should rears match fronts?

[admin_exported]

Clare - when i asked about getting different makes of rears to my fronts you said "We're not big fans of mix/matching speaker brands in surround set-ups - the change of tonal character as effects pan around your room can be disjointing, and may outweigh any potential benefits".

I was told by a retailer that bi-poles on side walls level with 3-seater sofa or slightly behind would be better for my setup, as my sofa is so close to the back wall. What do you think?

As I have the Tannoy Custom F1's and FC for fronts and center, i'd have to go for monopole rears to match the tonal sound. If so, where is the best place to position them, side walls? back walls? or in the corners?

My viewing sofa is about 10ft from the fronts and is about 1ft from the back wall, with side walls about 4/5ft away on each side. Here's a quick pic:

Would appreciate your thoughts and advice.

 

[Anonymous]

Cinemas mostly use JBL professional with large stage fronts matching of course this will ether comprise of three-screen or five-screen with large arrays of sub bass placed below the centre channel or spared out beneath the screen and usual fitted into a THX baffle wall.

The surrounds are smaller yet spread around the large space of the auditorium to cover the audience with uniform surround while defusing it at the same time.

So you can use smaller surrounds just make sure you stick with the same manufacture and use a 1/3 octave parametric EQ for the surrounds and EQ until they come near as possible to the fronts it can be done.

I'd reposition the fronts the layout is dreadfully and there is no way I'd watch a film in that room with mismatching fronts placed in the corner of the room it's the worse layout!

I'd ditch the rest of the sofas and just use one! Block up the fireplace because no cares about fireplaces no more, didn't you get the memo?

I'd placed stud walling in the corners do not use it for equipment because it would have some small degree of hamming, place all the equipment in the room next to this room, and don't say it can't be done it can! Just drill a few simple holes in the skirting board and feed the cables though it simple!

Now place the fronts up in the new position matching LCR because if you what the best matching is the only way and I don't care what expects say of think, matching LCR or the highway!

Place arrays of surrounds alongside the sidewalls and along the rear wall, but I'm guessing you can't think on your own, I mean what is the point of me posting to you, sigh oh, good luck.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm kind of alone on this one... I think. But all five (sox, or seven) should be identical speakers. And then choose a sub to taste. Bi-Poles, Di-Poles, Floorstanders in the front, smaller centres and the such make me cringe. Try istening to a completely homogenous setup, the surround-effect is drastically improved. I heard six totem mites with a totem storm sub, brilliant. Similarly a system at a mates that consisted of 5 br5's and a wharfy sub was heads and shoulders above the kit you see in shops with all those non-symmetrical speakers.

imo

 

[Frank Harvey]

I'm not sure about the point JBL's post, but it's hardly helping the OP is it? There's a little too much of this on these forums - hopefully something can be done about it to make it a more inviting place for new recruits.......

JFH - feel free to give us a call and we can discuss your requirements with you, away from the likes of the above.

 

[professorhat]

raypalmer:I'm kind of alone on this one... I think. But all five (sox, or seven) should be identical speakers.
I don't think you're alone with that one at all - five identical speakers would be ideal. In most cases though there has to be compromise e.g. many people either couldn't fit or don't want a standard stand mount (let alone a floorstander!) as their centre speaker. The same can be true with the rears, and many packages therefore offer smaller speakers from the same family as the fronts for the rears. This cuts costs and allows the person to have a much better home cinema system than they could normally afford without compromising sound too much. I think it's only when you get into the higher echelons of price that you can really justify spending that extra to get the perfect tonal balance around the room.
Of course, just my opinion!
EDIT - just read the second post as well and agree, this sort of advice is entirely unnecessary. I would definitely follow up with Frank Harvey Hi-Fi's advice and get in touch with them (or a nearer dealer depending on your location) and get their advice on a solution - I had a similar issue a few years back with the sofa close to a back wall and with a bit of advice and home demoing (thanks to Sevenoaks in Crawley), I was able to get a couple of Mission di-poles working well with my Tannoy fronts.

 

[Anonymous]

retracted

 

[Frank Harvey]

Excuse me? Is this another pointless post? Maybe you can explain why you're having a pop at me? I answered the OP fair and square. What's your issue with my response?

 

[Anonymous]

retracted

 

[Frank Harvey]

It was a jab at JBL, I was quite open about that! Recently we've seen the way some people are treated on here, and JBL's post was no different. None of it had any real relevance for the OP's situation. And to imply that he couldn't think for himself? And to finish the way he did, was just plain rude towards the OP. I know what my personal reply would've been.

 

[Anonymous]

Woops. I didn't see that last sentence. Probably shouldn't posat while at work, distracted. Okay, I do apologize sir you were in the right. And I look quite the ass for defending him. Sorry.

 

[professorhat]

I did wonder...!

 

[Anonymous]

I actually took the time to read that second post fully and then tried to understand what it was he was saying, what a waste of time!

Are you guys saying that a different make of speakers for rears could be ok?

FrankHarvey - would i be able to get two different sets of rear speakers out for trial and see which one works best? I was looking to try the Tannoy FR rears and maybe Mission M3DSi or Mordaunt Short 309i or even the Q Acoustics Q AV BMR. Would this be possible?

 

[Frank Harvey]

Many people use different rear speakers to their fronts. Sometimes it's down to the visual aspect of it, other times it's down to size constraints.

Unfortunately we don't have these products on demonstration, but if a dealer does have them on demo, it shouldn't be a problem for them.

 

[Anonymous]

FrankHarvey - what i meant was would you be able to offer a home trial of the two sets of speakers? (i think richer sound offer this service). Obviosuly i would pay for both but would keep whichever works better and return the other set.

I was thinking of trying the original Tannoy FR against a bi-polar from another company and see which one sounds better.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Unfortunately with us not having these on demo, it's not really something we can lend out. We have many thousands of products on our internet site which we can't have all of it on demo, so we have to cherry pick what we have for demonstration.

 

[professorhat]

Shop around I believe is the answer here.

jfh:Are you guys saying that a different make of speakers for rears could be ok?
Yup, it's definitely possible, it just takes more experimentation / demoing.