Stereo music: speaker set up

[bj1234]

Hi all, over a majority of material I have read so far about stereo speaker set up there seems to be reference to only a single pair configuration. I am wondering what the pros and cons would be in using a four speaker set up to play music.
Take this for consideration: my current bookshelves have a certain set of drivers that make them competent in a certain sound spectrum whereas another pair of lets say floor standers may be able to add weight to the lower spectrum. Both can be from the same manufacturer to match manufacturing.
I have a 500 sq. ft. hall where I listen to music, so its not really a large area but I am mentally exploring what additional speakers could do in terms of music quality. Positioning of the new speakers would take up the same positions as those that surround speakers in a 5.1 channel home theater set up would take.
Do share your thoughts and educate me on the pros and cons of such a set up on music quality.

 

[Pyrrho]

Putting the extra pair of speakers behind you is going to make it seem as if the music is both in front of you and behind you, because you are sending the same signal to both. It will fill the room with sound, if that is what you are wanting, but it is not going to realistically recreate the experience of listing to live music that way.

If all you want is the extra bass from the one set of speakers, you could put both pairs in front, one on top of the other, and you will not have the above problem. However, it will not work as well as one good pair of speakers, due to the fact that those pairs of speakers are not designed to work together, and so some frequencies will be overemphasized, and others will be underemphasized. It might, however, sound better than either pair of your current speakers on their own, depending on what they are, how, exactly, you position them, where exactly you sit, and your personal preferences.

 

[sholling]

I would go with a single pair of speakers and a good quality subwoofer to fill in the lows.

 

[Pyrrho]

I would go with a single pair of speakers and a good quality subwoofer to fill in the lows.

Yes, if one has a pair of bookshelf speakers with which one is completely satisfied except for the bass, that is a good approach.

But one can also take it as an opportunity to improve the full spectrum of sound by just replacing the speakers one already has with better speakers. This second possibility will be more expensive (for equal bass), but will typically be easier to setup and will improve the upper frequencies as well. But, again, if the speakers one already has are fine for everything except deep bass, your suggestion is very good and the most economical way to proceed.

 

[sholling]

Yes, if one has a pair of bookshelf speakers with which one is completely satisfied except for the bass, that is a good approach.

But one can also take it as an opportunity to improve the full spectrum of sound by just replacing the speakers one already has with better speakers. This second possibility will be more expensive (for equal bass), but will typically be easier to setup and will improve the upper frequencies as well. But, again, if the speakers one already has are fine for everything except deep bass, your suggestion is very good and the most economical way to proceed.

For a room that size (500sqft) the ideal solution would be a pair of towers that are capable of plenty of output and a subwoofer. But as long as the OP is happy with with his existing bookshelves and their output then just adding a sub to fill in the lows and ease the load on the receiver offers a lot of bang for the buck. Since he expressed a desire to continue using his speakers (in conjunction with more speakers) then that seems like a reasonable assumption. But since we have no idea what's in his system we're both flying blind here.