Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tom Arken 
I just bought the 533Ts from aperion with the center. I would like to add surround to my setup. I'm considering adding the 534-SS surround from aperion. Aperion also lists 533Ts towers in their surround section? Has anyone used towers instead of bipole/dipole speakers for the rear/surround? What are the pros/cons of such a setup?
Any other recommendations you guyz have for my surround speakers? I've an onkyo SR 605 and my budget is certainly below $1k for the two rear speakers.
Why have you jumped from a relatively small surround-specific speaker to a tower? What happened to bookshelves? And, btw, it doesn't matter whether they "list them in their surround section" or not, almost any speaker CAN be used as a surround speaker. And they do list several bookshelves in their surround section, anyway.
If you listen to a lot of truly multichannel music (not multispeaker stereo, ProLogic, or any other DSPs), then 2 towers that match your front towers would be great for that. Of course, matching rear speakers, even for HT, would be BEST, but if this is primarily for HT, then you really don't need towers in the rear, as you will most likely be running the speakers as SMALL, even if they were the 533Ts. THe 532-LRs would be the matching bookshelf for your 533-Ts
Depending upon your exact placement needs, towers may be easier OR harder to utilize in your space. If you DO have the floor-space, then they are very easy to utilize as they require no stands or wall-hanging. On the other hand, if you need a smaller speaker in order for placement on shelves or the wall, then the towers obviously would be problematic. If you plan to use a stand for the surrounds, the towers will occupy an identical amount of floor-space.
Regarding surround-specific dipole/bipoles vs. direct-radiating monopoles for use as surround speakers. I am not a fan of surround-specific speakers. There are 2 camps, basically, when it comes to surround speakers. One camp prefers surround-specific speakers that are designed to produce a diffuse soundfield. The other camp thinks speakers that are specifically-designed to produce a diffuse soundfield are silly, and prefers standard, direct-radiating monopoles for use as surround speakers. When soundtracks are mastered in the studio, direct-radiating monopoles are used and any ambiance that is necessary is already mixed into the soundtrack by the engineer. This is controversial, so don't be surprised if someone posts a different opinion regarding surround speakers. Those with 7.1 systems may advocate using surround-specific speakers for the side surrounds and direct-radiating monopoles for the rear surrounds.
To me, surround speakers are very limiting, both placement-wise and usage-wise. They can only be used for one thing - as surround speakers. Direct-radiating monopoles, on the other hand, can be used as standard front speakers should you ever decide to use them for a 2nd setup, give them to your little brother, or sell them.
As an aside, if you ARE getting 2 more 533-T towers for your surrounds, I would encourage you, if you have the floor-space and your TV screen can be located high-enough, to consider a 5th 533T for use as your center speaker. This would give you a much better center channel speaker and you'd have matching speakers all the way around, especially the front soundstage; the perfect setup. If you have not had the speakers for a long time, Aperion may be willing to trade your center for a single 533-T.
Just my $0.02.
