Have 5.1, worth adding 2 speakers or buying all new speakers?

[Slec]

This will probably be lost with the GREAT NEWS but I'll try anyway.

I bought an Onkyo HTS-650 a few years back. This is a 100wx5 set and I'm very happy with its performance, but rec'd a Onkyo TX-SR605 for X-mas. I'd like to move to 7.1 and up until today was going to buy the Onkyo SKS-540 or 750. From that, you can gather that I don't have a great deal to spend.

The Left and Right fronts are larger than the surround speakers. I know most Blu's are 5.1 but i'd like to take care of this and still have great matched sound. I see my options as:

1) buy a used system and store the speakers/pass on the duplicate receiver
2) add 2 speakers from onkyo or another brand (how should I then place the current speakers)
3) scratch this and go back to original plan of buying 540 or 750.

Any thoughts or suggestions you guys could give would be greatly appreciated?

Thanks

[crackinhedz]

yeah you lost me.

[crackinhedz]

are you just trying to buy new 'surround' speakers to go from 5.1 to 7.1?

any speaker will be fine as a surround. (your front's [left/right] and center channel should all be same brand, but surrounds can usually be from any brand)

[crackinhedz]

if youre on a budget...

Fluance.com

[Kierre]

I have a hodge podge of speakers for my theater setup. Huge "old school" Klipsch Chorus' for the front because when I'm not doing movies I really enjoy the completeness that these provide for HiFi, 2 channel stereo (especially jazz and vocals). For the side surround, I went with the SS.5s for the wide dispersion technology. These speakers are forgiving to your environment and will speak to you very clearly, and for sound effects to carry the sound across the room, they are highly effective. So I'd invest into this sort of surround, and these are currently my side surround. For the rear I use the Bose Acoustimass 5 series. They were just sitting around as I never considered them a FULL sounding speaker, but what they are GOOD for is accents and sound effects so they are utilized as rear left and rights for my setup. My Sony ES receiver has two inputs for subwoofers, ao I decided to use them. In order to not take up the usual 13 to 17" inch in diameter space (because I don't have any space) I went with two Yamaha YST series powered subwoofers, that stand up instead of out. One is ok, but two certainly deliver teh 1, 2 punch! For the center I have a DCM center channel speaker that I have dedicated and it serves the purpose well, however I may opt for a Klipsh center because the center is mostly about voices, and who does that better? So, if you are using your speakers 100 percent for movies, go with a nice set and they are fairly inexpensive and can achieve very good sound. If you want to do good audio and good surround, you would probably have to up the ante quite a bit to get the best of both worlds, especially in the cases of sets. Let us know which way you decide.

[Slec]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

are you just trying to buy new 'surround' speakers to go from 5.1 to 7.1?

any speaker will be fine as a surround. (your front's [left/right] and center channel should all be same brand, but surrounds can usually be from any brand)

I wasn't clear all jacked up on cold medicine at 1 am after not sleeping the night before? sorry bout that.

This answers what I was asking. I have 5 speakers, I want to go to 7. Is it going to be a problem mixing brands... If not, what do I need to do with my current setup... What I'll take from your and Kierre's response is that the fronts need to be matched and its worth paying $$$ for good fronts and center channel ($300-400 for 2 or 3 speakers instead of 7 speakers).

Thanks a ton guys!

[Slec]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

if youre on a budget...

Fluance.com

How do these bi-polar surrounds sound? It's in interesting concept but I'm curious what it would do to the soundstage if they were placed side by side as THX recommends for 7.1 setups. I've never seen these in a store. Do you have any experience with them?

[moviefan]

Here's what I would do:
Dump the Onkyo speakers ... very few HTIB speakers are worth much.
Get a Klipsch Quintet III 5.1 speaker package ($500 at BB, but on sale frequently foe $300)
You can buy additional Quintet III surrounds by phone from Klipsch to complete the 7.1 setup.
Not many movies have good 7.1 tracks yet, but they are coming.
HOWEVER you will be blown away by a 7.1 setup when playing games on the PS3! The sound from the rears is awsome!
When BB runs the Quintet III sale, they usually offer the $400 Klipsch 10" subwoofer for $250.

[gearyt]

Ahhhh. speaker selection.... all about optinion, not fact...
In a 5.1 or 7.1 system... The MOST important speakers are the center, most of the dialogue, the LFE for the booms and thunder, and the fronts . The remainer (2) or (4) give effects or ambiance.
My choice is to have the front 3 match, and the other 4 come close
BUT..... It is all about your ears, and what you prefer and of course the
room size, your budget. etc

[Slec]

Klipsch are my top choice in terms of speakers. I've never heard a set I wasn't impressed with. I just don't have that kind of money to spend.. Hey, I'm a child of my generation, I hate slowly building a surround sound system, I want it ASAP... I'll get over it. Might be best to slowly build and use my current system until a new one can be completed.

Oh and Onkyo's HTiB are surprisingly good. They blow away other HTiB... sure they aren't as good as a $1000+ speaker set, but for the money, they really can't be beat.

Looks like I'll be spending my time visitng audio stores for the next few days. darn...

[red_5ive]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

are you just trying to buy new 'surround' speakers to go from 5.1 to 7.1?

any speaker will be fine as a surround. (your front's [left/right] and center channel should all be same brand, but surrounds can usually be from any brand)

What crackinhedz said. In the past I would have said match the surrounds to your center and mains, but these days even the <$1k receivers are incorporating eq balancing to timbre match the speakers and the sound field. The 605 uses the Audyssey EQ2 for this. Although it isn't perfect and you'll likely have to do some fine tuning with a sound meter (if you're anal like me), it generally gets the job done. But, I would avoid the Onkyo HTIB at all costs. Go with the fluance like was recommended above.

[Slec]

Are either of you guys using the Fluance speakers? I've been looking for reviews and have only been able to find a few. I've never heard of them before the earlier recommendation.