Dear forum users,

Currently I have the following:

- B&W 602s3 as frontal;
- B&W HTM7 as center;
- B&W LM1 as surround;

-Rotel Amps RB-1080 for frontals and RB-991 for Surround and center;

- Velodyne DLS-4000r;


Is there anything such as speaker matching? Like, can I use different speaker brand in the same system?

Is the B&W speakers tone "matched"? Because I can notice that the 602s3 and HTM7 and LM-1 sound quite different, is it normal?

I am asking these because in the near future I want to buy a better set of frontal speakers, but the price of a B&W 705 is pretty high, and once I read that the Kef XQ3 is as good as the 705 and it would match with B&W Speakers...

Thank you!


PS: Sorry for the joke, in the thread title I used the word "marriage" instead of matching on purpose.

The closest thing to perfect marriage is using identical speakers for all channels. I said close because there is always another element that can change the sound. Another less perfect alternative is to select speakers from the same manufacturer and same family or series.

I expected something else. :eek:

ideally you would have identical speakers all around.
Just going from towers/bookshelves with a center is a slight change.
Can you stick with a brand and keep a similar sound...sometimes. Depends on what the differences are in the speaker components.
So while it is typically likely that you will notice a difference, if your listening room/environment is not perfect, you may not be able to tell.

I know that is a non-answer, but based on specs alone you won't know how well you can match non-identical speakers until you hear them together.

Seth

The closest thing to perfect marriage is using identical speakers for all channels. I said close because there is always another element that can change the sound. Another less perfect alternative is to select speakers from the same manufacturer and same family or series.

Meaning, I should buy all speaker identical even for the center channel?


ideally you would have identical speakers all around.
Just going from towers/bookshelves with a center is a slight change.
Can you stick with a brand and keep a similar sound...sometimes. Depends on what the differences are in the speaker components.
So while it is typically likely that you will notice a difference, if your listening room/environment is not perfect, you may not be able to tell.

I know that is a non-answer, but based on specs alone you won't know how well you can match non-identical speakers until you hear them together.

Seth

Hmmm interesting... So i might just give up on the idea of buying new speakers.

Meaning, I should buy all speaker identical even for the center channel?

Yes. There are several L/C/R models that are available. However, just like I mentioned. There is another element that can change the sound of the speakers. By merely positioning the center speaker horizontal like most people do, it can change the way the center sound compared to the vertical mains. Positioning the center lower than the mains can also alter the sound. There are other variables also including the room itself.

Yes. There are several L/C/R models that are available. However, just like I mentioned. There is another element that can change the sound of the speakers. By merely positioning the center speaker horizontal like most people do, it can change the way the center sound compared to the vertical mains. Positioning the center lower than the mains can also alter the sound. There are other variables also including the room itself.

Thats interesting,

so in essence there is not an easy way to "voice match" all the speakers?

Also would you consider the Keq Iq5 + iq2c better then the 602s3+Htm7 setup?

Thats interesting,

so in essence there is not an easy way to "voice match" all the speakers?

Also would you consider the Keq Iq5 + iq2c better then the 602s3+Htm7 setup?

There is always a compromise since not a lot of people have a perfect room but you always try to minimize the negative effects.

I have not heard the KEFs but I own a pair of 602s3. I use them for music only with a sub.

Thats interesting,

so in essence there is not an easy way to "voice match" all the speakers?Actually, as others have said, it is easy: Use the same speaker in every position. Beyond that, you may have to rely on the manufacturer's recommendations which, often. do not serve well.

Also would you consider the Keq Iq5 + iq2c better then the 602s3+Htm7 setup?The KEFs have concentric HF and MF drivers so, for the most part, they do not suffer as much in switching from the vertical to the horizontal orientation. These would match well except that the iq2c has some power limitations compared with the iq5. The iq6c might be a better mate.

There is always a compromise since not a lot of people have a perfect room but you always try to minimize the negative effects.

I have not heard the KEFs but I own a pair of 602s3. I use them for music only with a sub.

Nice I like the B&W sound, but the other day I had the opportunity to listen to IQ9+IQ6C+IQ8DS+IQ5 7.1 setup... I loved the sound, of course the room was a lot bigger than mine....

So it made me think, instead of buying the 705 i could just sell everything I have and get the IQ5+IQ2C (or IQ6C) and maybe IQ5 to use as surround...

Thank you

Actually, as others have said, it is easy: Use the same speaker in every position. Beyond that, you may have to rely on the manufacturer's recommendations which, often. do not serve well.

The KEFs have concentric HF and MF drivers so, for the most part, they do not suffer as much in switching from the vertical to the horizontal orientation. These would match well except that the iq2c has some power limitations compared with the iq5. The iq6c might be a better mate.

Hey Kal,

I sent you a private message! It was a long message and I wanted your opinion about KEF vs. B&W speakers!

Thank you!

Everything impacts the sound. Size of the cabinets, revision of crossovers, number and size of speakers.

Any technical sound person is going to tell you to identically match L/C/R. I would go one step further and make sure you buy them from the same lot, same time.

Most people (including myself) use just a matched center channel and not an identical unit...not that I could tell a difference, but it is different (smaller cabinet, on its side, not floating on the floor on pin stands, maybe different crossover, etc etc)

Room treatments are probably what most people lack...something I am correcting based on some cheap attempts (nailed my wife's extra comforters to the wall at first reflection points heh)

(nailed my wife's extra comforters to the wall at first reflection points heh)

HA!

Meaning, I should buy all speaker identical even for the center channel?

Yes. This is what you 'should' do, but its not what everyone 'can' do.

Seth

Is the B&W speakers tone "matched"? Because I can notice that the 602s3 and HTM7 and LM-1 sound quite different, is it normal?


I think it's important not only to match the "brand", but the "series" of the speakers as well. Other than having all identical speakers throughout (which is the ideal, but perhaps not the most practical for most people), your best bet would be to marry the speakers from the same series of the same brand. This is because normally the manufacturer will try to match as much as possible the timber and sonic signatures of each speaker in a series (though results can be mixed).

It seems you are actually mixing speakers from 3 different B&W series. Probably as a stop-gap fix, the best thing to do is to at least match your front three from the same series. The easiest and perhaps most cost-effective solution may be to replace your HTM7 with another 602 S3 as the center speaker.

...Any technical sound person is going to tell you to identically match L/C/R. I would go one step further and make sure you buy them from the same lot, same time.

Most people (including myself) use just a matched center channel and not an identical unit...not that I could tell a difference, but it is different (smaller cabinet, on its side, not floating on the floor on pin stands, maybe different crossover, etc etc)
...)

Hello Twylight, yes exactly! It was impossible to buy (and to mount) a single 602s3 as center channel that possibility is out of question now, because even if I wanted the 602s3 does not exist anymore.

My idea was to voice match evertyhing with the same series, but... Once I read that the most important speaker in the HT is the central speaker, so I decided to get the HTM7.

Thank you!


Yes. This is what you 'should' do, but its not what everyone 'can' do.

Seth

Exactly! :)

I think it's important not only to match the "brand", but the "series" of the speakers as well. Other than having all identical speakers throughout (which is the ideal, but perhaps not the most practical for most people), your best bet would be to marry the speakers from the same series of the same brand. This is because normally the manufacturer will try to match as much as possible the timber and sonic signatures of each speaker in a series (though results can be mixed).

It seems you are actually mixing speakers from 3 different B&W series. Probably as a stop-gap fix, the best thing to do is to at least match your front three from the same series. The easiest and perhaps most cost-effective solution may be to replace your HTM7 with another 602 S3 as the center speaker.

Hello KyaDawn,

The choices I have are the following

-Sell the 602s3 and get B&W 705;
-Sell the LM-1 and get an used 600s3;
-Sell the whole set 602s3+HTM7+LM-1, and get the Kef IQ5+IQ6C+IQ5;

I just would like to know which would give me better "fidelity" in both music, shows and movies.

And also need to know if the Kef would be good with Rotel (Rb1080+RB993) amps.

Help!

THanks!

Kate,

I have similar questions on less quality speakers - I decided to buy all new matched stuff and ebay my old stuff. Try asking about the B&W speakers in a the B&W owners thread on this site - will get better responses.

I think Rotel amps can drive about anything in your price range so I wouldnt worry about them too much.

Kate,

I have similar questions on less quality speakers - I decided to buy all new matched stuff and ebay my old stuff. Try asking about the B&W speakers in a the B&W owners thread on this site - will get better responses.

I think Rotel amps can drive about anything in your price range so I wouldnt worry about them too much.

Hello Twylight,

So you mean the IQ5 is worse in quality than the B&W 602s3?

I do not think posting a question in the B&W thread asking if KEF is better, I pretty much know the answer... The same would happen if I ask if B&W if better than KEF in a KEF owners thread! :p

Ideally it would be best to ask for someone who has (or had) both the speakers! :)

Hello Twylight, yes exactly! It was impossible to buy (and to mount) a single 602s3 as center channel that possibility is out of question now, because even if I wanted the 602s3 does not exist anymore.

My idea was to voice match evertyhing with the same series, but... Once I read that the most important speaker in the HT is the central speaker, so I decided to get the HTM7.

Thank you!



Exactly! :)



Hello KyaDawn,

The choices I have are the following

-Sell the 602s3 and get B&W 705;
-Sell the LM-1 and get an used 600s3;
-Sell the whole set 602s3+HTM7+LM-1, and get the Kef IQ5+IQ6C+IQ5;

I just would like to know which would give me better "fidelity" in both music, shows and movies.

And also need to know if the Kef would be good with Rotel (Rb1080+RB993) amps.

Help!

THanks!

Kate -

I feel you have been thrown into the deep end of the audiophile pool with most of these responses. :) Yes, using identical speakers all around is ideal, but simply using speakers within the same model range from the same manufacturer will give you noticeably better results than what you have now.

Without question, going with an entire KEF IQ speaker set will give you a more cohesive sound than mixing and matching different model lines of B&W speakers.

Most competently engineered front end electronics (Rotel) are going to have *very little* sound of their own, so there is no reason why your current Rotel gear won't work just fine with the KEFs. Your amps certainly have enough power for the KEFs, given you aren't planning to listen at rock concert levels. :)

Hello Twylight,

So you mean the IQ5 is worse in quality than the B&W 602s3?

I do not think posting a question in the B&W thread asking if KEF is better, I pretty much know the answer... The same would happen if I ask if B&W if better than KEF in a KEF owners thread! :p

Ideally it would be best to ask for someone who has (or had) both the speakers! :)

Thankfully, within a given price level, there typically is no better or worse speaker, just "different". Which is "better" can only be determined by you and your ears. Since you have listened to the KEFs and like them, there is no need to get other's opinions. It's like asking which flavor of ice cream is best, chocolate or strawberry? You'll get a different answer from everyone, and some will tell you that it is neither, giving you the new option of Cappuccino flavor being the best. :)

Kate -

I feel you have been thrown into the deep end of the audiophile pool with most of these responses. :) Yes, using identical speakers all around is ideal, but simply using speakers within the same model range from the same manufacturer will give you noticeably better results than what you have now.

Without question, going with an entire KEF IQ speaker set will give you a more cohesive sound than mixing and matching different model lines of B&W speakers.

Most competently engineered front end electronics (Rotel) are going to have *very little* sound of their own, so there is no reason why your current Rotel gear won't work just fine with the KEFs. Your amps certainly have enough power for the KEFs, given you aren't planning to listen at rock concert levels. :)

Hello Hifisponge,

Interesting... So that means that KEF speakers are superior (in quality) than the 600 and/or the 700 B&W series speakers?

705+hmt7 is worse than IQ5+IQ6C?

THank you!

I use LSA front and center, Klipsch surrounds and a James subwoofer. I have Acoustic Zen to the fronts and Cardas(The best IMO) bi wired to the middle.

Does it sound perfect, Nope. The sub is a Linn Isobarik and much more articulate rather than boom(Audiophiles used them with REL and Nelson Reed) so my wife says turn it down when I want to crank it.

With wiring, cabinet geometry and crossovers, I believe we do the best we can.

Hello Hifisponge,

Interesting... So that means that KEF speakers are superior (in quality) than the 600 and/or the 700 B&W series speakers?

705+hmt7 is worse than IQ5+IQ6C?

THank you!

No, that's not my point. Quality is subjective (see my last post). But by going with an all KEF IQ system, you get a consistent sound quality from speaker to speaker. You could do the same thing by going with an all B&W 600 series system or 700 series system. What you want to avoid is going with 700 L/R speakers and a 600 series center or vice versa.

I have changed speakers for more years than most have been alive. HT takes stereo and adds 5040 varables(not including cables). I'm suprised I have stayed with a Marantz 8002thx receiver and LSA speakers. I have used Klispsch many moons ago, Meadowlark Audio, Epos, AR, JBL(thirty years from quadraphenia).
I have Acoustic Zen Satori and Cards(bestIMO) bi wired for the center. I use Klipsch surrounds and they integrate well, the gem is the James Isobarik subwoofer. It is so articulate.

Thankfully, within a given price level, there typically is no better or worse speaker, just "different". Which is "better" can only be determined by you and your ears. Since you have listened to the KEFs and like them, there is no need to get other's opinions. It's like asking which flavor of ice cream is best, chocolate or strawberry? You'll get a different answer from everyone, and some will tell you that it is neither, giving you the new option of Cappuccino flavor being the best. :)

Fun!! Its even more complicated then matching skirt with blouse with a purse with shoes with bags with accessories with hair! LOL


No, that's not my point. Quality is subjective (see my last post). But by going with an all KEF IQ system, you get a consistent sound quality from speaker to speaker. You could do the same thing by going with an all B&W 600 series system or 700 series system. What you want to avoid is going with 700 L/R speakers and a 600 series center or vice versa.

Somehow I think things are very different, and the sound IS different, I had the oportunity to listen to my system with a 705+htm7+LM-1 and also IQ5+IQ2C+IQ5.

The B&W sound seems to be a bit more "laidback" (is that the proper vocabulary?) and less bright (depending on the angle)... the IQ had the advantage of having better highs, well its more like the highs are more difused in the ambient, while the B&W had a certain sweet spot for the highs.

The price is very different and the form factor too... The 705 is more expensive than the WHOLE KEF IQ set, the B&W 705 is bookshelf and the IQ5 is a mini tower.

Its hard to think which one has better sound, they sound different, and each sound best with a certain type of music.

For movies.. well.. they are all the same!

Not sure I am making proper use of the audiophile vocabulary, but I guess, I could say that the Kefs are more flat, with a high that is more even when changing the listening angle.

Now the B&W 705.. well, depending on the angle, it sound more or less bright. But the mid seems to be better than the Kef IQ5...

For the low notes, the IQ wins hand down, because it has one additional driver to produce lower frequencies...

The lower notes are not really a problem for me, because I like using the subwoofer, even for music... I usually cut the frequencies near the speaker crossover and "level match" the sub with the fronts with the receiver built-in ezEQ...

I think that we "tend" to believe that the set that costs more is better, and probably because of that I think that the 705 is closer to the real sound than the IQ5.

Its so hard for me to decide! :)

Decisions, decisions . . . :)

What you have described about the KEF's sound is one of their strengths--the sound character doesn't change much when you sit off center. The big question is, and only you can answer it, is do you like the character of the KEF or the B&W's better?

And, how often do you really plan on being out of the sweet spot? If you are always going to be the one in the prime listening seat, then I wouldn't worry too much about the KEFs ability to sound good off-axis, and I would concentrate on how the B&Ws and the KEFs sound in the sweet spot.

Sounds to me like you need to go listen again to both and listen to your heart, not your head. Time for a gut check.

Make sure that you bring a broad selection of your own music to listen to. I find it easiest to burn a CD with 10 of your favorite songs on it.

Decisions, decisions . . . :)

What you have described about the KEF's sound is one of their strengths--the sound character doesn't change much when you sit off center. The big question is, and only you can answer it, is do you like the character of the KEF or the B&W's better?

And, how often do you really plan on being out of the sweet spot? If you are always going to be the one in the prime listening seat, then I wouldn't worry too much about the KEFs ability to sound good off-axis, and I would concentrate on how the B&Ws and the KEFs sound in the sweet spot.

Sounds to me like you need to go listen again to both and listen to your heart, not your head. Time for a gut check.

Make sure that you bring a broad selection of your own music to listen to. I find it easiest to burn a CD with 10 of your favorite songs on it.

HEH.. if I could choose... Well I would want the "clarity" of the 705 B&W, the more "spread" highs of the kefs, and the warmness of the 602s3!

LOL, honestly? I like the B&W better, not only the sound, but the looks... the 705 is cute, very cute..

I will call my dealer again and see if they can lend me speakers once again and make a decision!

Thank you for your help!