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Different center channel with Bose 301 fronts?

#1
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12/26/07 at 11:35am
  • Joined: December 2007
  • Post Count: 4
Hey guys this is my first post. I'm 20 years old and new to Home Theater but not exactly "Bose"-new. The 301 Series V were a gift to me and they aren't as bad as everyone says they are. I listen to metal and techno and some rap, basically really fast and distorted music. The Bose handle the job better than any speakers I've ever owned. I like them.

Sometime around February-March I plan to set-up a small, budget Home Theater/Gaming room built on an Onkyo TX-SR605. I might purchase the receiver within the week because my 10 year old Pioneer is crapping out on me. If you know something I dont know or a better alternative Feb-Mar. time then please share.

I would really like to keep my Bose 301s up front because like I said, I like them and they're sufficient enough for me. My question is this:

Is it absolutely necessary to match brands when pairing your front channels and your center channel?

I've heard the Bose VCS-10 on 2 different systems and it really wasn't what I was expected. It wasn't horrible, it looks great and is space-saving but for $200 I wasn't impressed. Are there any brand speaker that matches timbre well with Bose? Some guy I know told me Infinity and Bose sometimes work together??

I was considering getting a Yamaha YSP-800 Digital Sound Projector with a subwoofer and keeping my Bose 301 seperate for music. Any thoughts on that idea? I have no experience with those single speaker surround systems.

Thanks.
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#2
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12/26/07 at 12:21pm
  • Joined: June 2000
  • Location: Colorado
  • Post Count: 7,506

Re: Different center channel with Bose 301 fronts?

It is not absolutely necessary to match brands, plus, simply matching brands does not guarantee a good match either.

My experience with Infinity (outdated, I admit) is that they tend to be fairly bright, which would make them a horrible match with the Bose. Also, while Bose speakers are typically... awful... I have heard the 301s are OK. You just want to find a more conservative sounding speaker for a center. You'll need to do some personal trials, and probably try some at home. Make sure you can take them back.

I wouldn't bother with separate systems. For all that extra money you could get one, much better system. The Onkyo is kind of overkill for what you are doing now, but it is the most feature rich model in the price range, so still not a bad choice.


One other thing. One of the major weaknesses of Bose is that they tend to lack dynamics, which is probably not a problem with the music you listen to. Movies are a completely different animal. Dynamics are essential, so you may have a different feeling there.


They flutter behind you, your possible pasts.
Some bright-eyed and crazy, some frightened and lost.
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