I'm pretty new to the world of higher end audio and surround systems and I'm trying to get a little info.
Im in the market, for the first time in a long time to completely update my surround sytem.
I currently have an older yamaha receiver (no-hdmi) that i'm going to replace and 2 older definite tech tower speakers (which still sound great) and an older definitive tech center speaker (not so great) no sub no satelites, and i want to go 5.1.
my questions are this:
1. If i choose to continue using the def tech towers do i need to go same brand with the rest of the speakers ie.. center, satelites and sub.
2. any brands i want to stay away from in regards to receivers mid price range prolly capped around let say $600, or any stron recomendations would be helpful.
I'm sure others will chime in with more details, but I'll get it started with some quick responses.
1) The general idea is that you at least want the front 3 to be all the same brand, and if possible the same model series of that brand. It's called timber matching and if you mix different brands up front it can sound "off" when sounds pan across the front soundstage. The satellites are less critical to be the same brand for movies, but for multi-channel music you probably want to stick to the same brand and series. Also, you may hear some people talk about or recommend a "phantom center", where you have no center channel speaker at all but let the main L and R handle the center duties. The key to that is mains that image very well and are placed and setup properly. That may be an option for you to try out, it may sound better than the center that you currently use. The sub can be from any company and the general rule around here is that the internet direct companies (HSU, SVS, Epik, Rythmic, Funk) are the best bang for the buck.
2) Yamaha has always been one of my favorite sounding recievers, especially the natural sound line (I would guess that is the one you have). I moved to a Pioneer Elite for the HDMI etc, but my old Yammy was top-notch. If I were looking at recievers today, I would be leaning towards Marantz, Yamaha, Denon, in that order. Personally, I would avoid the Onkyos with a passion. Some people will agree and some will defend Onkyo, but I wouldn't do it with my $. Also, I avoid Sony like the plague!
