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Brand matching fronts with surrounds and heights!

  • Yes, KEF R or Q series for all heights and surrounds

  • No, it’s fine to use alternate brands

  • Hybrid, matching R8A front heights and alternate for rear surround and height


Results are only viewable after voting.

just1n

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Community,

Looking for some advise. Currently have three KEF R3s for LCR. I’m trying to budget for additional speakers. Two rear surrounds and four height speakers for the “unified layout”. Auro for music up-mixing and Atmos movies/music all via AppleTV. How important is brand matching?

Three of the potential options:
1. Use KEF R or Q series for all heights and surrounds. Limited options for small/light weight height speakers and the most expensive option.
2. Use alternate brands with similarly narrow directivity such as Arendal 1961 series, wider with JBL CBT50, or maybe SVS for rear bookshelf and angled heights.
3. Hybrid approach - Matching R8A front heights and alternate for rear surround and height.

If I chose an alternate brand ideally I’d limit to just one so I’m not using three different brands of speakers.

Thought or suggestions?

EDIT: added a poll after @Martin used the word ‘vote’ and it made me realize I could do that.
 
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Martin

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I vote for KEF R series all around. I am a proponent of keeping the same brand and series of speakers in all positions. I have Klipsch Reference II speakers in all positions. Of course this particular fetish is mine and may not be shared by others. Call me a believer in timbre matching, if you will.

Martin
 
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just1n

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I vote for KEF R series all around. I am a proponent of keeping the same brand and series of speakers in all positions. I have Klipsch Reference II speakers in all positions. Of course this particular fetish is mine and may not be shared by others. Call me a believer in timbre matching, if you will.

Martin
Perhaps I should add a poll to this thread. Will be tough to do on a phone, but maybe I can still do it?
 

AdamG

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Community,

Looking for some advise. Currently have three KEF R3s for LCR. I’m trying to budget for additional speakers. Two rear surrounds and four height speakers for the “unified layout”. Auro for music up-mixing and Atmos movies/music all via AppleTV. How important is brand matching?

Three of the potential options:
1. Use KEF R or Q series for all heights and surrounds. Limited options for small/light weight height speakers and the most expensive option.
2. Use alternate brands with similarly narrow directivity such as Arendal 1961 series, wider with JBL CBT50, or maybe SVS for rear bookshelf and angled heights.
3. Hybrid approach - Matching R8A front heights and alternate for rear surround and height.

If I chose an alternate brand ideally I’d limit to just one so I’m not using three different brands of speakers.

Thought or suggestions?
I get the affordability thing here. I did a similar thing with mixing different brands. My front 3 are Martin Logan Electrostats. Hardly affordable to use for the remaining 12 channels (Have a 15 channel setup). So I mixed and matched. Couldn’t be happier I got my glorious Atmos 9.2.4 and DTS-X 7.2.6. As long as you’re front 3 are the same you’re good. Then try to keep the remaining base layer (Surround, Wide, Rear Surround) the same. Then the top six overheads can be a different brand again. It will work just fine and not cost you a second mortgage on your house. Just go with what you can afford and sit back and enjoy! This doesn’t need to be complicated and unaffordable. Good luck Sir.
 
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just1n

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I get the affordability thing here. I did a similar thing with mixing different brands. My front 3 are Martin Logan Electrostats. Hardly affordable to use for the remaining 12 channels (Have a 15 channel setup). So I mixed and matched. Couldn’t be happier I got my glorious Atmos 9.2.4 and DTS-X 7.2.6. As long as you’re front 3 are the same you’re good. Then try to keep the remaining base layer (Surround, Wide, Rear Surround) the same. Then the top six overheads can be a different brand again. It will work just fine and not cost you a second mortgage on your house. Just go with what you can afford and sit back and enjoy! This doesn’t need to be complicated and unaffordable. Good luck Sir.
Happy to hear that is working out for you. It’s an expensive hobby for sure. I started with a pair of Revel M106 but couldn’t fit a third as center with our living room or handle the large and expensive C208. Instead of down grading to same some money I jumped at the chance for 3 R3s to have the center lay horizontally.
 
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AdamG

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Happy to hear that is working out for you. It’s an expensive hobby for sure. I started with a pair of Revel M106 but couldn’t fit a third as center with our living room for handle the large and expensive C208. Instead of down grading to same some money I jumped at the chance for 3 R3s to have the center lay horizontally.
Yeah. I’m a use anything you got kind of guy. You want the experience right? So use what you have that will make sound and start enjoying the experience. Then slowly over time start upgrading stuff. Achieve the goal and make it affordable. If you’re stinking Rich, go for perfection in the beginning.
 

Recluse-Animator

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Put as much money that you can on LCR and subs unless you're main priority is multichannel music.
 
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just1n

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Put as much money that you can on LCR and subs unless you're main priority is multichannel music.
Already have LCR I’m happy keeping and will carefully choose 2 subs when the time is right. Until then, I’d like to plan on what I can/should get. That way I can spend less time thinking about it and more time putting it together and enjoying it.

Multichannel music is a motivator.
 

Recluse-Animator

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Already have LCR I’m happy keeping and will carefully choose 2 subs when the time is right. Until then, I’d like to plan on what I can/should get. That way I can spend less time thinking about it and more time putting it together and enjoying it.

Multichannel music is a motivator.
Most money on at least two subs.
For now get a cheap and easily mountable pair of speakers as surrounds and then move them to heights when you can afford four more surround speakers.
Get KEF Q50a / Q150 / Q 350 for surrounds or if budget allows then of course R8a.
For heights just get something cheap and easily mountable.
Go with four surrounds and two heights.

Like this:
7.1.2_de9c726032d777b4f3b11a4872f52060.png
 
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just1n

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Thank for the response.

Why do you suggest 4 surrounds and 2 heights vs the opposite?
 

Recluse-Animator

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Thank for the response.

Why do you suggest 4 surrounds and 2 heights vs the opposite?
I edited my post so I hope you read the latest incarnation.

Both movies and music will benefit more from this setup.
There's very little audio in height speakers from movies at the moment. Most audio still comes from LCR.
How much more audio will come from heights in the future only time will tell.
And if music benefits from height channels at all well that's totally a preference thing.
It could even be fad. They tried to get 3D going again a few years back and now look where it's at.

First always get the basics right.
With normal speakers 2.1 then 3.1 / 4.1 then 5.1 then 7.1 then heights

If you have speakers that can do 20 Hz for example JTR Noesis 215 RT then 2.0 then 3.0 / 4.0 then 5.0 then 7.0 / 5.1 then 7.1 then heights.

Every setup is always dependent on room size and layout and of course bass preference.
 
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Dj7675

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There's very little audio in height speakers from movies at the moment. Most audio still comes from LCR.
I’m watching The Witcher right now and I would not describe “very little audio” in the height speakers. The amount of audio in the height channels is content dependent of course but Atmos/DTS:X content actually has a great deal of height activity. Most audio will always come from the LCR (in particular the center) but I would say there is quite a lot of audio in the height channel depending on the title and scene when called for.
 

Recluse-Animator

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I’m watching The Witcher right now and I would not describe “very little audio” in the height speakers. The amount of audio in the height channels is content dependent of course but Atmos/DTS:X content actually has a great deal of height activity. Most audio will always come from the LCR (in particular the center) but I would say there is quite a lot of audio in the height channel depending on the title and scene when called for.
I meant as a percentage of all movies, series and music.

Always spend the least money on something you least use and most of the money on what you use the most.

How much do people pay for cars and how many hours do they use them vs how much their bed cost and how many hours they use them...
 
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just1n

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I edited my post so I hope you read the latest incarnation.

Both movies and music will benefit more from this setup.
There's very little audio in height speakers from movies at the moment. Most audio still comes from LCR.
How much more audio will come from heights in the future only time will tell.
And if music benefits from height channels at all well that's totally a preference thing.
It could even be fad. They tried to get 3D going again a few years back and now look where it's at.

First always get the basics right.
With normal speakers 2.1 then 3.1 / 4.1 then 5.1 then 7.1 then heights

If you have speakers that can do 20 Hz for example JTR Noesis 215 RT then 2.0 then 3.0 / 4.0 then 5.0 then 7.0 / 5.1 then 7.1 then heights.

Every setup is always dependent on room size and layout and of course bass preference.
If I were starting from scratch with money being no object I would work toward all base channels being full range like that.

If I could go all SAM Genelec I would, but that is just not an option. My system will be in a multipurpose room. Maximizing sound with limited space and budget is the goal.

All systems, spaces, and budgets have compromises. I’m just trying to make the most of fixed and limited resources. I don’t think my use case is too dissimilar to that of others trying to complete their own systems.
 

Recluse-Animator

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If I were starting from scratch with money being no object I would work toward all base channels being full range like that.

If I could go all SAM Genelec I would, but that is just not an option. My system will be in a multipurpose room. Maximizing sound with limited space and budget is the goal.

All systems, spaces, and budgets have compromises. I’m just trying to make the most of fixed and limited resources. I don’t think my use case is too dissimilar to that of others trying to complete their own systems.
Even if money is no object its still better to go with multiple subs vs full range speakers and no subs.

As I recommended you're next purchase should be a couple of subs.
 
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