Newb with quick question about panasonic..... (1 Viewer)

Firstly hi all, was checking out your forums and thought you guys may be able to give me some great advice. I just got a panasonic SA-BT230 blu ray home theatre system 5.1 And was wondering if it's possible to use other manufacturers speakers? I know it's not the best system, but for what I got it for I like it, just would like a bit more depth to the sound, mainly from the left and right rear speakers? .

From the looks of the manual the speaker connectors, while proprietary at the receiver end, are just bare wire at the speaker end, so the connections would not be an issue. But this system uses different non-standard impedences, which could be an issue. (6 ohms for center and subwoofer, 3 ohms for front l/r and surrounds.) Most speakers are deisgned for 8 ohms or 4 ohms. I wouldn't try to mix and match after-market speakers with such a system. This is one of the reasons we tend to advise against HTiB systems around here - too hard to upgrade or add on. (Another is the fact that if one component fails - say the BD player - the whole unit has to go into the shop and you're left with nothing while you're waiting to get it back.)

just would like a bit more depth to the sound, mainly from the left and right rear speakers

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I don't think the speakers are really the issue here. Yours are deisgned to work with of your system, and the plain fact is the surround speakers don't do a heck of a lot most of the time. They are mostly there for atmosphere, effects and the odd pan. They definitely enhance over-all impact of a soundtrack wehn used well, but even the most aggressive surround mix doesn't use them as much as the front (and especially center) speakers or as loudly. I'm not sure you'd notice any improvement even if you were able to replace them. Regards, Joe

Andrew, Properly placing your speakers may help. Look at this guide from Dolby for guidance. I noticed you said "rear" speakers and there's no such thing with a 5.1 system (a very common mistake).

Hi, thanks for the advice. My Rear speakers are indeed at the side rather than rear though, just my bad wording lol. I'll have a tweak with some of the audio settings and placement to see what works best then.