Can you mix and match speakers with an AV amp?

Soldato
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20 Jul 2008
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Simple question really. Say you've got brand A front speakers, brand B rear speakers, brand C centre speaker... and I guess the sub is irrelevant as that has its own phono output anyway.

Cheers
 
Yes - nothing technologically that stops you doing it.

However, sound wise, completely random selection may unbalance the sound. It requires a little thought but I won't comment as I'm hardly an audiophile! :)
 
You can, but as previously stated - it's not generally recommended as you can end up having 'unbalanced' sound, as each speaker brand tends to have it's own subtle nuances etc
 
Keep the front 3 speakers the same make and series of speaker, I would say it doesn't matter as much about the rear speakers.

Dave
 
I'm aware it's never going to sound as good I just wanted to know if it's technically possible.

As it happens my front 3 speakers and sub are the same make so should be fine.

I just thought that I have all the speakers needed for a 5.1 setup, so why not buy a second hand AV amp and a better setup for films.
 
I agree with what others have said. If possible try and get matched speakers for the best balance.

Although having said that I have recently bought a Yamaha DSP-AX863SE and noticed that the YPAO auto setup can EQ the speakers individually! Quite a nice feature should you want to mix things up a little.
 
I don't see the problem with mixing brands/models so long as you're sensible and have a receiver which is capable of applying EQ to each channel. You won't notice the difference if it's set up properly mid film, the only way you'll hear it is through listening to pink noise, and lets face it you need to be pretty bored to find that fun ;)
 
I already have a 4.1 setup stricly speaking. 5.1 sound card, 1 amp and sub handle the front three, and another amp and 2 bookshelves act as the rear speakers. It sounds great but I watch most of my stuff from the WD HD TV now so thinking of chucking an AV amp into the mix.

Cheers for the advice
 
I've been able to easily tell the difference with mixed brands of speakers before, mainly with voices and panning
 
I have a complete set of mission 75's for my AV system (753 fronts, 75c, and 750le rears), but due to space issues, I swapped out the 750le rears for some very compact aluminium speakers, they blend in surprisingly well. So as they say.. make sure the 3 front speakers match, but the effect speakers can be alternate models.
 
I mixed and matched for years as a student as I could never quite afford what I wanted, I now have a single make all around and it definately sounds better especially accross the front where the integration is miles better.
 
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