CNET's surround-sound buying guide

Question: Multibrand matching--can I use my old speakers and new ones together in a surround system?

Mixing a different brand of surround speaker or subwoofer with your stereo speakers might be a risky proposition. Center speakers are the trickiest; mismatching the left-center-right speakers may result in jarring timbre shifts when the sound is panned across the front three speakers. Matching surround speakers is less critical, but in any case, try to arrange a home audition.

Question: Unibrand matching--do all JBL speakers go together? Can I match big towers and small surrounds?

Chances are same-brand speakers of a given vintage will sonically match, but when in doubt, check with the company's customer service people. And sure, you can match large and small speakers in one system.

Question: What's the lowdown on subwoofer matching?

Matching subwoofer to satellites is in some ways the easiest chore. The safest bet is to stick with the same brand. One rule of thumb is to mate small sats with small subs; if the sats have 4-inch or smaller woofers, better stick with a fairly small sub with an 8-inch woofer. Larger sats will do their best with larger subs that have 10- or 12-inch woofers.

If you're going to listen to more music than watch DVDs, focus your speaker budget on the best left-/right-front speakers you can afford: 30 to 40 percent of the whole enchilada up front. When the balance shifts over to more DVDs than music, distribute the budget equally over the 5.1 or 6.1 speakers.

Infinity Primus 360

First, matching the treble/midrange/bass balance of the center channel to the front speakers is key, and secondly, if the left/right speakers are fairly large, try to get the largest possible center speaker. Try not to rely on the sub to provide the bass for the center speaker. Small center speakers always sound, well, small.

NHT SC-1

There are two types of surround designs:

1. Monopole
The conventional surround speaker looks like a standard satellite speaker. These monopole speakers aim the sound straight ahead. Most HTIBs and entry-level speaker packages use this type of surround speaker. They will also work well in higher-end systems and SACD/DVD-Audio-oriented music-surround systems.

2. Dipole/bipole

Speaker with this type of design pushes sound out to the sides. Their distinctive V-shaped front panels make them easy to identify. These speakers create a more diffuse surround sound than the monopoles. They're best suited to DVD movies and less desirable for multichannel music.

Dipole speaker

Some subwoofers are better suited to providing home-theater oomph than musical bass. Home-theater bombast can be more of a quantity-over-quality issue, but some very "musical" subs lack the gravitas necessary for maximum home-theater impact. Of course, models that excel on both tend to be the most expensive.

JBL PB12

Before you buy any speaker wire, place the speakers and the receiver in the positions where they're likely to wind up, then carefully measure the distances. Remember to measure up and over door frames or windows. Just to be on the safe side, add at least two extra feet to each cable run; coming up short is no fun, and most stores won't allow you to return cut-to-length cables.

In most cases, standard zip cord, available in any hardware store, will do nicely. If you need to run long (more than 20 foot) lengths between the receiver and the speakers, try to get at least 16-gauge wire (the lower the number, the thicker the wire). Specialty brands of speaker wire are more expensive but may deliver slightly better sound quality.