how important is matching speakers

[near dark]

Hi,

My setup consists of the following...

Yamaha rx-v371

samsung ue32d6530

sony blu ray bdp-s380

panasonic dmp-bdt110 ( just bought 3d cool )

kef centre speaker

gale 3010 front speakers

yamaha sub (10 years old.but big heavy and booming )

Plus basic standard rear yamaha speakers that were supplied with my old (10 years) and no longer using yamaha amp

I was looking at replacing the rears with another set of gales,but £50 for a set of rear speakers.........I have seen at richer sounds a set of Tibo EGDE minis for £20

Do all speakers need to match each other,or would the Tibos work for rear?

Thanks

 

[f1only]

If it were me on a limited budget, i would move your present Gales to the surround side of things & buy a pair of Kefs for front L/R duties to match the centre speaker. It is better to match the three main front speakers to get a better sound stage.

If money is tight take a look on eBay for something local to you, bargains can be had. Something like this may be an improvement over what you have at present for front L/R speakers, although i dont know if it will match your Kef centre as you dont state in your post the model you are using.

Regards ... Paul

 

[RickyDeg]

If you have ever experienced a totally coherent soundstage in a multichannel set-up you may realise instantly thats the ideal way to go for a completely convincing experience. However, identical speakers may not always be practical which is why many home theaters are compromises. Certain receivers can compensate slightly for differences in character between speakers (EQ/calibration), but it will never be the same. Match as best you can at your particular budget.

 

[Dan Turner]

All of them identically matching is obviously best and how the soundtracks are intended to be reproduced, but if pratical or monetary considerations don't allow that, then at least the front 3 should match. In fact you're better off with no centre at all than one that doesn't match your front L&R.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

In fact you're better off with no centre at all than one that doesn't match your front L&R.

If you end up not using a centre speaker at all, you will need to tell your nice Yamaha (hello to a fellow Yamaha owner!) RX-V371 that there is no centre speaker, and it will then send what would have gone to the centre speaker to the front Left and Right speakers instead. That option should exist somewhere in the Setup menu.

However, in none of my systems is the centre speaker an exact match (from the same series, or even from the same manufacturer!) for the front Left and Right speakers, but somehow my ears seem to have adjusted and I'm not aware of any non-uniform problems. But I must stress that someone with better, and critically YOUNGER, ears than mine may not be so happy. And I am happy!

 

[near dark]

Hi all,

Thank you for your advice,it was appreciated .

Times being as they are,money is tight,and it's the best which we can afford .ideally I would like more expensive/better speakers which match,but all the appropriate speakers are either out of my price range,or to far to travel to collect ,like the ones on eBay via the supplied link.

I know my set up is a budget one,but I'm quite happy with the sound quality it produces ,an improvement on my previous 10 year old DD Yamaha amp

Maybe when I win the what hifi competition and that lovely speaker package ...............

For know we may invest in another set of gales ,until our financial situation improves ,at least four of the speakers will match .

Once again many thanks

Regards,mike

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I can see two solutions:

1. Use Gale speakers as surround (or sell them and keep Yamaha speakers) and buy Kef speakers to match with the centre.

E. g.:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KEF-Q15-2-Bookshelf-Speakers-/110892858373?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item19d1babc05

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KEF-Q35-SPEAKERS-WITH-UPGRADED-KEF-Q3-DRIVERS-/190685401030?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item2c65bc4fc6

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KEF-Q15-Main-Stereo-Speakers-Mahogany-finish-/160815745218?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item25715d88c2

2. Easier and cheaper: sell your KEF centre and buy a Gale centre. You could also consider selling yamaya speakers and getting another pair of gale 3010 for surround