How important is timbrematching?

[docferdie]

<font color='#000000'>Why do you need to timbermatch home theater speakers. Shouldn't speakers of good build and quality as well as similar frequency response curves be easy enough to blend? We do it for subwoofers. It's not like anybody has every said that you should buy Brand x subwoofers because the rest of your speakers are brand x. I think timbrematching is just a way of fostering brand loyalty.</font>

 

[zumbo]

<font color='#000000'>A speaker brand has a certain sound characteristic. A speaker size also has a certain characteristic. You would not want the same sound effect comming from a different speaker brand or size. It just does not sound right.

Subs, on the other hand, do not playback the same frequency as the other speakers. Therefor, no problem!

Now, if you are going to use two subs, I would say they also need to be the same. Just imagine  how funny it would sound with a Polk 12&quot; in one corner, &amp; a Bo$e 5.25&quot; in the other!

Bo$e 5.25&quot; sub!

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[abe]

<font color='#000000'>timbre matching is one of the top priorities in designing Home Theaters.   For mains and center channel, it is a must!  I've been trying several different configurations and finally settled on the same band AND same product line for mains and center. &nbsp;Rear surround may not have to be though IMHO and experience.

Speakers, even with same frequency responses, do not sound the same.  There are other characteristics to the speader in addition to F.R.  ....</font>

 

[av_phile]

Timbre matching is basically ensuring identical frequency response CURVES. Not just frequency response. Two speakers with the same frequency response of 40hz - 20khz +/- 3db may not sound the same because the curves are not identical. Because one could dip -3db at 2khz while the other might peak at +3db at the same point. But they are technicaly of the same F.R. operating within the same variation range.

Timbre matching is essential when we have a multi-channel/speaker set-up. Not just for home theater but for multi-channel SACD and DVD-A and even more so on 5-channel, 7-channel or multi-channel stereo modes.

For HT, you'd expect a jet plane going from front to back to sound like a jet engine from front to back and not become a bi-plane when it reaches the back. Similarly, horses racing on sand dunes shouldn't sound like horses racing on wooden floors when they reach the back or any part of the set-up.

In multi-channel stereo music, a timbre mismatch among speakers can be disquieting. A solo singer can appear to be two or more especially if the back imparts a totally different sonic character to the voice compared to the front.

Maybe not so critical with DVD-A and SACD especially if the back channels have discreet instumentation totally different from the front. Still, the recording engineers mixed the multi-channel instruments on the assumption that all speakers are identical. And as audiophiles, we'd prefer to listen to how the engineers mixed the music without chaning any variables.

Timbre-matched speakers don't have to share the same dispersion character. One can be a dipole, bipole or uni-pole or whatever, provided they all share the same FR curves on and off axis.

 

[rgriffin25]

I believe that it is very important to match your speakers. Not only by a brand or a particular line, its also helpful matching woofer and tweeter sizes as well. However, I do not think most people would be as critical as most of us in the AH forums. For them, the thrill of surround sound is overwhelming enough as it is.

I have had both, matched and mismatched speakers. In my experience there is quite an audible difference. For me it really has nothing to do with Brand Loyalty.

 

[zipper]

I'm finding this to be true by experience. Starting over from scratch(with a VERY limited budget) I put together 4 Klipsch KB1.1's(bookshelf) speakers,a low end Klipsch center,& a low end Boston sub driven by a Yamaha RX-V620(now a 3300). It was clear sounding but had no mid bass &,with no real bass management,couldn't be manipulated a whole lot. Enter 2 Boston 950's in place of 2 of the 1.1's. At lower volumes this combination actually sounds pretty good as the speakers seem to compliment each other,with the 1.1's on the bright side & the Bostons a bit flatter & laid back. However,when turning the volume up,the combo starts to sound very sibilant,even more so than when it was all 1.1's. The weaknesses of both brands of speakers becomes very evident.