can you swap front and rear speakers?

[cjjowett]

Youll have to excuse my ignorance- just in the process of buying a 5.1 home cinema system and ideally I would like 2 tallboy speakers as the rear speakers, however most of the systems in my price range only have small wall mounted speakers as the rear ones. therefore I was wondering if I bought something like this:

ww.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/396044/PHILIPS-HTS3357-05/tab/specification
(Phillips HTS3357/05)

would I be able to use the front tall boy speaker as the rear speakers and use the smaller speakers as the front ones? (hope that makes sense!)- Essentially are the front and rear speakers the same?
Also any recommendations for a good 5.1 home cinema system under £250?

Many thanks in advance

Chris

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum, Chris!

Actually, for that system, the tall speakers are the rear speakers - and the smaller speakers are the front speakers. So, you're all set.

Adam

EDIT: For reference, you can check out the owner's manual at the link here. It shows a diagram of the system on page 13.

BTW, the front and rear speakers used the same size drivers and have the same frequency response, so I would think that they would be interchangeable. So, put the tall ones in back or the front, whichever you prefer.

 

[cjjowett]

Hi thanks for your advice on that, Ive been doing a bit more research since posting that thread and think the sony DAV DZ560 seems a slightly better system (not that I know anything about these things?!) so would this work in the same way.
Ive looked at the manual and they both seem to be similar spec- 3 ohm impedence etc (manual is h ttp://pdf.crse.com/manuals/3283040111.pdf)

but it doesnt suggest they can be switched? any suggestions on this one?

Many many thanks again

 

[Adam]

For that Sony, you could swap the fronts and rear. As you said, the specs on the front and rear speakers are the same - same impedance and same cone size. The speaker connections are bare wire on the speaker ends, so that won't cause you any trouble at all.

I wonder if the front speakers have an additional cone as compared to the rears, but I haven't found an image of that, yet.

 

[cjjowett]

well i'll probably buy it tmw so I'll let you know if the sound is different-otherwise ill just buy a couple of stands.
thanks for your help on that one, much appreciated.

Chris

 

[lsiberian]

Hi thanks for your advice on that, Ive been doing a bit more research since posting that thread and think the sony DAV DZ560 seems a slightly better system (not that I know anything about these things?!) so would this work in the same way.
Ive looked at the manual and they both seem to be similar spec- 3 ohm impedence etc (manual is h ttp://pdf.crse.com/manuals/3283040111.pdf)

but it doesnt suggest they can be switched? any suggestions on this one?

Many many thanks again

For the price. That Sony system is actually pretty nice. My parents have one and it has eq setup, I think wireless rears. The fronts are the ones on the stands, but they are very very low profile. Very narrow and sleek looking. The DVD player looks really nice on a 52" Samsung. It may not be my system, but for a non audiophile or someone on a budget. I would suggest the sony. Make sure you read and follow the manuals for setup. Sony has great manuals for a lot of their products. For a HTIB at 300 US dollars it has great sound. Remember the surrounds ideally should go on the sides. Not the rear. I know that's something most people don't realize.

I wouldn't suggest switching the speakers. The sony fronts have I think 3 woofers in the fronts. But they are very low profile and I think you can not use the stands. But I don't know for sure.

If you could use the Sony then go for it I think it will work nicely for you!

Oh and Welcome to the Forum!