as much for movies.

I do use floorstanders as surrounds; at the money seat they're both about six feet away, and the performance is pretty good. Of course, move a couple seats to the right, and you've got problems. Doesn't make much difference in my case as I don't entertain much in the theater room. I would reconsider it in the future though, as I lose a lot of output potential on that right side given that I've got a load bearing pole in the way, and the speaker is firing largely into the back of the couch. Audyssey bumps it up about 2dB relative to the left, and 5dB relative to the center which has the same rated sensitivity and is further away.

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Floorstanding surrounds is good if you can place the listening seats far enough away from the surrounds otherwise they will tend to be too localizable. It may be preferred for music, but not as much for movies.

Plus Dolby specs have them 2-3 feet above earlevel, also to reduce localizability, which means some hefty 2' speaker stands (stacked cinderblocks or patio bricks works great).

[Marshall_Guthrie]

Agreed on the front 3 approach.

Conventional wisdom has it that the center channel is the most importance as the majority of information is presented through that channel, and it is intended to be localizable. I used the JBL S-Center ii for a while, but decided it was too wimpy for my listening levels. Bumped up to a serious "bookshelf" speaker, the JBL S38 ii. If I had extras, I'd run 3 identical speakers up front for the best consistency during front channel pans.

CW holds the opposite for surrounds. My biggest challenge with surrounds relates to my family room setup. With 4 walls in a rectangular room, you have plenty of mounting options. I don't have a back wall (opens to kitchen) or side wall at 90-110 degrees (open hallway to the left). Ceiling is vaulted (no good option for in ceiling), so I went with in-corner speakers at the intersection of a lower ceiling just behind the seating position.

In Corner??? Look here and you'll see what I mean: http://lucysblog.com/wp-content/plug...-now-aw-i9.jpg
--not my picture, not my ceiling

So, I stuck with JBL, but traded driver composition and cabinet design. At the end of the day, it didn't sound as good as when I had a pair of JBL S26 ii on stands at 100 degrees 2 feet above ear-level, but it reclaimed my floorspace, and prevent crushing deaths related to unstable/top-heavy speaker stands.

Is 5, 7, or 9 identical speakers the ideal? I think so. Is it practical? Not for most people. Start with a good front 3 set and adjust to taste with your other channels.

[woofersus]

I agree that the front three are most important, but whether or not you should spend most of your budget on them depends on just how much you're stretching your budget I think. It might make the difference between a really good front stage or a mediocre one, or maybe a front stage that sounds decent vs just a cheap system that happens to surround you. However, once you have front speakers that you really like, or can afford to have 5 nice, well design speakers there are distinct advantages to matching all around. (or even series matching) Of course some companies make miniature versions within the same line that are timbre matched for surround duty, but timbre matching isn't the only issue. There's the advantage of being able to cross over to a sub at the same frequency, (and a lower one) and it seems like having the same off axis frequency and phase response makes a real difference in creating a seamless circle rather than just some rear effects. I've heard systems with 5 or 7 really great speakers all around and systems that had three really great speakers up front with mini monitors in the back for similar sums of money, and the former did a much more convincing job.