Mixing Manufacturers Speakers for 5.1 Surround Sound Home Theater

[jecann]

I have a Yamaha RX-V471 receiver and 4 Bose 161 speakers.

The 161's are bookshelf speakers with full range, but I plan ion using them for my front LR and rear LR speakers. Do you see a problem with that?

Also, I need a sub and front speaker to complete the 5.1 surround sound. Can I purchase a speaker from any manufacturer for these, or is it recommended to stray consistent with Bose.

Any recommendations for which speaker to use for center and sub. I would say I'm in a low budget, so best quality for price.


Thanks as usual for all your help community!

 

[ien2222]

In an ideal situation it's best to have identical speakers up front, however, that ideal includes a dedicated room with treatments and having the front three at the same height. However, for the most part it's ok to mix it up as long as they aren't drastically different in sound.

What is your budget? I ask because in all actuality you should get better speakers for the RL than the 161's. For ultra low budget you can look at the Sony Core bookshelves, currently they are on sale for $75 (best buy/amazon) which is a pretty darn good price especially for what you get. The Core center channel is also $75. Personally if you have the room, I'd get 2 pairs of the bookshelves and have three of them up front and keep one as a replacement/backup.

If your budget is a bit more I'd suggest three HVL-1's by Wavecrest Audio which comes in at $330. I haven't seen anyone dissatisfied with them (at least not for the price you pay). If you're looking at just a center, one speaker will cost you $120.
https/www.wavecrestaudio.com/

For subs, don't go cheap, that's the absolute best piece of advice I can give you. Still going for low budget you should seriously consider the Emotiva BasX S10 which is $300. If you absolutely need to go cheaper, you can give the BasX S8 at $200 a try. The S10 is just better than anything else $350 and under, and better than quite a bit of stuff under $500 unless you hit some good sales/clearance. If you were planning on a bigger budget let me know what it is and I can give some other suggestions up to your max.
https/emotiva.com/product-category/basx-series/

 

[jecann]

In an ideal situation it's best to have identical speakers up front, however, that ideal includes a dedicated room with treatments and having the front three at the same height. However, for the most part it's ok to mix it up as long as they aren't drastically different in sound.

What is your budget? I ask because in all actuality you should get better speakers for the RL than the 161's. For ultra low budget you can look at the Sony Core bookshelves, currently they are on sale for $75 (best buy/amazon) which is a pretty darn good price especially for what you get. The Core center channel is also $75. Personally if you have the room, I'd get 2 pairs of the bookshelves and have three of them up front and keep one as a replacement/backup.

If your budget is a bit more I'd suggest three HVL-1's by Wavecrest Audio which comes in at $330. I haven't seen anyone dissatisfied with them (at least not for the price you pay). If you're looking at just a center, one speaker will cost you $120.
https/www.wavecrestaudio.com/

For subs, don't go cheap, that's the absolute best piece of advice I can give you. Still going for low budget you should seriously consider the Emotiva BasX S10 which is $300. If you absolutely need to go cheaper, you can give the BasX S8 at $200 a try. The S10 is just better than anything else $350 and under, and better than quite a bit of stuff under $500 unless you hit some good sales/clearance. If you were planning on a bigger budget let me know what it is and I can give some other suggestions up to your max.
https/emotiva.com/product-category/basx-series/

ien2222,

Thank you for your help!

I would get your Sony Core ones, but I don't want to not use what I already have. Also, $300 is more than I want to spend on this system, maybe in the future.

I was reading a review on lifewire http/ and came up with these speaker options, what do you think about these? I won't be listening very loudly for a few years, as its for our bedroom, and we have 2 small children sleeping.

For Center:
Polk Audio CS10 $100 (Best Buy/Amazon has the T30 for $129.99)
Polk Audio TL2 Speaker Center Channel ($100) (smaller can be mounted, newer than CS20 I believe)
Pioneer SP-C22 $100 (This one has the best overall rating among these 3 I believe)

For Sub:
Polk Audio PSW10 ($100)
Blue Octave Home FS6 Subwoofer $79 (Best for small rooms)

Thanks again for your professional oppinion!

 

[ien2222]

For just a center, I still say you should get yourself one HVL-1 for $120, it's in the same price bracket as what you listed but it's better than all of them by a decent amount, especially when it comes to center duty.

The low budget Polks are not worth the money even with them being as cheap as they are. The Pioneer isn't as bad, but people prefer to use that series more for music than HT and again isn't that great when compared to the Wavecrest.

For the Sub, no to both. If you are determined to go that low, check out the Dayton subs, specifically the SUB-1200 for $130 (on sale right now), or the SUB-1000 for $120. Both will be better than what you listed. I'll still nudge you over to the Emotiva's if you can. Even the S8 will be an improvement over the SUB-1200.

Edit:

If space is an issue with the HVL-1's, another option would be to look at the NHT SuperZero 2.1's. If you have some patience (currently out of stock) and don't mind B-stock you get an great speaker for under $100.

 

[jecann]

For just a center, I still say you should get yourself one HVL-1 for $120, it's in the same price bracket as what you listed but it's better than all of them by a decent amount, especially when it comes to center duty.

The low budget Polks are not worth the money even with them being as cheap as they are. The Pioneer isn't as bad, but people prefer to use that series more for music than HT and again isn't that great when compared to the Wavecrest.

For the Sub, no to both. If you are determined to go that low, check out the Dayton subs, specifically the SUB-1200 for $130 (on sale right now), or the SUB-1000 for $120. Both will be better than what you listed. I'll still nudge you over to the Emotiva's if you can. Even the S8 will be an improvement over the SUB-1200.

Edit:

If space is an issue with the HVL-1's, another option would be to look at the NHT SuperZero 2.1's. If you have some patience (currently out of stock) and don't mind B-stock you get an great speaker for under $100.

ien2222,

Thank you again for your help! Can you lay the HVL-1 horizontal on a shelf, or can it be mounted? Do you mind me asking what your experience is with these comparisons, and what makes the HVL-1 superior? It (Wavecrest Audio) appears to be a brand that is not as mainstream based on general internet research.

Do the FR and FL speakers need to be connected to the rear of the Dayton SUB-1200? I see there are connections for High Level Input and Output...how would this connect to the 1 banana plug output I have for the sub on the back of my receiver?

Thank you so much!

 

[ien2222]

Hey,

Yes, you can lay it horizontal. As for mounting, it doesn't have any mounting posts or key holes, but there are wall mounts that are more or less shelves, plus you may be able to drive screws into the cabinet (you can email them if you have something specific in mind). Since they are front ported, they can be placed up against the wall or flush with a cabinet/shelf.

Wavecrest is an ID (internet direct) brand started by one of the guys that also designs for Ascend Acoustics (another ID), both are very well regarded in the audio community.

The front speakers only go to the AVR. You'll just use the sub-out to go to the sub. The high level inputs are if you don't have any bass management in front of the speakers (which your AVR does do). On the AVR, the speakers will be set to small and there will be a crossover point where sound gets pushed to the sub from the satellite speakers once it gets below a certain frequency.

 

[jecann]

Hey,

Yes, you can lay it horizontal. As for mounting, it doesn't have any mounting posts or key holes, but there are wall mounts that are more or less shelves, plus you may be able to drive screws into the cabinet (you can email them if you have something specific in mind). Since they are front ported, they can be placed up against the wall or flush with a cabinet/shelf.

Wavecrest is an ID (internet direct) brand started by one of the guys that also designs for Ascend Acoustics (another ID), both are very well regarded in the audio community.

The front speakers only go to the AVR. You'll just use the sub-out to go to the sub. The high level inputs are if you don't have any bass management in front of the speakers (which your AVR does do). On the AVR, the speakers will be set to small and there will be a crossover point where sound gets pushed to the sub from the satellite speakers once it gets below a certain frequency.

ien2222,

I just wanted to follow up with you. I found a BasX S10 for $215 less than a year old on CL, I think I will go with that, and the HLV-1 for the center. The Wavecrest support emailed me a mount if I want to mount the center below the TV in the horizontal position.
http://www.cotytech.com/content-pro...ing_bookshelf_speaker_wall_mount_sp_os08.html
http/

Thanks again for all your help!


PS: I found a Polk Audio DSW PRO 660wi Powered Subwoofer for only $145, ($500 new), but there are far less reviews, and everyone loves the Emotiva's. Plus, it is way to big for my bedroom with children sleeping.

 

[ien2222]

Hey,

Sounds good. Just a reminder, as with anything on CL, make sure you can hear it first. You should hear solid bass without distortion up to a loud level. But if it checks out, that's a pretty good deal at $215. And just to let you know, Emotiva gives it a three year warranty, if they registered it they can transfer the warranty to you...I believe they just need to email them with some information. If they didn't, maybe ask if they could quick do it if they still can.

Yeah, I haven't really heard anything regarding the 660wi so I couldn't help there. And since I saw your post over at AVSforum (I'm over there too) as far as a sub cable goes, just a decent shielded coax cable is fine (usually labeled as digital subwoofer cable). AmazonBasics, Mediabridge, or Monoprice should be sufficient (all of which you can get on Amazon).

Let us know how it sounds when you're setup and running.

 

[ien2222]

Oh I should also mention that you should take a look over at AVSForum at the Audyssey FAQ/101 thread, though the Yamaha uses their own room correction (YPAO), a lot of what's there will still be relevant.

http/www.avsforum.com/forum/90-receivers-amps-processors/2376770-official-audyssey-thread-part-ii.html

 

[jecann]

Oh I should also mention that you should take a look over at AVSForum at the Audyssey FAQ/101 thread, though the Yamaha uses their own room correction (YPAO), a lot of what's there will still be relevant.

http/www.avsforum.com/forum/90-receivers-amps-processors/2376770-official-audyssey-thread-part-ii.html

Your awesome ien2222 thanks for your help!

I picked up the BasX S10 after hearing it for $200. I am still concerned about the HVL-1 because I saw some other forums that said it was boxy and couldn't get it right.

https://forums.audioholics.com/foru...-crest-audio-hvl-1.107555/page-3#post-1199343

Do you feel most confident this would be my best choice or maybe one of the following? (as recommended before)


- CAMBRIDGE AUDIO - SX70 4" 3-Way Center Channel Speaker

- Affordable Accuracy center channel

- Sony Core SSCS5 (but not sure I can get just 1)

- Bose VCS-300 Center Channel Speaker (used ebay?)

- Ascend HTM-200 SE - HOME THEATER MONITOR ($158 before shipping, too rich for my blood I think)

- Pioneer SP-C22 $100



Thanks!