surround speakers suggestions

[edemille]

I know I've been posting a lot to the tech threads recently seeking advice...what can I say, a lot of you guys know your shit. :-D  I've been a 2 channel guy for a long time...bought a Sony 6.1 receiver (STR-DE597) when my old 1974 Pioneer amp died a few years ago.  Planned on someday getting into the > 2 channel world...my first question is whether or not having a matching set of speakers is important or not?  In many ways that is what I'm leaning toward, something along the lines of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-HKTS-18-Channel-Speaker/dp/B000K7ZWVK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=audio-video&qid=1203991222&sr=1-2

or these:

http://www.amazon.com/ONKYO-SKS-HT240-Home-Theater-Speaker/dp/B0002REB38/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=audio-video&qid=1203991222&sr=1-5

or something similar.  (I should clarify that I am in no way an audiophile...I feel like I know a good deal about sound, but hearing some real subtle differences is not something I pride myself on)...one issue I have a hard time getting past is the fear of the "small" speaker...I've been rocking my Technics SB-CR55s since high school, and at the time it was definitely my biggest purchase...I spent hours in stores listening to dozens of models and at the time they did it for me...they still sound pretty good, but I used to stash my stash inside of the speakers, so the woofers were removed more than a few times, and they've just generally been through alot..anyway...obviously I need to go out and listen to a few systems, but I'm looking to spend $300-$500 (via amazon or some other site where I can hopefully get a set that lists for $800-$900, ie the HKs above).  I'm really only looking for a 5.1 system at this point as my room won't work with a 6.1 (my couch is against a wall, so the surrounds will have to be angled at the couch corners).  So should I be looking at these types of systems, or should I just get some nice bookshelf speakers for the rears and a subwoofer (I also have an Infinity center channel, that a friend gave to me a while back).  My wife would like nothing more than to get rid of my "big" speakers and put some cubes next to the TV... :|  Any thoughts on the systems above, or any other recommendations of that ilk...any proponents of just adding to my current speakers?  Cheers,

Ed

[mattstick]

I love NHT stuff, I have an NHT12 subwoofer and it's mind blowing.

Matching sets are nice, I wouldn't buy that HK set for anywhere close to retail, but 450 is getting pretty low for a mid-range but not fabulous sounding set of speakers.

I say spend your budget on a sub and rear speakers, and keep rockin your Technics until you have the coin to throw down on a really nice pair of mains.

[edemille]

Thanks Mattstick...just for shits and giggles I'd be interested to hear the "well if you spent a little more..." category too. 

[Hicks]

Heh, welcome to my world.  Mixing rears and fronts and subs isn't too bad, mismatched fronts and centers are generally a big no-no since they work together more closely in a 5.1 set up. 

I happen to work for a speaker company (shameless plug coming up!) and it sounds like we might be slightly out of your price range, but you can get a kick ass pair of bipole/dipole surrounds and an eight inch sub from us for $769.  If you give us a call we are always willing to look for open box product that have been returned and we give a 15% discount on those items.  Check it out:

http://www.aperionaudio.com/product/Intimus-534-SS-Dipole-Bipole-Surround-Speaker,21,30,111.aspx

http://www.aperionaudio.com/product/Intimus-S8-8-Powered-Subwoofer,11,32,16.aspx

/end sales pitch. 

[Marmar]

The only thing I'd make sure of if you're mismatching speakers is to make sure they all have a relatively close efficiency rating.....this will strain your amp less, and also help to keep the sound balanced across the sound field.....So, to leave a short answer, find the efficiency rating for your mains, and then find a set of bookshelves that are within one db in rating....in other words, if your mains are 88db, don't go getting 91db surrounds.....The higher the #, the more efficient the speaker handles power.....More efficient = less distortion and less heat which in turn = better sound.

As for running into a full 6.1 setup.....lets not forget the 6th channel is a mono channel that is at the rear center position, or a dual mono channel that can be placed above and behind as a height channel. So you have some flexibility there.....

JBL Venue series speakers are generally very decent.....
Polk makes some really nicely matched systems... http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/systems/systemsbookshelf/

KLH makes some affordable speakers.....
Boston Acoustics.....
Cambridge SoundWorks has some amazing speakers/systems
SLS are decent.....
Paradigm
Mirage...

If you're looking to go as high end as you can, just make sure you match impedance and sensitivity/efficiency across the entire group.....

There's no need in spending $125,000 on a set of towers, $1500 on a center, $2000 on a sub, and $1100 each on your surrounds......Just match the specs, and you'll get the same performance.....

Something else to take into consideration is how you have the BassManagement configured for your system....if you have fronts with large woofers, you can direct some bass to them and your sub...allowing you to get away with using a smaller sub.....if you have smaller drivers in your mains, you'll most definitely want to get as large of a sub you can afford (like a 12"-15" with at least a 150watt amp).....there's many things to consider when building your speaker system.....but these tips are the major ones you NEVER want to overlook.....

[edemille]

Thanks guys that's exactly the type of info I was looking for.  I'm off to tweeter in a few to start comparing.