Expert: Wayne Tapia - 6/1/2009

Question
Hello Wayne

I will soon be setting up a home theater system in my rec room. I have a decent pair of 70's era speakers that are still in good shape and were highly rated in their day (20Hz-20kHz). Aside from their size, do you see a downside in incorporating them as L and R speakers into a 5.1 system along with other more modern components? I also have several pairs of smaller reasonable quality speakers that I've accumulated over the years... are there any pitfalls in using one of these sets as the surround speakers?
Thanks in advance.
Carl

Answer
I don't foresee any issues with "mixing" speakers up. As long as they sound good to you, and the impedance ratings work with your surround receiver / amplifier, you should be fine.

The surrounds are usually the least utilized in most mixes, and for good reason. Anything too brash or startling may distract from the action on the screen, which is normally NOT desired for movies...

Trust your ears. Upgrade only if you think you must.