Bookshelf vs Surround Speakers

Bookshelf vs Surround Speakers

Have you made up your mind to set up a home theater system but not sure if you should use surround or bookshelf speakers for the rear surround channel? We got you covered as we are planning to share with you information relating to this case and with it, you would be able to decide to either go for bookshelf speakers or surround speakers as your rear channels.

Why Choose Bookshelf Speakers

Bookshelf speakers are more versatile than surround speakers as you could use them as front left and right channels as well. You can also mount and use compact-sized bookshelf speakers as height speaker channels. There are some listeners who even use them as center channel speakers. Another advantage will be the bookshelf speakers’ bass performance which is typically better than surround speakers.

Why Choose Bookshelf Speakers

They will still need the support from a subwoofer to help supplement the bass reproductions. Bookshelf speakers with subwoofer can compete with floorstanding speakers, but we won’t go into this since is not related to this post.

Why Choose Surround Speakers

Surround speakers may not be as flexible as bookshelf speakers but they do their job better when it comes to producing surround sound effects. Especially when we are talking about the bipole and dipole surround speakers. Unlike bookshelf speakers which are directional and listeners will be able to pinpoint where the surround sound effects are coming from. The bipole/dipole surround speakers produce diffused surround sound effects where it is not easy for listeners to pinpoint. This will provide a better surround sound immersion.

Why Choose Surround Speakers

If you are looking for a more immersive surround sound, we highly suggest checking out bipole or dipole surround speakers. You might want to hear them out first to see how they perform.

Which is Better for Rear Surround Sound?

The answer to this question can be rather personal which means you will need to hear them out yourself and to see if you like what you are listening to. In a 7.1 setup, the surround sound can be immersive and diffuse even when using bookshelf speakers. For a 5.1 setup, if immersion is a priority then sticking with surround speakers (bipole/dipole) can be a good idea.

Your own requirements can help you to decide on an answer. For instance, if budget is an issue and you want affordability over quality then surround speakers will be a better choice. You want a seamless sound reproduction and so prefer the front L/R and surround channels to use the same bookshelf speaker.

The speaker’s positioning of bipole/dipole surround speakers would take some time to experiment until you get the desired effects. As for bookshelf speakers, you can just follow the standard speaker placements of 5.1, 7.1, and so forth.

To Conclude

For 7.1 and above, you should avoid using more than two bipole/dipole surround speakers as they might really mess up the soundstage. This is why we do find bookshelf speakers to be a better choice overall since you can use them for other purposes too such as taking them out from your HT system and using them as stereo speakers inside one of your rooms.

Both speaker types have their pros and cons, you should really work out your requirements first though. From there, audition both bookshelf and surround speakers to see which sounds better to you when it comes to surround sound effects.

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