Full range rear speakers

A lot of this has to do with the individual movies that you watch. Most movies don't have full range sound from the rears and as such, it can be a waste for much of what you watch. As more movies are mixed in DTS and / or similar formats, you will notice more of a difference. Older Pro Logic and even most AC3 stuff is not even up to the task in terms of making the investment. Stick with something that uses "decent" sized woofers i.e. 6.5" - 8", etc...

Keep in mind that you also have a lot more to think about in terms of speaker placement, as i don't know too many "full range" speakers that can be wall or stand mounted, etc...

As a case in point, i had a pretty hard time getting my rear speakers situated in the room that i'm in. These speakers are actually towers and are slightly smaller versions of the mains that i have up front. They have a .75" tweeter, 1.5" dome upper midrange, 8" mid-woofer and two 10" woofers per cabinet. I'm driving these with 800 wpc, so there is no problem with performance potential in terms of spl or frequency response.

Quite honestly, i would probably NOT go for speakers that were this big had i known then what i know now. I would have went with something that was a little more "practical" and efficient. I only have that much power as that is about what it takes to make them "rock" when needed. Sean
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Ok,George has a different opinion. For 10 years I have had full range rear speakers---Mirage 3si--NO SUB. (apt.dweller) One of the more common effects is thunder across the rears.Gotta get it all and know exactly where it's coming from. 10 years ago people had the opinion expressed above.(Didn't buy it then either.) Remember guys this ain't a double bass or organ music.-- So, yes it is a matter of personal tastes. Many today have receivers or muti gadgeted processors.Move up to one of them there Meridian processors--See your dynamics go up 10 fold,as in clean & clear.--"With sub" my be different. With no sub--go full range in the rear,if you're thinking that way. BTW, I've had 6 processors in the last year. They do differ. It ain't just about speakers. As in 2ch; everything in the chain matters.

George, i agree that there are times when "full range" does increase the effects and enjoyment. However, i think that "full range" is a relative thing. If a speaker can do 50 Hz with reasonable authority and roll off below that, i think that it would be more than sufficient for use as a rear channel speaker.

To me, "full range" means something that can do at least down into the low to mid 30 Hz range ( preferably into the 20's ) without straining. As such, i'm not recommending a "tiny" speaker for the rears but something that is reasonably efficient and goes "reasonably low". You don't necessarily need something that is "titanic" in terms of size or low frequency response. That is why i said that i would have went with something a little more reasonable i.e. a box that did not weigh 100+ lbs and need a horsepower worth of power to make it thunder.

For the record, my HT system has six 12's, four 10's and six 8's in it and is powered by 6000+ watts. As such, my point of view may be sligthly different than that of someone else with a different installation. Sean
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Hi. I just demoed a 1/2 dozen rear surround full-range wall-mountable speakers, and was shocked that most of them, while sounding quite nice in free-space, sounded thick, muffled, and awry once boundary-compensation filled them in on the wall! The PSB and JM Labs especially had their nice signatures ruined by wall-mounting...yet they're geometry and intent is clearly that of wall-mounting! How ridiculous. Finally I stumbled upon the Boston Acoustics VR-MX rear surrounds, and was delighted...especially after chatiing with their designer, who heartily reinforced that he "of course compensated in the crossover and bass alignment" for boundary-loading. Sheesh!
So be VERY careful to audition your favorites up on the wall!