Question Upgrading from Tannoy SFX5.1 on a budget - Q3020i and 3090i a good choice?

LKS

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Hi all, I’ve had a great entry level setup for about seven years with the Tannoy SFX 5.1. Recently the sub died and I splashed out on a BK XLS-200-DF, which turned out to be a hell of an upgrade.

I’m now thinking about upgrading the speakers, I have read great things about the Q Acoustics 3020i (3090i for centre), and was also considering saving for a while and going with the ELAC Debut 5.2 (or 6.2).

I’ve just seen the 3020i and 3090i in a clearance sale, only £249 for both which seems like too good a deal to miss and is bang on my budget. I just want to know:

  • Is this going to be a noticeable upgrade?
  • Is it a bad idea to mix front and rear speaker types (the rear Tannoys will stay...for now)
  • Is there really ~£250 of difference between the 3020is and Debuts?
  • (obligatory) are they a good match for the amp/sub?

The rest of the setup:
  • Yamaha RX-V383 (only about 2yrs old)
  • Room size 5m*3.5m, though the setup sits in one half
  • Used mainly for gaming (Xbox OX), films (Netflix and blu ray), and sometimes music typically via the Xbox Spotify app
 
Both Elac and QA should be an upgrade.

The front 3 should not be mixed. The rears less important. It's best to keep speakers all the same but most of the sound come from the fronts and centre so not essential if you can't.
 
I have the 3020i fronts and 3090ci combo and am very happy with them for both TV/film use and in direct mode, streaming Spotify. No issues with non-matching rears either, as above.
 
Yeah, almost any standard bookshelf will be an upgrade from the Tannoy SFX5.1 speakers. So, taking a jump to the ones you have mentioned will deliver a marked improvement As for mixing the Tannoy's for rear surrounds whilst using different manufactured speakers across the front, they will be fine until you can find more matching speakers to bring a better balance to the room :)
 

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