2. home-theater
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Purpose of using same speakers for surround?

So, I'm wondering why I've heard it is best to have 4 identical speakers for fronts and surrounds? Since the rear (or surround) speakers are only giving out a limited amount of information to fill in details, I see no real reason that any reasonably competent speaker that reproduces down to 80hz wouldn't be just as effective?

In my case, I have been using matched Mirages across the front, with a pair of Pardigms for the rear. I keep thinking about wanting to get another set of Mirages for the rear, but unless there would be some marked improvement, I don't see the point?

Your thoughts would be appreciated.
baxter178
lapierre
547 posts
 
For space reasons I have in-wall speakers for the rear which work fine. Plus I didn't spend a ton of money and concert DVDs sound pretty good.
vicdamone
850 posts
 
Some room correction software will give you a visual of the performance of your individual speakers and their locations. Some programs will match to the weakest speaker. Given some work in their placement a matched set will need much less correction if any.

It's difficult to appreciate the potential of your system until you can compare it to being properly setup. As digital film production improves and with Blueray audio looms on the horizon the quality of your multi channel will become more important.
edorr
714 posts
 
It is an interesting theory, but a very bad way to allocate your budget. Lets say you have $20K to spend on those four speakers. Your options are spending $5K on four identical speakers. Alternatively you can spend say $9K a piece for mains and $1K a piece for surrounds (or $8K/$2K - whatever) . If like most of us you spend most of your time listening to either stereo, movie soundtracks with most information on the center channel and the occasional discrete MCH misc source with lots of information on the surrounds, you are far better off spending a lot more on mains.
unsound
7,329 posts
 
Edorr, your dismissal of the previous advice and subsequently offered advice, is predicated on assumptions and qualifications that have not been provided by the OP. Even if what you suggested were true for the OP, very often the budget allocation could permit the less expensive surrounds to come from the same manufacturer, which would more often than not, be a better match with the mains.
edorr
714 posts
 
The question is about 4 identical speakers (not same manufacturer). I totally agree that getting the same manufacturers speakers is typically a good idea. But I stick by my opinion that in most applications getting 4 identical speakers is not. (Exception would be an avid classical music listener with extensive MCH SACD collection).
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