Speakers for surround sound?

[rsk1]

I have Altec-Lansing Santana IIs and M&K Satellite/subwoofer connected to my stereo system (different rooms). I am thinking of changing to surround sound. Can I still use these speakers? How do I match a center channel speaker to the Santanas as left and right channels? Or should I just buy a prepackaged systems, sell the speakers I have, and if so what are some recommendations? Thanks.

[Cal Weldon]

Hi,

You can use any speakers you like but it is best to have them all the same. Having said that, you will be happier with trying to fit a center channel in than to replace all with something less like the HT in a box type. Just make sure you match the sensitivities. A lot of sound comes from the center channel. You will also want to consider a powered woofer to augment the low end.

[Key]

A few recommendations.

If it is a music only setup - no TV, Screen, or Monitor in the center - it is recommended to use a matched center speaker. It is generally recommended for professionals to use the same speakers no matter how many channels - 2, 4, 5(.1), 7(.1) etc.. And if you want to hear the music as close to the way they hear it in the studio I recommend the same for a home.

There are a lot of prepackaged systems that are just garbage. They use a crossover around 120Hz and let a mono sub handle 20Hz - 120Hz. This setup is mainly for watching movies. There are some decent packages though that sound awesome so I can't just say that all package systems are bad.

But in general I think that the best sounding systems the "satellites" have a frequency response that is somewhat flat from 40Hz - 20Hz and then uses a sub to fill in the bass below that. There are some monitors that the frequency response has a natural slope from 40Hz - 20Hz that sound great without the use of a crossover. You just use a crossover on the sub and let the monitors stay full range.