Most articles I read and virtually all sales people recommend using same brand/model/etc. of speakers for HT applications. In reading this and other such boards, I notice that the reality is that lots of folks mix brands of speakers. I just bought a pair of Axiom M22ti speakers for the main front and am now searching for a center. I may buy an Axiom center but in case I want another brand, what are the guidelines for mixing and matching? Thanks in advance.
Phil
Anonymous
Posted on
For home theater, to have a realistic soundstage (as action and sound moves from left to right to surround, etc.), all speakers should have the same tonal balance or be voice-matched. An actor's voice should sound the same on your center channel as on your left and right speakers. You shouldn't notice a difference in sound as the sound moves from one speaker to another (i.e. a car zooming from left to right, shouldn't sound different from the left speaker, to center, to the right speaker). The way a speaker sounds can be attributed to driver sizes, frequency response, materials used, enclosure type, etc. You might have main speakers which are great sounding on their own, but if the sound doesn't match your also great center channel and surrounds, it kinda messes up the home theater experience.
Having all your speakers of the same brand (and model) might give you a better chance at having a good match, but not necessarily. In the case of packaged-together speaker systems, it depends on how good a job the manufacturer did at gathering together speakers that have good tonal balance with each other.
I suppose, the best way to determine a good match is a side by side comparison of the speakers to hear if they sound the same using the same source. You'd have to listen to one speaker right after the other, and that's not easy if you're in a store that doesn't have the speakers that you already own.
I HAVE A KENWOOD 1070VR AND A SET OF INFINITIES FOR THE REAR CHANNEL I WOULD LIKE TO ADD A SET OF OHM WALSH 2 SPEAKERS TO THE FRONT CHANNEL BUT I NOW FIND THEY ARE 4 OHM SPEAKERS ANYONE KNOW IF THIS IS A PROBLEM