M&K 550 THX as front speakers?

ddlooping

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Hi all. :)

This might be a really stupid question, but I won't know until you answer it. :D

How would a pair of M&K surround 550 THX Select speakers (coupled with a decent sub >> MS309 or BK XLS200) fare as main front L/R speakers?
Are they comparable to the M&K S85s?
Would they be a downgrade from Mission 774s?

They would be used with a Denon AVC-A11SR and DVD3800 (70% movies / 30% music).

Thanks in advance. ;)
 
M&K are more geared for movies, so I guess in that respect they'd be better for you. I would imagine the 774's would be nicer for music, being a floorstander.
 
Thanks Tom. :)

I'm aware of M&K's reputation for being better for movies than music.
I'm looking specifically for opinions about the M&K 550 quality (or lack of) as main speakers. ;)
 
Whilst the M&K sound is music to many people's ears the speakers that you are referring to are dedicated rear speakers and were never designed to be used as the main stereo pair
 
Ian, in what way do you think their sound would differ from speakers designed as front ones?
As far as I know they are not dipole or tripole.
 
As far as I can see they are monopole speakers but with the tweeter off axis. They were designed as rear speakers to accompany the 750 fronts and although I have no idea what they would sound like as fronts themselves I assume that if they sounded OK like that, M&K would have sold them as fronts.

I don't suppose you will have the opportunity of testing them out ?
 
No, unfortunately. But it gave me an idea though.
I'm gonna try my K4s as front, lol. :D
This system vastly improves the speaker’s off-axis response (as well as the on-axis response) by shaping a smooth and extended flat high-frequency response over a very wide listening window. The window, which is directed for optimum imaging, is especially wide for a surround speaker...

When listeners are located off of a speaker’s direct axis, the sound they hear is prone to irregular response and lobing. Lobes are large off-axis dips and peaks in frequency response that cause significant performance problems, resulting in poor sound quality for listeners sitting off-axis...

M&K's exclusive Phase-Focused crossover further improves the speaker’s performance by also optimizing more than just the speaker’s on-axis response to give a very smooth response over a wide horizontal and vertical listening window.

While other crossover designers consider just frequency response on one axis (the sweet spot), we consider the speaker's response in both the time and frequency domains, at a very wide range of angles in both the vertical and horizontal planes—thus optimizing the speaker's three-dimensional response and improving its on-axis sound. This uniquely sophisticated crossover is critically tuned through both psychoacoustic listening analysis and complex computer analysis. And here’s the benefit: regardless of where the speaker is located in the room, or whether it is oriented horizontally or vertically, listeners will hear superior imaging and sound quality, with remarkable clarity both on and off axis.
I might be reading this wrong, but it does look to me the "angled tweeter / Phase-Focused crossover" combination would also be a benefit for straight-stereo playback.
 
550 vs S85. Anyone would like to share his/her opinion? :)

Is one better than the other in terms of drivers, cross-overs, build-quality, power-handling...?

Also, how much would a pair of 550 be on the second-hand market?
 
Well, I looked at the 750, and they seem identical to the 550, albeit with two woofers instead of one.
So if the 750 can be used as front speakers, I don't see why the 550 couldn't. :)
Barry, from M&K, told me they sometime try their tripoles as fronts, with very interesting results. ;)

In any case, I'm now in possession of a pair of 550 and should get a BK XLS200 tomorrow.
I'll let you know my first impressions. ;)
 

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