maching speakers (1 Viewer)

[Matt Weldy]

Can someone please explain how to match speakers (and I dont mean the appearance) I have a sony surround system. Pretty much eveything I have is sony. I have the ss-mf515 floor standing speakers (which I love to death) but the center and surround need to go. I have read that you need to match the speakers, I am just not sure how.
Thanks:frowning:

 

[Scott Hayes]

When someone refers to matched speakers they are refering to the tweeter. They should be the same on your main speakers and center speakers. It is very noticable if they are not. If all of you speakers are sony they may already have the same tweeter, but I am not very familiar with the sony line I found this explanation at the Polk audio site its pretty good:

Take a Balanced Approach

Your stereo, center, and surround speakers shouldn't just sound good, they should all sound the same. Using a technique known as "timbre matching," top manufacturers achieve a consistent character of sound, or timbre, from main to center to surround models, assuring a seamless blend among all channels. Choose a brand that offers a wide range of timbre-matched models. Look at the drivers and tweeters used throughout the system. The tweeters should be the same. The midrange driver cones should be made of the same material, or better yet, the drivers themselves should be identical.

I hope this helps you out.

 

[Matt Weldy]

so If the speakers are made out of the same material that will work.

 

[Ron Eastman]

Most will agree that the most important thing to have matching in an array of speakers are the tweeters. Only slightly secondary to that would be the midrange & bass drivers. Thirdly would be to match the crossover.

Drivers of different materials and sizes have different color characteristics, just like using different strings (and corresponding fret area) on a guitar can create the exact same note but will still sound slightly different. Adjectives like thin, warm, shrill, tinny, fatter and so on come to mind.

The obvious choice for a seamless soundstage would be 5 identical speakers but that isn't always possible for people who want a horizontal mounted center speaker or hanging surround speakers. If you must have different speakers for each channel it's best to keep them in the same brand and model line to insure that they are color matched. I don't know enough about Sony speakers to know what would go with your floor standing mains but I'm sure that Sony makes a compatible center channel and surround speakers to go with them. If it's an option, how about getting the compatible center and a second set of those floor standers for surrounds?

 

[Matt Weldy]

I fiqured that I should just stay with sony. I cant switch speakers becasue they are built into a hudge wall unit. And the sony center I have wont fit in the wall unit where I want it. Its 8 feet in the air 4 above the tv. And sony dosent sell a small center by itself. I was going to buy the bose but everybody told me not to. Another question is are centers made different from the surrounds. I looked at all of sony's packages and took all the grills off and couldnt tell which one was the center. Let me know thanks.

 

[Ron Eastman]

Good call on the Bose! Somebody gave you good advice.
If your speakers came in a package they are probably already matched.
It sounds like you are in a quandry with placement. If the center channel is not at the same level as your other speakers make sure to angle towards your listening area using some kind of shims or doorstops to prop up the rear. Another option would be to buy a mount to hang it from the ceiling, freeing it from the entertainment center, and angling it down to the listening area.
Personally, I wouldn't recommend buying a different center or surrounds until you are ready to replace the mains as well but it sounds like you don't plan to do that due to your wall unit. Tweaking what you have, as far as placement, is probably your best option at this point.

 

[Matt Weldy]

last question I promise, if I leave my center channel alone. I do howver need to by new surrounds. The ones I have now are bulky and they are on stands now. However with the new furniture they need to go on the wall. So I need to get smaller surround.

1 is it an important to match surrounds

and

2 which ones would you recommend someone recommend either the new bose surrounds that came out or jbl n24'

 

[Ron Eastman]

1. Is it important to match surrounds?
Not as vital as matching the front 3 speakers but still important. When your front soundstage matches, sounds panning across that area will sound natural but pans to the rears are less common. You still want the rears to match as well as is possible but you could cheat a little here.
2. The new Bose surrounds that came out or JBL N24?
Well, I already dislike Bose due to deceptive marketing practices, overpricing and very little true innovation. It's tough to recommend anything from a company I have so little respect for. JBL, on the other hand, makes quality speakers that are well respected in the industry. I've heard the Northridge series and briefly considered them before I settled on Paradigm. I consider the N24 and the rest of that line to be a tremendous value. That said, only you can be the judge of your new speakers and you will have to live with them so make sure you audition carefully and buy from a shop that has a liberal return policy. That way, if they don't sound good with your Sony speakers you can always take them back.

 

[AndyVX]

I personally feel that it's just as important to match the surrounds. Whenever there is panning from front to back(back to front)and you don't have matching surrounds, the panning sounds strange...a very noticable difference in the sound.