# Surround sound home theatre: rear channels can be cheaper, right? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2024, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surround-sound-home-theatre-rear-channels-can-be-cheaper-right/1007554 "2024-09-21T14:28:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surround-sound-home-theatre-rear-channels-can-be-cheaper-right/1007554/1 "2024-09-21T14:28:46Z")
I’m closing in on a final configuration for this system. One of the vendors proposed rear speakers that would cost about $700 for the pair, actually a bit more than the speakers up front. This seems like an imbalance of investment. I found an alternative costing about $160. My logic is that the rear speakers don’t handle much signal (10% to 15% of what the front speakers handle according to one source), and the most critical sounds (especially dialog) are concentrated up front. The rears have a smaller and less critical job to do, and don’t deserve investment to the same degree fronts do. Is this reasonable thinking? Thanks! P.S. I’ve posted before with other questions on this system. We both have some hearing problems. However, the sense that sounds come from different directions still works for us, so I’d like to take advantage of that. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surround-sound-home-theatre-rear-channels-can-be-cheaper-right/1007554/2 "2024-09-21T15:13:02Z")
$700 for rear speakers? That sounds (heh) like an audiophile-level system to me. There are tons of options/variables (room size, wall mounted/bookshelf/in-wall, wired or wireless, frequency response, sensitivity…) that go into choosing speakers. Maybe the vendor has a brand “bundle” in mind and that’s what rear speakers cost. I am quite happy using [Polk Signature Elite ES10s](https://www.polkaudio.com/en-us/product/home-speakers/satellite-surround/signature-elite-es10/300362.html?srsltid=AfmBOopbyWBFW7YAELU6KbpGa47vKdnBIZVdAwx5sTcSUsfVEXSVrPEq) ($250/pair) as rears in my modest ATMOS system, but my requirements are certainly different from yours. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surround-sound-home-theatre-rear-channels-can-be-cheaper-right/1007554/3 "2024-09-21T15:34:19Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > That sounds (heh) like an audiophile-level system to me. […] Maybe the vendor has a brand “bundle” in mind Yes, I think there’s a not entirely unreasonable story as to why he got there, but not a satisfactory one. They don’t seem to sell tiny and/or cheap speakers. Also, Ms. Napier added the requirement that they be white, which narrowed things down to one particular model, the only small white one. And it’s a bookshelf model, while I required wall mount, so that added special brackets. Which sent me off on my own exploring other vendors for just these speakers, and asking my investment allocation question. Since you mention them, the Polk Signature Elite speakers were on my finalist list of 7 models, and I knocked the three physically largest off the list, which eliminated them but just barely. I wound up selecting the next speakers down in size. Maybe I’ll reconsider them… ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surround-sound-home-theatre-rear-channels-can-be-cheaper-right/1007554/4 "2024-09-21T17:00:06Z")
yep, they can be cheap, b/c they will not handle much bass (bass=expensive to produce) … nor much treble (but, hey, treble is cheap to produce). also, they wont see any wattage to speak of, so just pick the smallest, decent brand bookshelf. I am an audiophile, but i’d def. not spend north of $200 x pair for rears … ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surround-sound-home-theatre-rear-channels-can-be-cheaper-right/1007554/5 "2024-09-21T17:05:24Z")
People who visit me are often amused by my speaker choices. (I run just a 5.1 system.) My front speakers were $1K each. My center speaker was $700 and my sub was about $600. My rear speakers are little boxes that cost $70 each. They provide the necessary cues just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surround-sound-home-theatre-rear-channels-can-be-cheaper-right/1007554/6 "2024-09-21T17:44:09Z")
I gather this is no longer an option for the OP but, in case others in the market for surround sound stop by, we use a sound bar. > **[Amazon.com: Polk Audio Signa S4 Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer - Dolby Atmos...](https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Signa-S4-Ultra-Slim/dp/B09J753M18)** > > Amazon.com: Polk Audio Signa S4 Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer - Dolby Atmos 3D Audio, Exclusive VoiceAdjust & BassAdjust Technology, HDMI eARC, Works with 8K, 4K & HD TVs, Bluetooth, Wireless Streaming : Electronics Picked that up after a few years of [my computer putting out surround sound with just two speakers and a woofer.](https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-LIGHTSYNC-Gaming-Speakers-Lighting/dp/B07B2WLS17) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surround-sound-home-theatre-rear-channels-can-be-cheaper-right/1007554/7 "2024-09-21T19:00:06Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > not spend north of $200 x pair for rears That’s as good a number as any. This is also a time I’d be more open to give up a little function for a nifty form: sleek and fashionable spaceage MCM speakers are badly obsolete but could fill in fine for rears during 5.1. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surround-sound-home-theatre-rear-channels-can-be-cheaper-right/1007554/8 "2024-09-21T19:24:29Z")
the main point is: it doesn’t really matter … anything better than a $9.99 walmart speaker will be fine … so this should allow for lots of options for the rear … and no prob. to prioritize beauty over other aspects