5.1 Surround Speakers not from the same manufacturer

[Dennis Michos]

Hi,
I plan in the future (don't know when exactly) to install a 5.1 system using a HiFi amplifier to drive the front speakers when I am listening to music. Still music is more important than movies to me so I plan to buy some good floorstanders seperately and not as part of a Surround Speakers package.
I want to use my old but still good Mission 761 as rare speakers.
My question is what are the advantages and disadvantages of using a set of surround speakers not from the same manufacturer?
Some times the surround speakers packages may be great for movies but I am not sure if the front speakers as really good for music only (through a dedicated HiFi amp)
Which factors do I have to consider in order to not have big sound differences between the front/rare/central speakers in case they are not all from the same manufacturer?
Will my Mission 761 be ok (at least for the beginning) as rare speakers? In this case will my surround system sound 'strange' if I use some 1000 GBP front speakers from another manufacturer (Dali, Neat, Monitor Audio etc)?

Thanks!!!!

 

[Clare Newsome]

You can get many surround packages (at seveal price points) where the front speakers are superb stereo pairs in their own right - just stick to traditional speaker packages rather than style-led systems.

As to mix-and-match: the key relationship is the front three speakers, so makes sure when you buy your new floorstanders that they come with a matching centre speaker for the best possible sonic cohesion.

In the short term, your Missions would probably be fine as rears, but ideally you should add rear speakers from the same set-up - or at least the same brand, assuming the sonic signature remains the same - to complete the surround experience.

Your subwoofer is the most flexible element - choose from the same range as your front three, or a highly rated design that suits your room and requirements.

To reassure you further, at home I have a superb-sounding dual-purpose system featuring high-quality floorstanding fronts (Mordaunt Short Performance 6), the matching centre, and four much smaller surround speakers from a different range, plus the B&W PV1 subwoofer.

 

[Dennis Michos]

Thanks Clare,
I think you gave me an alternative I hadn't consider
I can use the dedicated HiFi Floorstanders with a dedicated HiFi Amp and maybe I can have a smaller (or style) 5.1 surround package.....although I am not sure if style (e.g. KEF KHT2005.3) speakers will not be too small for a 5m x 5m room.
I don't want to have 4 big front speakers (2 for HiFi only and 2 for the surround)
Of course the alternative should be to share the 2 floorstanders for both HiFi and Home Cinema
What do you think is the best without compromising the HiFi Sound quality?
Do you use the MS Performance 6 as HiFi dedicated speakers or as part of the Surround system?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Yes, I use my MS Performance 6 floorstanders as my stereo speakers, too - I have separate hi-fi and AV sources and amplification, but just the one set of speakers: at the moment, I simply switch the speaker wires over depending on whether i'm using the fronts for music or movies/TV: a simply unplug/replug job that takes seconds.

There are slicker ways involving using stereo amp to drive front speakers in the AV set-up, too, but my current stereo amp/AV amp isn't being used in this way....

 

[Anonymous]

What do you mean by the same "sonic signature"?

I was planning on buying the B&W MT20 or 30, then later adding a pair of front speakers for music and to bring it up to a 7.1 set up...

That might not be so simple then?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Speakers from the same range - and often from the same brand - typically share the same sonic characteristics: eg neutral-sounding, or bass-heavy, or prominent midrange or slightly hard treble. This is due to both the materials/design used plus how the manufacturer has 'voiced' them - ie how they like them to sound.

So, if you swap speakers from different ranges/brands, there's a risk that when you get a surround sound effect, or when dialogue (centre channel) is integrated with the rest of the soundtrack, you can get a mismatch of tone. Not want you want for the seamless movie soundstage!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Clare.

I'm abroad right now (Algeria) and I'm trying to get as much info as I can before I get back home (France) and do some listening/testing of different set ups.

Are there any hints you can give me to help narrow down the preselection list. i.e... disqualifiers in the specs to look for, etc... Or should I just stop worrying about it and wait till I'm with a retailer and see what he suggests/demos?