Do you need it all

[saurabh]

I know that the full tweeter, midrange and full range speakers produce different notes of sound but is it important to have all of them in a system in order to hear each and every aspect of sound being produced by the amp or does the mid-range and full range speakers subsitute each other ?????.

[Dlite]

Generally you will always have 1 tweeter and at least 1 woofer in a speaker. The tweeter will produce the highs, and the woofer/s the mid and low range.

In a 5.1 home theatre system you will generally have 2 full range speakers as the front speakers, the centre speaker is mainly for voices so it specialises in the Mid and High range, and the rear speakers are largely for sound effects so they tend to focus on the high and midrange also. The .1 in 5.1 refers to the sub-woofer which specialises in producing the low bass notes that the other speakers are unable to produce (50hz and below).

All this said their are many variations on the above, the most common of which is a satellite system which has 5 similar speakers for the front, rears and centre that cover the highs and the mid range (say 80Hz to 20kHz). The sub woofer then cover the low and some of the midrange, (say 20hz to 200hz).

To get a decent sound you will generally need a set of speakers that cover the range of 50Hz to 20kHz ±3dB. The front speakers are the most important as they will need to handle the largest frequency range especially if you are playing CD's through them, the fronts should be capable of covering the 50Hz to 20kHz range. The centre speaker should be able to cover a range from 65-70hz up to 20khz, and the rear speakers should be capable of handling a frequency range of 80-100Hz up to 20kHz. A subwoofer should be able to handle frequencies from 20-30hz up to 200hz.

Most HT Recievers allow you to set the size of the speaker as small, medium or large. A large speaker can handle the full range of sound whilst a Medium speaker can handle most frequencies but it is lacking in the bass area, a small speaker can only handle middle and high frequencies. This prevents the reciever from sending signals to the speakers that they can not produce, and to an extent redirects some of the unproducable signals to the other speakers.

If non of your speakers can handle a particular frequency range then there is no way to produce it.

I realise this does not fully answer your question but it may help you and others to make an educated decision and I am sure others will add their own opinions. There is always more than 1 school of thought. You may wish to elaborate a little on why you are asking your question as it will help in giving a better answer.

Hope this all helps.

Michael (aka Dlite)

[saurabh]

yes, I think it would be good if I explain why I put up such a question. Okay I looked at two models of entry level 5.1 HTS which had similar outputs and features except for the DAC bits and the satellite speakers:

1st Model
-----------
Satellite Speakers
4 Two-way satellite speakers (L, R, SL, SR)
- Frequency Range: 120Hz~20kHz
- Impedance: 4 Ω
- Drivers: 3" full-range woofer
1" piezo

Two-way Center speaker
- Frequency Range: 120Hz~20kHz
- Impedance: 4 Ω
- Drivers: 2 x 3" full-range woofer
1" piezo

Subwoofer with horizontal/vertical option
- Frequency Range: 30Hz~120Hz
- Impedance: 4 Ω
- Drivers: 6.5" high efficiency woofer

2nd Model
-------------
Satellite Speakers
4 Two-way satellite speakers (L, R, SL, SR)
- Frequency range :120Hz - 20 kHz
- Impedance 4Ω
- Drivers : 3" full-range woofer
1" conical dome tweeter

Two-way Center Speaker
- Frequency range :120Hz - 20 kHz
- Impedance :4Ω
- Drivers : 2 x 3" Full-range woofer
1" conical dome tweeter

Subwoofer
- Frequency range : 30Hz - 120Hz
- Impedance : 4Ω
- Drivers : 6.5" high efficiency woofer

Now I cannot figure out what is the difference between the two and which one is better, since the speakers are the only differentiating factor.

What would you have choosen between the two ???

[Shane Martin]

Listen to them both and decide. LIkely given how they are(looks like HTIB setups.) I doubt the difference will be there at all. Personally I have to have a 5 1/4" woofer in my speakers. My current speakers(Phase Tech V12's) have dual 7" drivers with 1 soft dome tweeter. Single driver speakers didn't excite me that much in the price range I was considering. I wanted towers over bookshelf speakers too.

Really it comes down to design though as there are some manufacturers whom make a nice bookshelf 1 driver speaker that would satisfy alot of folks and sound really good. Given the price range you've mentioned before, I wouldn't worry too much about it and just buy what you like and what sounds best. They are going to cut corners to meet the range you mentioned before so there are going to be compromises. Too bad you are not in Canada or the US because the Athena point 5 setup would be ideal for a budget oriented buyer(combined with a good reciever).

[accorddude]

Actually I would say the biggest difference is the crossovers in the speakers thats going to prob have the biggest affect on the sound