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Matching Mains and Center Channel

post #1 of 3
4/9/08 at 5:38am
Thread Starter 
Hi guys,

Is it imperative that I match the brands of my two front mains and my center channels speakers? And if I DO have to match them, do they have to be the same series? For instance, can I use an older JBL center with two JBL mains that are 5 years newer?

Dennis
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post #2 of 3
4/9/08 at 6:08am

Re: Matching Mains and Center Channel

Yes and yes. The most important speakers to timbre match are the front 3, the surrounds not as much and the sub not at all. From the same series is probably the best because there can be significant differences between lines from the same manufacturere. That doesn't mean that a newer speaker from the same model line as an older speaker won't match. You'd have to contact the manufacturer for that info.
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post #3 of 3
4/9/08 at 6:17am

Re: Matching Mains and Center Channel

The purpose for matching the fronts and center, is for timbre matching.
When a sound pans from left to right (or vice versa), you want it to sound the same, during the whole pan. You don't want the sound to change, when it gets to the center speaker, then change back to original sound, when it gets to the other side. This is the reason that all your speakers should match. Real life sounds don't change, like when a car goes by you on the street. So, it comes down to how much you want things to sound right.

To be matched,the drivers should be the same size and made of same materials. So, ideally, they should be the same series of speaker. A lot of people use mismatched speakers, and are happy with them, including myself. I just couldn't afford matched speakers at the time, and now, it's hard to find speakers to match my fronts.
Good luck!
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