SS or Bolk shelf??

[Scp53]

currently I have SB3's and a 10" sub. I am building up a system and want to know if I should get the ss-1s or sb2/sb3's. basically should I get a surround specific speaker or bookshelf. I plan on using them in different size rooms in the next 2-6 yrs. I want somthing that will also be usable with new decoding. like in a 7.1 steup would these be good? it seams that it u used ss type speakers as all the surrounds they'd overlap.

another question: for a center channel would a third sb3 work best? if you turn it side ways will it have decent coverage?

and my last question: theres a tweeter difference from the sb1's to the sb2/3's and same for the centers and surrounds. sonically is there a difference? ive used my parents sb1's as surrounds and they seam to be fine.

thanks,

scp53

note: topic is supposed to be bookshelf

[yromj]

If you take a look at my system you'll see that I use RS-25s for surrounds. They sound good. However, the BIGGEST reason I went w/ RSs over RBs for my surrounds (actually the ONLY reason) was the RSs are available in white.

I've said all that because I'm in the "monopoles for surrounds" camp and well as the "bookshelves all around" camp. I SERIOUSLY considered using an RB-25 for my center, but I would have had to lay it down as you're talking about doing. I decided against this because of the dispersion pattern of the horn. It would have been spreading the sound vertically instead of horizontally.

For timbre matching purposes I would suggest the same speaker all around. However, there are often times when other circumstances (WAF, placement issues, etc.) effect what needs to be used. If you can place the surrounds in a good location, then I would go w/ the bookshelves. I would go w/ the bookshelf center IF you can orient it vertically. (NOTE: This is assuming that the bookshelves you use have an unsymmetrical dispersion patern, which most do.)

John

[Scp53]

yromj,

when you say: if you have a good location go with the bookshelf- is a good location pointing directly at the sweet spot? or maybe I should say, if I go with the sb3's and have multiple people listening, will a bookshelf cover good for surrounds?

thanks for your help

[skonopa]

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On 7/27/2004 9:12:42 PM Scp53 wrote:

currently I have SB3's and a 10" sub. I am building up a system and want to know if I should get the ss-1s or sb2/sb3's. basically should I get a surround specific speaker or bookshelf. I plan on using them in different size rooms in the next 2-6 yrs. I want somthing that will also be usable with new decoding. like in a 7.1 steup would these be good? it seams that it u used ss type speakers as all the surrounds they'd overlap.

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Ahh yes, the age-old question of what should I use for surrounds? Monopole or diffuse.

In my own listening experience, I found I preferend the diffuse speakers for watching movies and general watching TV. However, I also found that for listening to music, I preferend the monopole style, such as the bookshelfs you are mentioning.

Fortunatly, my pre/pro allows me to hook up two sets of surrounds, and I lucked into a pretty good deal on a pair of RF-5s as well. Thus, I have the RS-7s for watching movies and TV, and I have the RF-5s for listening to music. This will be more important once I get an SACD/DVD-A player (that $200 Samsung HD-841 is mighty tempting!).

Also, the trend in surround sound technology does seem to be that an ideal setup consists of identical full-range speakers all the way around, i.e., 6 SB-3s in a 6.1 setup. Go to this page which is on Dolby's website, for more info on the surrounds, not to mention for a wealth of other info that may help in your decision as to what type of speakers to use. Other than the "identical" speakers thing, I, fortunatly, pretty much have all my bases covered. The only reason why I don't have "identical" speakers is that I just simply could not fit 6 RF-7s in this room.

I guess it comes down to what will work best for you and your particular listening environment. Also, the diffuse or "WDST" as Klipsch calls them does seem to allow more flexible placement of the speaker and still get a decent surround effects. If possible, try it both ways.

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another question: for a center channel would a third sb3 work best? if you turn it side ways will it have decent coverage?

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Again, refereing back to the Dolby website above, ideally, it would be nice to have all three front speakers to be identical. In short, yes, having a third SB-3 as the center would be the best, especially once you consider that a large majority of the audio during a movie is coming from the center. However, as somembody already mentioned above, the diffusion pattern of the horn may be an issue if you try to lay the speaker on its side. it may be possible to remove the horn and turn it 90 degrees (I don't remember exactly how the horn is attached to the front baffle. On some models, such as my RF-7s, the horn flange is a perfect square and the screw holes are identical on all four sides, so it is a simple matter of turning the horn if I needed to).

If you have access to a third SB-3, it may be worth trying out.

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and my last question: theres a tweeter difference from the sb1's to the sb2/3's and same for the centers and surrounds. sonically is there a difference? ive used my parents sb1's as surrounds and they seam to be fine.

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Getting an exact match between the front and the surrounds is often not as critical as getting the front three to match up, i.e. if you try to use an SB-1 as a center between your SB-3s, you may be disappointed. However, using them as surrounds, may actually work quite well, and may be a good option if you just simply cannot fit a larger speaker in your listening area.

Hope this helps.

[Scp53]

skonopa, thanks for the help. as for that turning of the horn- yes it is possible. its a perfect 5" by 5 horn. just need to remove the screws and turn it 90 degrees. I think Ill try to get another pair of sb3's from bestbuy. only 349. I also plan on using them for music in stereo. those wdst speakers would be poor for stereo...

[richinlr]

Had some Synergy surrounds for about a week. Not happy. Went to local Klipsch dealer and heard RB-25's and walked out with them. Mounted them fairly high on the wall and pointed them at the listening position.

The bookshelfs are far more convincing on surround than the the Synergy surrounds ever were and I have plenty of ambience. Their lower frequency ability rounds out the sound from the rear.

I will probably never use the Klipsch type surrounds after this experience...

[yromj]

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On 7/27/2004 10:26:20 PM Scp53 wrote:

yromj,

when you say: if you have a good location go with the bookshelf- is a good location pointing directly at the sweet spot? or maybe I should say, if I go with the sb3's and have multiple people listening, will a bookshelf cover good for surrounds?

thanks for your help

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I'll use my case an example. My surrounds ended up being slightly in front of my preferred seating location. W/ the RSs, I didn't have to worry about it. W/ the RBs I would have had to worry about it. As long as you can get the surrounds at least as far back as the plane of the listeners' ears, you should be fine. I think your idea of getting the bookshelves is a great one.

John