floor standing speakers for surrounds?

Bill,

The answer to your question is... it depends. It depends on what you set the crossover of your speakers. If you're crossing over at 60-80 range, full range may be a total waste unless you are totally concerned with absolute timbre matching across all speakers. The general, conventional wisdom is that it is a waste to go "full range". However, the appropriate thing if you have room and $$ is to get the same exact speaker for all your speakers. So, like I said, it depends on your goals and why you are asking. Personally, I'd put the money to full range surrounds and rears into the best possible fronts that I could afford and then get timbre matched bookshelf surrounds with a sub. I do both 2-channel, multichannel music, and also movies. So I want a setup that can appropriately accommodate all with minimal trade offs.

Internetmin... what cross over would you recommend? i am speaking for my fronts.... i was told to cross over at 80 so the rest goes to the sub.... so am i missing some good sounds from my fronts as well?

thanks
bill

Yes, a full range signal goes to the surround speakers. I am using PSB Image 5T towers for my surrounds, and running the surrounds full range. I really love hearing deep bass sounds coming from them in movies. There are a lot of scenes in which there is noticeable deep bass coming from behind my seating position on the sofa.

Now, that being said, since these speakers really start dropping off in their output around 80hz, you will achieve more overall deep bass and rumble by crossing them over at 60 to 80hz to a subwoofer. It just depends on what you like. Personally, I don't care for stomach churning deep bass levels, so that is why I am running them full range.

Of course, using towers allows you to experiment a bit and find out how you like it, while if you go with monitors, you will definitely not be running them full range and will probably cross them over at 80hz.

"what cross over would you recommend? i am speaking for my fronts.... i was told to cross over at 80 so the rest goes to the sub.... so am i missing some good sounds from my fronts as well?"

What are your front speakers? How deep do they go? 80 hz is the standard crossover. Unless you have really big speakers, you might want to cross them over at 60hz or 80hz. My fronts will play down to 22hz(in the right room), but not at any level close to the sound pressure level you can get out of a sub. I am not now using a sub, but when I was, I was crossing my fronts over at 60 or 40hz.

Sorry i did jot put it.... b&w 804S.... front and looking at getting the same for the rear... or the older 804N... they say they go 38Hz - 22khz