Question about mix and matching speaker brands (1 Viewer)

[boli0088]

So I have a question about my front speaker setup. I have a pair of Pioneer SP-FS51-LR Floorstanding Loudspeakers and I am wondering if I can get a different brand of center speaker? I can't get the Pioneer SP-C21 Center Channel Speaker because it is both too deep and too tall for my setup so I was looking at the Yamaha NS-C210BL 2-Way Bass-Reflex Center Speaker. Would it be not be wise to mix these two? I am new to the home theater world so I'm not sure what to do.
Thanks

 

[Jason Charlton]

There are a lot of drawbacks to mixing and matching the front three speakers. We'll never say that it "can't" be done, only that it's not recommended.

One can argue that the center channel is the most important speaker in home theater applications not only because it is the primary source for all dialog, but also because when sounds pan across the front soundstage (which is often the case in movies as opposed to music) it also handles everything the mains handle.

It's the panning of sounds that demands all three front speakers be "timbre-matched" so that the tonal qualities of the sounds are consistent as they move from speaker to speaker.

If the exact matching speaker can't be found or used, then the next best thing is to look for speakers that are as close an approximation as possible - that is, they use roughly the same size drivers, the same materials, and have the same sensitivity.

A brief look at the two speakers shows that their sensitivities are close, but the rest doesn't look very encouraging.

Are you trying to fit the center into furniture or something? If so, then your options will be limited, and sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Oh, and welcome to the forum, BTW!