same speaker type for all duties - fronts/center/surrounds

[newguy987]

Hi, just curious if anyone has experimented with using only one type of speaker (ex 805s) for everything (fronts, center, rears)? I have stumbled across several websites, including THX, recommending this type of setup. For those with a thicker wallet could try this setup with towers instead of bookshelves ex. 5x703's. Does it sound better/worse? Keep in mind this is only for a home theater type of setup. I understand for 2 channel most people prefer a larger full range speaker, and to do this with home theater would end up being very expensive.

[htsteve]

Hi, just curious if anyone has experimented with using only one type of speaker (ex 805s) for everything (fronts, center, rears)? I have stumbled across several websites, including THX, recommending this type of setup. For those with a thicker wallet could try this setup with towers instead of bookshelves ex. 5x703's. Does it sound better/worse? Keep in mind this is only for a home theater type of setup. I understand for 2 channel most people prefer a larger full range speaker, and to do this with home theater would end up being very expensive.

newguy,

For HT, this is ideal. For two channel, I agree, you would want big towers as mains, so extending out the concept to all five speakers would get pretty expensive, plus amps to drive them.

I do have towers (N804's) for rear speakers. I love them. Great detail and bass for the rears. They are also physically behind me, which works great.

I have 802D's and an HTM2D up front. 5 802D's would be drool inducing, but also crushing to the wallet.

I would think 5 703's (or 705's, 805's, etc.) would be awesome, assuming you had good electronics in front of them.


Hope this helps.

[audioqueso]

When I had a 5.1 setup, it was all the B&W 600 Series 3 all bookshelves and matching center. I loved it. Everything sounded seemless. Prior to that, I had an Infinity Reference series 5.1 setup with four towers and center. Even though they could play lower, I really found the B&W 600 to smoke the Infinity speakers in HT comparison when regarding surround sound. I have not had the chance to sit down and enjoy a movie in an HT setup that had mixed towers and bookshelf speakers, so I can not comment on that. I can only say that I remember truly enjoying my 600 series 5.1 HT setup.

[MikeFL52]

I think it would be ideal to have every speaker the same, not just the same though, but all at the same height. For most of us that presents a problem for the center channel as it would be right in the middle of the screen unless you had a flatscreen mounted pretty high or a projector with a screen that was transparent form an audio perspective.

I think a lot of us fantasize about have 7x802Ds or 800Ds, but even with a more modest system, if you are going with all like speakers you need to get them at the same height otherwise I think you may as well go with a specifically designed center speaker and keep the rest the same.

[KyaDawn]

My previous HT set-up which is now in my bedroom was 4 identical bookshelves, a matching center and a sub. It sounded great, very seamless and natural. Was perfect as well for multi-channel audio like SACD and DVD-A.

Like others have said, the ideal is to have identical speakers for all your channels except the LFE. If you go with this set-up, you should be very pleased though I would probably substitute the center speaker with a HTM4S.

[wettou]

Hi, just curious if anyone has experimented with using only one type of speaker (ex 805s) for everything (fronts, center, rears)? I have stumbled across several websites, including THX, recommending this type of setup. For those with a thicker wallet could try this setup with towers instead of bookshelves ex. 5x703's. Does it sound better/worse? Keep in mind this is only for a home theater type of setup. I understand for 2 channel most people prefer a larger full range speaker, and to do this with home theater would end up being very expensive.

802 all around, three 802D in front and two 802 in back one word "Awesome" for multichannel SACDs and great as well for movies :T
When I need 7.1 I have two in ceiling B&W 7NT for the two rear channels

I love it my dream is a 7.7 Nautilus system but for that I would need a castle :B

[MikeFL52]

802 all around, three 802D in front and two 802 in back one word "Awesome" for multichannel SACDs and great as well for movies :T
When I need 7.1 I have two in ceiling B&W 7NT for the two rear channels

I love it my dream is a 7.7 Nautilus system but for that I would need a castle :B

As I said earlier, this is an ideal that we all like to fantasize about, you have obviously put into reality.

What kind of a screen do you have, flat panel, projector?

How do you overcome the height of the 802D as a center channel?

[Gremal]

I suppose you guys are right in an ideal world BUT the fact is that most multichannel content just assigns ambient sounds to the rear and side surrounds. Having diamond tweeters all around or even floorstanders all around is kind of nuts as much lesser speakers will do justice to the content assigned to the surrounds.

As for the front three channels, that is where the resolving power should be, and with the HTM1D that is designed to sit on the floor, you don't need to have an 800D, 801D or 802D in the center.

[MikeFL52]

I suppose you guys are right in an ideal world BUT the fact is that most multichannel content just assigns ambient sounds to the rear and side surrounds. Having diamond tweeters all around or even floorstanders all around is kind of nuts as much lesser speakers will do justice to the content assigned to the surrounds.

As for the front three channels, that is where the resolving power should be, and with the HTM1D that is designed to sit on the floor, you don't need to have an 800D, 801D or 802D in the center.

You are ignoring 5.1 channel music which defniately does not just have ambient sound in the surrounds.

I need Kal to step in here as he has had some very pertinent comments on the center channels, speaker alignment with the center and their dispersion patterns in the past.

[wettou]

As I said earlier, this is an ideal that we all like to fantasize about, you have obviously put into reality. What kind of a screen do you have, flat panel, projector? How do you overcome the height of the 802D as a center channel?

I have a front projection system 10 feet wide 2:35 StewartFilmScreen with a JVC DLA-RS2.
The screen comes right to the top of the speaker it works very well.:T

Music Multichannel SACD is awesome with three 802D in front :B This is why I don't do stereo anymore

[SRT-10 Viper]

wettou, let's see some pics of the front.