Different brand of speakers what am I losing?

[05king]

I am currently updating my home entertainment system. I just purchased a Denon AVR-3805, and my question is on my speakers. They are mixed and matched. I was wondering if I could keep some or scrap them all and start over? The center and sub are Polk Audio, the fronts are old Cerwin vega 12" monsters, (old school) and the surrounds are Infinity. Should I keep the sub and start over? I am looking for good theater sound. There was a day where I wanted it loud but not anymore just want good surround sound? None of the speakers seem to be damaged and it sounds good in 2 channel stereo but lacks in the surround dept. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[corysmith01]

Welcome 05king.

I'd start by giving us the specifics on the speakers, namely their model numbers. Hard to say if you should keep one or the other if we're not sure what you have. Just going out on a limb, I'd say that you may have a good starting point to build on with the Polk speakers...but again, that depends on what you have. Their subs leave a little to be desired when you compare what you pay for them to what you can get now, particularly with the online retailers (Hsu, SVS, etc). But who knows. Drop another post with the specific model #'s and let's go from there.

By they way, you definitely have a good start with the 3805. That's a solid receiver.

 

[05king]

Thanks I will get you some model #'s.

 

[j_garcia]

It depends on what you're after. If you want a seamless sound, then mismatched speakers are definitely not going to give you that. You will get sound, but things that pan or are spread across the front will not sound 100% correct. Most can pick up on this subtle difference in sound, but for some it is not such a big deal. That is why I use 5 identical speakers all around. If you can live with that difference for now, it isn't a big deal. The only way to really understand what seamless means is to listen to a properly setup system with matching speakers.

 

[abboudc]

The important thing is that your speakers are voice matched (or "timbre matched") and i suspect yours are not.

Some people prefer 5 identical speakers, some prefer towers in the front and bipoles in the back. Either one will sound good, as long as they are voice matched.

It's just easier getting matched speakers from the same company as they designed them as a system. They don't have to be the same brand and you can get different brands of speakers that sound good together, it's just more difficult to do. One other word of caution: just because speakers are the same brand, doesn't mean they are made to work together...