# Speakers must be matched (brand/model) to sound good.....



## gstokes

I already know the answer to this and not sure of it's been discussed before but i see people concerned about which tweeter will sound best with what mid or what woofer or what subwoofer, not in the sense of matching frequency responses so they overlap but more so in the sense of using same brand and same model for each speaker..

Horns not included because they are a whole different animal..


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## Alrojoca

With the right DSP it does not matter much, you only need to pair drivers that play low or high enough to close the gap based on size and their response. I think.


The reasons why some prefer a brand is because

1. they got a package deal, coincidence, preference, choice

2.sponsored 

3. Discounts 

4. Warranties


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## DDfusion

OCD for this guy


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## syc0path

I think it's just ezr to use the same brand becuz any decent manufacturer has already matched the specs so that their tweeters blend w/ their mids in terms of freq response, power handling, etc. 

If u want to make your own matches (maybe to find something that matches your taste better than the standard offerings), even across brands, and u have the skill to do so, then go for it. But that seems like more of an audiophile thing to do, rather than something the average enthusiast would do.


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## Vx220

DDfusion said:


> OCD for this guy


For me too, but I like to call it "theme-ing"!!!


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## zapcoaudio

Alrojoca said:


> With the right DSP it does not matter much, you only need to pair drivers that play low or high enough to close the gap based on size and their response. I think.
> 
> 
> The reasons why some prefer a brand is because
> 
> 1. they got a package deal, coincidence, preference, choice
> 
> 2.sponsored
> 
> 3. Discounts
> 
> 4. Warranties


:stupid:

my brand new passive kit was parted together for less than half msrp.


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## Alrojoca

Alrojoca said:


> With the right DSP it does not matter much, you only need to pair drivers that play low or high enough to close the gap based on size and their response. I think.
> 
> 
> The reasons why some prefer a brand is because
> 
> 1. they got a package deal, coincidence, preference, choice
> 
> 2.sponsored
> 
> 3. Discounts
> 
> 4. Warranties





zapcoaudio said:


> :stupid:
> 
> my brand new passive kit was parted together for less than half msrp.


That would fall in the #3 category.

Honestly I think this topic is not quite related to passive components, it's more about raw drivers or matching the fronts with the rear speakers


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## spaceace60

Actually i'd like to hear more on this subject as well! I've always thought you could take 2 different brand drives(front/rear or even to different left/right brand speakers?? ) and pretty much mix and match with a good DSP(with X-overs,Eq's,time alignment ect???) I mean within reason?(Ie: same size driver w/same basic freq ranges ect ect!) As with good dsp you can control output,eq,x-over points on and on! and good speakers and amps are suppose to amplify not color sound(so all should be almost neutral so to speak?) so how much does this really matter???? not to mention the fact that each speaker is theoretically reproducing different instruments depending on whats recorded on that side of the soundstage???(hell it might accidentally sound better with different drivers lol) what a matched setup would do is more than likely make tuning a bit easier??(due to a good setting for 1 spkr in that matched set should be a good start point for the other?) so I hope more people can bring up some good debate on this subject would really like to hear some facts on this!! thanks Jim

Btw this almost makes me wanna build a system out of random(but really high quality)mix and match parts and see just how good it could be made to sound???(then see the look on peoples faces when you tell them what it was built from lol!) I mean where there was not even a matching pair of speakers in whole set up! anyone heard of anyone doing a crazy setup like this??? obviously would have to be doin in a non passive setup(due to speaker/X-over match up issues!)


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## stills

If I'm using multiple amps and/or processors I do like for them to match. Purely for cosmetic reasons.
That's about as far as I go.


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## gijoe

There are only a few different things that make a speaker sound different, and they all show them selves in the frequency response. If running active, there is no reason to "match" speakers. All you need are speakers that can play within the range that you need them to. Even a basic DSP will allow you to set the crossovers to optimize the response, level match individual speakers to each other, and EQ the significant problems. 

I seriously doubt that most car audio companies spend a whole lot of time "matching" their speakers. They simply give the designer a mid and tweet and say, "give me a crossover for these." The crossover just sets the filters and level matches the tweeter with a resistor/L pad.


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## drop1

Not quite.
Front to rear mixing isn't too bad.

Using differing speakers left to right can sound "ok." It will only sound as good as the speaker with the least quality.
Yes, you could process different speakers and get a decent sounding system BUT , the materials used to make the speakers all have their own unique sonic character that even great measuring equipment sometimes can't measure but our ears pick it up easily.

The difference between the way paper cones and say a poly or carbon or metal cone sounds is relatively easy for humans to hear though the eq curve could read perfect.

The most obvious expample is metal vs silk tweeters.

It's a night and day difference no matter what the rta says. You just simply cannot make certian materials sound like others.


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## sqnut

drop1 said:


> Not quite.
> Front to rear mixing isn't too bad.
> 
> Using differing speakers left to right can sound "ok." It will only sound as good as the speaker with the least quality.
> Yes, you could process different speakers and get a decent sounding system BUT , the materials used to make the speakers all have their own unique sonic character that even great measuring equipment sometimes can't measure but our ears pick it up easily.
> 
> The difference between the way paper cones and say a poly or carbon or metal cone sounds is relatively easy for humans to hear though the eq curve could read perfect.
> 
> The most obvious expample is metal vs silk tweeters.
> 
> It's a night and day difference no matter what the rta says. You just simply cannot make certain materials sound like others.


Way too many myths in there to correct.


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## drop1

You really think so? I'm basing everything I say off of personal experience.
I've tried hundreds of different speakers over the years and each one has had its own special character.
Wether or not it was some type of distortion , resonance in the material in its usable range , damping or whatever.
Tuning is awesome and very powerful I agree, but, even among good speakers but to say that different materials don't have differing sonic characteristics seems absurd. 
I've used bottom of the barrel speakers on up to stuff that some people would only ever dream about and there is always a difference. 
The entire journey has been me asking one question after another. When a speaker behaves a certian way I always want to know why. I used to truly believe that I could buy cheaper speakers and make tune them into what I wanted them to be. I've gotten quite good over the years at doing just that to a degree. 
I'll give an example.
Until recently I ran a set of the focal flax. Pretty good speakers and I spent almost a year tuning them to get the absolute most from them. I spent a month on tweeter placemat alone.

I recently purchase the utopias.
I dropped them in, same tune, laid each tweeter face up on the dash , mids in the same locations in the door and given they required very similar power didn't touch my amps.
The sound was instantly better. Clearer, less harsh, warmer and more defined.
After eq and tweeter positioning the results are outstanding but why? 
I am a very firm believer in tuning. I've spent the last 25 years of my life practicing it. It can make decent equipment sound very good and great equipment sound amazing but it can't eliminate a speakers sonic signature. No matter how small it's always there.


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## Alrojoca

It's more about expensive versus low priced, or better versus average or bad.
With a good sound processor and pre amplification filtering, that sound character may not be there at all or be the same, chances are that sound character source was from the post amplified passive filtering. 

Most speakers tend to sound similar once the passives are removed. Again it is all about good versus worse, and matching specs if mixing brands to make sure there are no frequency gaps and they can play loud, clear and natural.


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## Wooferine

@ Gstokes

This is exactly the type of question that can influence the choice of components used in a setup and is therefore a good one to ask and try to figure out what is true, myth or misconception. It's also good ammunition against bad sales tactics ("yeah you have no choice, you really need to buy this 2000$ item to match your two-way set, got to be the same brand else your investment will be ruined".

@ Drop1

Acknowledging your experience with all drivers having a different colour signature (it's not like every other line we read won't talk about Focal's brightness/harshness for example) and looking back upon 25 years of experience, would you say you found overall results more pleasant when matching brands or when ignoring it and going by specs alone? I suppose different brand/series drivers could all add their touch of colour to the overall sound palette and make every combination sound a little different.

@ all the high horse riders

Don't mind me, I live in a world where sellers hook up 10 different brand drivers to the same source and toggle between them to demonstrate the intrinsic sound difference, and where all drivers by brands like Morel are sold for 10 times the amount of other brands even though 'they all sound the same' so I am quite happy to explore this concept. Call it part of my learning process until I achieve enlightenment. I don't want to come across as overly sarcastic but I have yet to read a threat on this forum that doesn't end up talking about "the idiots that have ruined the forum" and the "good old days long gone". Consider this paragraph a preventative fix. Just this thread has answers like 'OCD' when it is so obviously a genuinely good target for myth and misconception analysis.


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## High Resolution Audio

drop1 said:


> You really think so? I'm basing everything I say off of personal experience.
> I've tried hundreds of different speakers over the years and each one has had its own special character.
> Wether or not it was some type of distortion , resonance in the material in its usable range , damping or whatever.
> Tuning is awesome and very powerful I agree, but, even among good speakers but to say that different materials don't have differing sonic characteristics seems absurd.
> I've used bottom of the barrel speakers on up to stuff that some people would only ever dream about and there is always a difference.
> The entire journey has been me asking one question after another. When a speaker behaves a certian way I always want to know why. I used to truly believe that I could buy cheaper speakers and make tune them into what I wanted them to be. I've gotten quite good over the years at doing just that to a degree.
> I'll give an example.
> Until recently I ran a set of the focal flax. Pretty good speakers and I spent almost a year tuning them to get the absolute most from them. I spent a month on tweeter placemat alone.
> 
> I recently purchase the utopias.
> I dropped them in, same tune, laid each tweeter face up on the dash , mids in the same locations in the door and given they required very similar power didn't touch my amps.
> The sound was instantly better. Clearer, less harsh, warmer and more defined.
> After eq and tweeter positioning the results are outstanding but why?
> I am a very firm believer in tuning. I've spent the last 25 years of my life practicing it. It can make decent equipment sound very good and great equipment sound amazing but it can't eliminate a speakers sonic signature. No matter how small it's always there.


I agree 100% with ^^^.


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## thornygravy

Great topic. I have different brands for front, rears and sub.. I prefer to piece together components of different brands because in my opinion certain brands do specific things better than others.


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## fuzzysig

1 this is a forum full of people who actually understand about sound
its like mechanics saying its an easy fix. it could be easy for a mechanic

2 matching speakers front to back makes it easier to tune the system as a whole because all 4 speakers have exactly same output curve.

3 without a good dsp it is harder to make it sound good overall if the pairs of speakers have different frequency response curve and sensitivity and power handling.

now if you of course involve DSP and proper crossovers etc of course the brand and model of speakers and tweeters becomes irrelevant because you shifted the sound control to your DSP.


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## avhound

​


thornygravy said:


> Great topic. I have different brands for front, rears and sub.. I prefer to piece together components of different brands because in my opinion certain brands do specific things better than others.


all the reading i have done through many years and in the back of my head and the depth of my pocket book i agree with this conclusion, not just audio but many products Tools, appliances, car parts list goes on.
I say Bravo!


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## FordEscape

My system has ended up with midrange and tweeters by HAT; my midbass and subs are SI. Nothing to do with "brand matching" per se, I just like the sound, physical size, frequency ranges, mfr support (answering questions) and prices I paid for each driver (some bought through DIYMA classifieds, some through 'intro' or 'demo' sales).

Counting now for the first time, that's 2 brands for 8 'channel sets' of speakers by coincidence (could as well have been 8 different speaker brands). 

As far as DSP/amps I've ended up with all JBL MS series. Started with the MS8 and found the MS amps just seemed a 'best fit' in terms of features (all share common 'bass-boost' concept with a common remote control), they provide other features like input/output controls and filtering I like (I do post-DSP 'channel splitting' and active XO with some of my amps), and the price was right for me (all refurb or DIYMA classifieds 'used'). The aesthetic match is a happy bonus.

Rightly or wrongly I had no notion of matching 'sonic characteristics' that might allegedly be associated with a particular brand with any of this stuff - just meeting basic specs and physical packaging that work for my install, price, and features I wanted.


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