First thing, determine your system’s priorities. Will you watch movies or listen to music? Most people do one or the other. Since more home theatre speaker buyers watch movies than listen to music, I’ll start there.
It’s hardly an overstatement to claim movie-oriented home theatre systems succeed or fail based on their centre channel’s performance and sound quality. The centre speaker delivers virtually all the dialogue and it can, depending on the mix, convey upward of 80 percent of a movie’s soundtrack. The centre speaker has a big job. So invest 30 percent of your 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 system budget on the centre speaker. As always, when it comes to sound quality, size matters. Bigger centres tend to sound better than small ones.
The sub-woofer is the next most important player in a home theatre sound system. Invest the next 30 percent of your dollars on the sub. The sub is largely responsible for home theatre impact and power.
That leaves 40 percent of the budget for the front and surround left and right speakers. Of that, I’d put more bucks into the front speakers than the surrounds.
What I’m describing here is a little unconventional, but it’s predicated on the belief that the best possible sounding centre and sub are crucial for home theatre performance. I’m also assuming all the speakers and probably the sub are from the same manufacturer.
For more music oriented home theatres the priorities are reversed. Fifty percent or more of the budget goes for the front left and right speakers, which should be large enough to produce bass without the aid of a sub-woofer. The remaining budget is spent on the centre and surround speakers (more on the centre than surrounds).
After all, music is mostly stereo, so it makes sense to put the lion’s share of your dollars where they’ll do the most good: The left and right front speakers.
Lastly, the 50/50 movies and music system. Evenly distribute your budget and buy the more typical “matched” system. Thing is, it won’t sound as good as either the movie or music systems described above, when doing what they were designed to do.
Asking advice from me or anybody else about speaker sound quality is like asking what’s better, chocolate or strawberry? There’s no definitive answer, it’s a matter of taste.
With speakers and subs you really have to listen for yourself. That, or buy the ones you like the most.
Ashley Madd Bass Burrell