surround sound based on old speakers

[tiptoe]

I'm no hifi buff, I'm not that rich however I do believe in going to the people who know best, which in this case, will be your good self's. I have an old pair of TDL RTL3 floor standing speakers and was wondering if they would be any good as the basis for a half decent surround sound set up? Or would I be better to bin them and go for the Onkyo TX-SR608 with the the boston cube speakers? I want to spend upto £1300and have treated myself to a 40" Sony LED without 3D as it's just a sale gimmic....unless you buy a monster set that is.(IMHO)

Regards

 

[professorhat]

The trouble with utilising your existing TDLs is finding a centre speaker (and to a lesser extent, rear speakers) that will blend tonally with them. I've done a very quick scan of Google and can't find anyone who's recommended a specific centre that works well with them. That's not to say it can't be done, but I'd say you need to find a decent hifi / AV showroom who are familiar with the TDL's sound and then expect to spend a bit of time auditioning their recommendations to see what sounds right. In the end, if you can find a matching centre, I think this will give you a superior performance to the Bostons.

Having said that, for an easy life, the Bostons will be fine since they've been designed to work with each other and provide a coherent surround sound stage, and they're well reviewed by WHF.

 

[tiptoe]

Thank you for your prompt reply. Your answer was what I was expecting really. I too had tried Google without any luck. The problem with going to a showroom is the hassle of taking my kit down and setting it up in a room that bears little resemblence to my own and getting a false sound. Then getting it home to find it sounds nothing like it did when you tested it. My good lady willing, I think I'll take your advice and go down the Bostons route....unless you know of anything better for similar cash outlay?

Best reards

Tony

 

[professorhat]

Fair enough, I can understand it would be a hassle taking your TDLs along for a demo - the other possibility is enquiring on a home trial of any speakers? Would allow you to test this out in your own listening environment without the hassle.

However, in terms of a replacement speaker system, it would depend on your needs. The Bostons are reviewed well (I haven't heard them personally), but if you could look into full size speakers rather than the style kind like the Bostons, I'd be seriously tempted by the Tannoy Mercury F1 package - it can be found for £370 from Superfi at the moment.

 

[tiptoe]

once again thanks for the promt reply. That is an excellent price for kit that was originally £1000+. I will go and have a look at my local Super fi .Again , the gaffa needs to see them first. The styling could be important.

Regards

Tony