Type of speakers for 7.1 setup? (new to HT)

[krum]

I'm curious what types of speakers you would buy, for the different positions? Just wondering because there seem to be so many types, and I'm not sure what the purpose is for each one, or if they can be changed around in locations.

There are bookshelfs, floorstanding, center channel, soundbars, surround, rear channel, and satellite's (maybe more types). Whats the difference between these, and where would you use them? I'm sure some are the samething, just using multiple names. For example it seems the bookshelf, surround, rear and satellite are all the samething, but I'm not sure.

 

[mannoiaj]

I'm curious what types of speakers you would buy, for the different positions? Just wondering because there seem to be so many types, and I'm not sure what the purpose is for each one, or if they can be changed around in locations.

There are bookshelfs, floorstanding, center channel, soundbars, surround, rear channel, and satellite's (maybe more types). Whats the difference between these, and where would you use them? I'm sure some are the samething, just using multiple names. For example it seems the bookshelf, surround, rear and satellite are all the samething, but I'm not sure.

Alot of this would depend on budget. Your right in that people use different combinations of the speaker types that you have listed for different application based on budget, WAF, room size, etc...

Bookshelf is a type of speaker that can go on a bookshelf, be wall mounted, or go on a stand.
Surround could be a bookshelf, could be wall mounted, could be inwall, could go on a stand. Surround speaker pertains more to the logistics of surround sound and not so much the design of the speaker. You could use a huge floorstander for instance for a surround. Rear is also a matter of logistics, and would/could be the same as a surround.
Satellite generally refers to a speaker that is small in size and can easily be integrated into any setup.

I'd stay away from soundbars as they aren't separate speakers that can distinctively separate the channel information.

 

[krum]

What type would you recommend for the sides and back? Or does it simply not matter, so it seems from what you said?

 

[mannoiaj]

What type would you recommend for the sides and back? Or does it simply not matter, so it seems from what you said?

It matters, but your room layout is of huge importance as is the size of your room. I could say what's best for my room because I know the dimensions and possibilities that I have. Room treatment, budget, electronics also come into play. It's just not a simple answer that you're going to get. What is your preference for music/ movies etc..? There is alot to this and alot to research before you throw down your money.

 

[mannoiaj]

What type would you recommend for the sides and back? Or does it simply not matter, so it seems from what you said?

If you have a dedicated room and you don't have a budget, I'd recommend this for HT only.
http://jtrspeakers.com/home-audio/triple-12ht/

Alot of variables

 

[krum]

Ah k, that makes sense. A bit of a different question... when you buy a receiver that is like 100 watts per channel, I assume subwoofers have their own power souce since they normaly run higher than 100 watts, correct? Also, again if you have a AVR that is 100 watts per channel, and you buy speakers that allow 120, would you be losing a large amount of sound quality? Thanks again!

 

[mannoiaj]

Ah k, that makes sense. A bit of a different question... when you buy a receiver that is like 100 watts per channel, I assume subwoofers have their own power souce since they normaly run higher than 100 watts, correct? Also, again if you have a AVR that is 100 watts per channel, and you buy speakers that allow 120, would you be losing a large amount of sound quality? Thanks again!

A subwoofer that you would buy commercially nowadays will most likely be powered. It will have it's own power supply / amplifier and your receiver won't matter. The speakers that you buy do matter. With speakers and a receiver, I think it's good for beginners to purchase 8 ohm nominal speakers with decent sensitivity ie 88 db+ . The watts as you mention don't really matter at the end of the day. Alot of receivers talk about wattage but don't have similar measuring techniques so the results are skewed. So in general, if you buy a receiver that has 100 W per channel and you buy speakers that allow 120 W per channel.... thats a complete bunch of hogwash that we'd need to see more specifications about to be able to give an opinion.