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
There's lots to consider for balancing things out to maximize the "team effort", which is a system. The more you do RIGHT, the better chances you have of attaining a quality effort, and great results.
Sure, you can get buy, and probabaly be just fine doing mix match. And, yes, the rears arent' as critical to the peformance of the system, as what's happening up front...you absolutely MUST match the front 3 speakers to produce a believeable, coherent soundstage with unifor tonality there. And this is the bulk of your pressentation.
Heck, I use two speakers, and sometimes not even a sub to watch on my big screen/receiver setup these days. But then I'm a bit lazy with all of this right now, and don't really care so much. I know..sad isn't it.
Still, if you want to add another properly balanced ingreadient to your mix, and keep the quality level of the system up, and be ambitious about it, you really should get the matching speakers ALL AROUND in the system, to maintain coherence and integrity, and so your soundstage has the potential to be transparant, and so you can just dissapear into the sound, and the gear gets out of the way of the playback chain.
What often happens is people end up listening to a collection of "gear", with limited fidelity potential and realism to the perforance of the audio. It can just end up being sound coming from different directions...and not really great sound, at that.
Think of it as taking the time to carefully spice a dish your cooking. Yes, you can be happy with just "ball parking" it. But heck, why not just throw anything in there, if better quality can't be had matching everything in the first place? Cause you're just not gunna end up with anything SPECIAL from the sytem, otherwise. Nothign you can't get from a better home theater in a box effort, if you just throw it together, really.
Just some thoughts
Avgoround,

Considering that I am extremely happy with my front 3 speakers (and how they perform with my other equipment), I don't believe I would be throwing some "gear" together by going with bookshelf speakers for the rear, so long as they have the same drivers as the fronts. This would give me a timbre match, or am I wrong here?

If I am incorrect in this understanding, please let me know. I do not profess to being up to date or overly indulged in electronics... that's why I come here to ask you guys that are more involved.

Also remembering that on 12-17 I posted this comment:

"I can now see a definite merit for same speakers if I were listening to classical music via MCH SACD... I am not. Clearly this would be ideal for those that do."

Thus, I believe the bookshelf speakers from the "M" series with the same drivers would achieve my goal. If I am incorrect in my assumption here guys, again, please let me know!

So, unless I get responses informing me I am wrong, and need the larger M7si for the rear (considering my use), what I really need is someone that knows the Mirage "M" series well enough to recommend a suitable bookshelf speaker from that series, so I can begin my search.

Thus, I believe the bookshelf speakers from the "M" series with the same drivers would achieve my goal. If I am incorrect in my assumption here guys, again, please let me know!

I think everything in the ballpark of approximately 80-20kHz should sound as similar as possible, with a sub carrying the bass below that.

It would be nice to out if they did have a full surround system with your speakers used. I searched the web, and can't seem to find any system reviewed with your speakers used for the front. I'm guessing there are smaller speakers made by them that would sound similar, or "house sound."

The new owner should provide this info IMO.