"Audio_Empire" wrote in message
...
The only thing that CAN differentiate "surround speakers" from the
normal kind is that often surround speakers are not required to have
any deep bass, as that chore is handled by the "Point-One" channel in
a video surround system. The Dolby surround spec doesn't require that
the rear channel speakers have any significant response below about
100 Hz. On the other hand, if you are listening to music from a
surround SACD or DVD-A source, bass in the surround channels may be
more important than it is in a video system, so the ultimate
importance of having "genuine surround speakers" ultimately depends
upon what you are using the surround system for.
The use of front speakers that have similarly limited bass response is
facilitated by the use of subwoofer(s) which is often done.
The use of main speakers with non-unipolar response has been common for
decades. This includes both bipolar and radial/omni directional speakers.
Mirage Acoustics and Deftech come to mind as manufacturers of speakers that
are obviously designed for use as front speakers that have bipolar response.
http://www.definitivetech.com/produc...s/original-bp/
http://www.miragespeakers.com/about/history/
The correct answer appears to be that there is little or nothing about the
design of a speaker that obliges it to be used as either a front or surround
speaker.