Need advice for Main Speakers

[lucky2041]

I need some advice for main and rear effect speakers. My current set up is a pair of JBL 325A floor standing speakers for the main speakers and a pair of unnecessarily large pioneer HPM-60's for the rear. I plan on selling one of those pairs; the pair I do not sell, will be used for the main, then I plan of getting good but inexpensive (likely bookshelf speakers, JBL or klispch possibly?) for the rear. Advice of which I should keep for the main speaker is what I am looking for please. I have tested both; the JBL's have better highs and mid's (by a lot) but the pioneers provide, and very noticeably, more bass. Now as I have a center channel that I am happy with, and no sub woofer currently, which should I keep? Keep the pioneers and run bass through the front speakers?

Thank you!!

[boomhower]

You really want your front speakers and center to match, i.e. from the same line. If you like the center then look at whatever matches it. Rears are less important in this respect.

I'd really look at a sub as well. Polk and Klipsch often have quality subs on sale for $200-$300. Are you more music or home theater?

How much are you looking to spend?

[lucky2041]

I do both but more home theater. My center channel is a BIC, and it like it. I really like the JBL too despite their age. I'm thinking about selling the Pioneers and picking up the rear effect speakers. Maybe JBL's to match the Mains? My receiver is a Yamaha.

[vshah]

if your center is a bic then get bic mains. my friend just got bic centers & in-wall mains and he's very happy with them. which center do you have?

[purbeast0]

ideally you want your front 3 speakers to be the same exact speakers to create a seamless soundstage since they will all be using the identical drivers in the identical enclosures with identical parts.

if you can't do that, then the next best option is to get the "matching" speaker to the L/R speakers. a lot of the times the matching speaker will use the same exact drivers but have a different enclosure. but they also have matching ones that don't use the same drivers but are as close as they could make them to fit the center channel speaker.

what you really don't want though is a center that is totally different than the other mains.

[Gintaras]

Originally Posted by boomhower

You really want your front speakers and center to match, i.e. from the same line. If you like the center then look at whatever matches it. Rears are less important in this respect.

I'd really look at a sub as well. Polk and Klipsch often have quality subs on sale for $200-$300. Are you more music or home theater?

How much are you looking to spend?

For music, all you need - Stereo: Left and Right channels, a very few albums are yet released in 5.1
Of course, you can listen even to TT or CD thru 5.1, but it isn't How Music Was Recorded - you can just fool yourself...