Tip of The Day: Mixing and Matching Speakers

As a general rule, we do not recommend mixing and matching different brands of speakers in a surround sound system. Even mixing different lines within a particular brand can present problems. In order to maintain a reasonably consistent timbre (sonic signature) between different speakers, it's a good idea to have a matched system. Matching your front three speakers is most important, but if the manufacturer of your front speakers doesn't make a suitable surround speaker you can consider going with a different brand for surround speakers. Still, we recommend trying to stay within the same brand and series for all of your speakers.  Choosing speakers with similar output capabilities above the crossover point to preserve dynamic range for the entire system response is a sound idea.

A notable exception to the matching rule is the subwoofer, which fills in the low end. In fact, there is rarely any reason to keep your subwoofer the same brand as your main speakers, perhaps other than cosmetics. There are several companies specializing in subwoofers, such as SVS, Hsu Research, Velodyne, Rythmik, and Epik, whose products have consistently proven to offer better performance/value than many of the alternatives on the market.

Please share with us your mix and match speaker stories in the associated thread for this article tip.

Credit: forum member Steve81