Same mnfr. for front/center/rear? [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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Dr. Seuss
12-10-2004, 07:13 PM
I'm researching front speakers to finish out my home theatre (actually I still have to get a sub but that will have to come later.) I desperately need new fronts. I have a Klipsch Synergy III C-1 center. I'm also thinking of replacing the rear L/R Bic Venturis with rear L/R Klipschs Synergy Series. I listen to more music than H/T (probably 70/30) and was wondering this. If I decide that I like the stereo sound of B&W (or some other manufacturer) for music better than the Klipschs, how screwy will it be to have front L/R B&Ws and Klipsch center and/or rear speakers?

kexodusc
12-11-2004, 04:57 AM
Ideally, you'll want all 5 speakers to be timbre matched, incorporating the same drivers and crossovers so that the tone doesn't change from one speaker to the next.
In real world setups, you can probably get by with just having the front 3 matching.
You could mix and match center and mains too, but you run the risk of tonal shifts. Say someone is walking from left to right while speaking during a movie...it'll sound pretty weird as their voice "shift tones" from left, to center, and back to right. For music, this will sound even worse.

For multi-channel audio, 5 matching speakers is a must.