How to pick rear surrounds?

VanStevens

New Member
I am curious if there is anything in particular I should look for in picking a pair of rear surround speakers for my home theater system? My set up is modest and my living room is medium sized. Should I just pick a decent set of bookshelf speakers or do I need to make sure they pair well with my front speakers (Klipsch VF-35)? I was thinking I would just pick up a pair of Dayton B652's and a set of speaker stands for $80 and call it a day but I wasn't sure if there was something I needed to check to make sure they matched up well.

I have 5 Energy Take 5 speakers. I was going to just use two of those but I thought it was a waste and decided to put those in my bedroom instead.


Same question but about a center channel. Except I do not have one in mind yet.
 
I'd think any decent bookshelf that can do down to around 120hz would do the trick, especially if you have full range fronts and/or a sub to fill in the bass. This assUmes your receiver can fine tune the volume on all channels independently so you can match the speakers to your listening position. My Onkyo AV came with some pretty crap surround speakers - I replaced those with some Denon small boxes that I got a real deal on. I did have to turn those up a bit as the drivers required more power to reach the same SPLs.

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The quality of the source is what makes or breaks any surround effects. OTA or satellite, you probably wouldn't notice all that much difference, but good source like factory DVDs, there's a lot of improvement with the better speakers.

Only real concern with the center speaker is to get one that's well shielded if you place it in close proximity to the screen.

* Something to keep in mind. My Samsung tv has some pretty decent sounding speakers built in. Those can be used to fill in any "holes" in the front sound field, allowing you to place your front channel speakers wider ...
 
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While it is nice to have everything match, the rears don't carry that much sound compared to the fronts that you could probably get away with them not matching. However, you do want the center channel to match. It looks like the Klipsch VC-25 center channel is what you would be looking for.
 
My receiver is arriving this week. I bought a Onkyo TX-NR509 and it should be able to handle my needs.

I will just pick a good set of bookshelves and not worry too much about it. I've read the fronts and the receiver are the most important thing. I have an Energy Encore 8 sub to handle the bass which is plenty for my condo... probably too much if you ask the neighbors.
 
One word of advice ... my Onkyo does yeoman duty here, but it does tend to run hot. You'll want to provide adequate clearance around it ... I do so miss the good old days when heat sinks were external and on the back ...
 
Agree and not

While it is nice to have everything match, the rears don't carry that much sound compared to the fronts that you could probably get away with them not matching. However, you do want the center channel to match. It looks like the Klipsch VC-25 center channel is what you would be looking for.

I agree that Klipsch center VC-25 would be sweet as a center, very effecient but I do disagree about the rears having less value or carrying less sound. I replaced my rears (stock) with nice bookshelfs and up then one day believe it or not my wife wanted to raise a decoration behind the couch so I took two old floor speakers ( Polk LS 50 ) and puts them behind the couch and she used the one to put her decoration on. Compleatly changed the sound of the system. I did change the setup on the AVR for the larger speakers and all I can say is WOW! They are staying put. Don't underestimate any of your speakers, just like with music, the Better the speaker the better the chances are what you re hearing will sound better.
 
I'll third that

While it is nice to have everything match, the rears don't carry that much sound compared to the fronts that you could probably get away with them not matching. However, you do want the center channel to match. It looks like the Klipsch VC-25 center channel is what you would be looking for.

I'll echo the sentiment of the rear speakers doing gravy duty - they don't have to do much. Fortunately, you're Onkyo has the ability to compensate for any shortcomings the rear speakers may have compared to your fronts. Use the Audyssey setup if you can - it's like falling off of a log, except that I felt compelled to bump up my crossover frequency for the subwoofer a notch. Also, if you get the opportunity in the setup to designate your front speakers as "large" or "small", try both (one at a time).
 
I agree and disagree regarding rears. Yes, they don't do much but convey the sounds to make you feel in the middle of the action. Your Dayton B652 solution is more than adequate for such duties. Having said that, if you are going to enjoy multi-channel music then the same premises used to select your center channel apply. With rears placement and how sound reflects in the room is more of a concern.


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I've had fun with surround over the years, only the "old school" style, courtesy of a Sansui quad.

Current setup has TWO pairs of Bose speakers running off the rear channels via a Dynaco Quadrapter. A pair of 161's directly overhead, installed reversed, and a pair of 201's mid level and about 10 feet back. Knowing how Bose loves to play with reflections, this setup makes for a really wide and deep sound field.

Same thing, only different, as they say ...

One thing to keep in mind is sight lines at the primary listening position. If you can't see the speakers, you can't hear them properly. One of the reasons you'll find a lot of good multi-channel systems will have satellite speakers mounted up high in the corners. The little pedestal speakers with adjustable stands and rear firing drivers are killer if that's what works for your room.
 
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