Lourenco Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 I am currently running SP-1s for mains, SC-1 for center and KSW-12. As for rears I have a pair of wharfedale bipoles which I am pleased with but not astounded with. Being that my receiver is 6.1 I am weighing my options. Optimally to stick with the synergy line I should get the SS-1s and another SC-1 for my rear center. But is that absolutely necessary? Could I get away with a pair of SS.5s for surrounds and a sc-5 for the rear center or will the difference be drastic? The price difference between the 2 options is over $200 but I dont want to make the mistake of saving $200 only to be disappointed. Third option which is unlikely is to purchase the matching wharfedale diamond center channel for the rear center (is it taboo to bring up purchasing other brands on this forum?) Do you think a difference in the brands will be that noticeable? Thanks for any advice that is given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olorin Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 Is there a Best Buy near you? Go buy the cheaper set and try it for seven or ten days. If it is unsatisfactory, exercise your 30 day return and upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxman Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 I think that most people would agree that the best systems would incorporate the same size speakers all the way around. I would try to get as close as you can to the same. The other thing to make sure of is to try to timber match all six speakers as close as possible. Even though you talking about surrounds and the info is more limited than your mains the tonal quality makes a differance. I recently completed a 5.1 referance system with the final touch being the RS-7's replacing some old Boston CR-7's. I am pretty amazed at the differance a timber matched surround made for movies and multichannel music alike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 With your front speakers, I would put SS-1's all around in the back: L, R & C. I think people are really going off track by putting "center channel" speakers in the back surround position. That is not what they are designed for. Foxman is right - timbre matching is very important! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lourenco Posted July 17, 2004 Author Share Posted July 17, 2004 even according to the klipsch faq answer they claim that one should/could use a center speaker for the rear center channel. but lets assume that would be the way i wanted to go. where would i get 3 of them. i havent found a place that sells them individually. right now with the best buy 25% off deal i can get a pair for 300. I am hoping that in a few months with the reference speakers picking up steam the prices will come down again but i am probably wrong. hey thanks again for the advice fellas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olorin Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Timbre match is key, and while having all of the speakers the same size is optimal, it is not always necessary. I do not agree with the idea of using a dipole (or whatever it is) surround speaker for a rear center. You want to solidify the rear image, not spread it around the room. IMO you're on the right track with a center channel speaker or a single speaker of the same type as your surrounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 We do not hear sounds behind us the same way we hear sounds in front. You DO NOT WANT a hot spot of sound directly behind you! A center channel speaker is designed to fit nicely above or below a TV. Period. Their function is to anchor dialog to the screen for people sitting off axis in particular. And for that task they are lousy because of the horizontal alignment of the drivers which causes severe off-axis lobing in the crossover region and at the frequencies both mid-woofers cover that are related to the distance between the two drivers. The RC7 overcomes most of these problems due to the "2 1/2 way" crossover. But most centers, including the SC's do not. You'd be much better off putting another SB in the back rather than an SC, klipsch recommendations be hanged! But an SS will blend in with the other SS's much better, both in timbre and spatial performance. But shoot, do whatever floats yer own particular boat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 Having never heard such a setup myself, I'm only passing on other's thoughts about using a direct radiating speaker in the rear center (such as the SB series) rather than a dispersion design such as the SS series. They have stated they found the sound for the rear center should be more localized than dispersed, since the rear surround speakers are already diffusing the sound. Using another diffusion-type speaker in the rear center would diminish some of the effectiveness of the rear-center, as the sound would tend to get mixed in with the rear surrounds, and that is not the intended use of the rear-center channel. It is intended to be localized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Actually, if you think about it, a 6.1 set-up with a klipsch WDST speaker in the BS position would provide better rear localization to a broader seating area than a monopolar speaker could, assuming mid-wall placement. The WDST has two tweeters firing out at 45 degree angles and a mid-woofer firing straight ahead. The mid-wall position will largely mitigate the effect of early sidewall reflections, so what you are left with is going to be predominately the direct radiation anyway, at least in average to small rooms. A monopolar speaker in the BS position will not provide as good a coverage due to the narrower dispersion pattern in the higher frequencies. There now, how's that for arguing both sides of an issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lourenco Posted July 19, 2004 Author Share Posted July 19, 2004 OK so bit the bullet and bought the SS-1s for the rears... i figured if i am gonna do it might as well do it right. so now i have to weigh my options as far as a rear center is concerned. i have taken my sc-1 and placed it as a rear center and I am pleased with the sound to be honest.. and i do not think i would be able to find another ss-1 by itself to use as a rear center and i am certainly not going to buy another pair... unless someone out there has just one SS-1 for whatever reason they want to sell... thanks for all the help by the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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