Advice please on using older speakers with Onkyo HT System
Susan
Posted on
Hi Everyone- I am very new to home theater. I've read all these helpful postings for info & advice and have ordered the Onkyo HT S650 system to get started. One thing I was wondering--I have an old, but nice sounding (for stereo at least) & beautiful set of walnut EPI 150 speakers from the 1970's. Is speaker technology very different & much better now??--Could I use the older speakers to replace the two big ones that come with the Onkyo? Will some of the surround sound be lost if I do? Thanks for your help.
po
Posted on
Hi Susan,
Your EPI speakers will connect just fine.
The only problem you may have is one of tonal consistency. The five main speakers that come with the Onkyo system will be reasonably well matched as far as their sound characteristics so will all sound reasonably good together. If you put two different front speakers in, the speakers as a whole may not blend as well together.
My simple advice would be to hook up the Onkyo as is and give it a listen, then substitute your EPI speakers for the fronts and give another listen. Maybe do each one for a week or two to get a good feel for which one you like better. Go with whichever you prefer. It's really up to your own personal preference.
Anonymous
Posted on
I tried hooking up some Prodigy Towers as fronts with the Onkyo system. Let me just say that the speakers included with the 650 are very good .. but .. after hearing the Prodigy Towers I was completely blown away by the difference. The Prodigy's had much more range and made the Onkyo speakers sound almost tinny. Now the bad news .. using "unmatched" older speakers will cause interference with your TV if you have them close to the set as fronts, not good for the home theatre experience. I'm sure there's a way to modify this but I don't have the time or the patience. soo .. I hooked up the Onkyo's, gave the Towers to my mother-in-law and forgot about them. Stick with the Onkyo's, you'll be happy.
Anonymous
Posted on
Umm, I'm a newbie to this HT stuff, but I don't think the last problem was "unmatched" speakers. Most HT speakers are "shielded" to prevent such interference. It would really depend on how close the speakers were to the TV and how sensitive the TV was to interference. I'm also one who has raved about the 650. While it is certainly one of the better HTIBs out there (I think it is the best ), you can't compare an HTIB that cost $450 to a system of separates whose front speakers alone are $999 a pair. I do know that - to my ears - the Onkyo 650 beat every HTIB under $1000 Best Buy had hooked up.
Susan
Posted on
Thanks for the recommendations, Po. I reached a happy compromise-- have the Onkyos set up as speaker set "A" for the home theater experience & have set up the EPI's as set "B" so I can listen to FM radio, classical & acoustic music. Incidentally, the old speakers are large enough to make excellent speaker stands for the Onkyo! And the Onkyo HT 650 does sound great! Thanks for everone's input.
), you can't compare an HTIB that cost $450 to a system of separates whose front speakers alone are $999 a pair. I do know that - to my ears - the Onkyo 650 beat every HTIB under $1000 Best Buy had hooked up.