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Home » Sponsored » Pi Speakers » Three 4Pi's in Basic Black for Home Theater Build Thread
| Re: Three 4Pi's in Basic Black for Home Theater Build Thread [message #64014 is a reply to message #64013] |
Wed, 08 September 2010 14:46   |
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Wayne Parham
Messages: 18787
Registered: January 2001
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Illuminati (33rd Degree) |
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I would agree generally, that to match surrounds and mains at least in terms of spectral balance is important. In fact, there was a time that I recommended all five speakers in a five channel system should be the same. However, I have backed off this, because my opinion has changed. I now think the fronts should be the same, but that surrounds need not be.
In fact, I think it is probably better that the surrounds not be the same as the mains, at least in terms of directivity. I prefer the fronts to be somewhat directional but the surrounds to have a wider pattern. They are primarily for ambiance. Even though sound effects in the surrounds are occasionally "given focus", it is rare and only for an instant, a transition to the front or as a quick movement away. Their main purpose is ambiance.
I don't think the surrounds should be radically different than the mains though. The spectral balance should be pretty similar. This is important for the times when a particular sound pans from fronts to surrounds or vice versa, like you said, as a fly-by or an approach or something. But even then, we're talking about a sound coming into focus or going out of focus, so a sonic transition is made, just as the visual transition is made. The effect is realistic, provided the speakers are not completely different.
I did some little subjective experiments before coming to this conclusion. I tried various speakers, even including some that were considerably different than the mains. I used bookshelf speakers, unbaffled speakers, car speakers and even some with tweeters removed to see what sonic significance there was in surrounds. I could tell when surrounds lacked a major portion of the spectrum, like if the treble was completely gone. Or if a speaker couldn't "keep up" dynamically, bottomed out or broke up at loud passages, obviously, I could hear that. But as long as the spectral balance was similar and there was sufficient dynamic range, the illusion of realism was maintained very well. That's why I often suggest the smaller one π or two π speakers as surrounds. They are a good spectral match with three π or four π mains, and they have plenty of dynamic range.
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