I am trying to decide which might be a better option to go with for my 5.1 system: either the AON3 or the SSAT3 for my surround ?
speakers. Any thoughts, advantages etc...

Possible config:
Triton-Fives, SC-XL and either the AON or SSAT for rear

thanks

Hi Richt,
Good questions and I guess everyone will have their own bias, prejudice.
So here is mine,I REALLY like the Aons.
They will require stands or a shelf to sit on.
But the SSats have to be mounted somehow too.
I just think the Aons are incredible and so versatile, you can put them anywhere and play them in about any system.
And for their size and price, you just can't beat them.
Just my 2 cents, enjoy your search and eventually enjoy the music,
God Bless,
Wayne

richt wrote: I am trying to decide which might be a better option to go with for my 5.1 system: either the AON3 or the SSAT3 for my surround ?
speakers. Any thoughts, advantages etc...

If you have room for Aons, they are a more full range speaker and some people will argue that's desirable for Surround/rears/effects channels. For your reference, about 90% of our theater systems sales include SuperSat 3s for these effects channels when an on-wall solution is desired. And all the systems you read rave reviews about from our trade show demos have used SuperSat 3s as surround channel speakers (other than in our in-wall speaker demos, of course).

Richt,

A few more considerations:

1. Surround sound is changing. From my research, Atmos mixes will include more directional and full frequency sound. Even if it is played in 5.1. IMHO, there is added benefit to having a speaker more capable to reach lower frequencies and provide a little more "energy". GoldenEar typically uses towers for their surround demos at trade shows so there is obviously some other added benefits not addressed.

2. The drivers in the Triton Five should be almost identical to the Aon 2. 6" mids and the HVFR tweeter. Integration should be amazing. That's not to say that the SSATs would be great, just that the Aons would likely be that much better.

Anthem has Aon 3s as his surrounds, it would be great to get his feedback here. I chose the Aon3s but am still using them for my front L/R channels while I save for a pair of T1s. I do not regret my decision and am thoroughly impressed by the Aons. They are the first bookshelf speaker I could live with as permanent L/R channel speakers, though it would have to be in a smaller room.

That's my 2 cents... Good luck with puting your system together. Enjoy the journey...and the sound!

Cheers,

T Cobe

Yep, right you are. In our first (and only, so far) Atmos system trade show demo we used Triton Twos in the back as full-range surrounds (and additional LFE subs). It was, in a word, mind-bending. And I won't argue any of T Cobe's points either, I will just say that what "fits" is probably more significant than the differences in sound, in this case.

I wanted to chime in a bit about how I decided on my surround speakers. - Aon 2s.

For me, it's important to have fuller range speakers for surrounds because, as mentioned, the nature of surround sound is changing. While in the past the surround speakers were more for effects, now they are used for much more. Also, for gaming, this was really important for me as important dialogue may be played out of an of the speakers. Because of that, male voices would have sounded too thin crossed over at 120hz using one of the supersats.

Another important consideration for me, I prefer my surround speakers subtle. In fact I have mine turned down by 1db compared to the SPL calibration I did because of that. I don't like being distracted by surround sound and I only want it to add to the front soundstage and the image on screen. When I auditioned the Aon 2/3s back and forth in a surround configuration I actually preferred the Aon 2s. Even crossed over the same (at 80hz) the Aon 3s seemed to emphasis their lower end more which actually pulled the soundstage further back towards the center of the room. I actually preferred the Aon 2 which I felt kept the soundstage anchored up front at the screen.

Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps.