new center channel?

What are you front speakers? They really should be from the same manufacturer/series as the center since both the fronts and center often reproduce the same signal.

Buying drivers and sticking them in a box really doesn't work. The size of the cabinet is critical to the bass response and the cross-over is probably the most important part in a speakers design. Your much better off buying the same center as your fronts are from or buying  matched front/center/surround speakers, even if you have to buy used.

You can get some real good deals on used speakers off craigslist/ebay if you're carefull and buying last years speakers on closeout, like the Polk CS2 from  Newegg.com can also be a great way to save money. They have other Monitor series speakers at reduced prices.

SVS is probably the most recommended speaker here but I wouldn't suggest you buy just the center from them if your other speakers are not from SVS.

I can't find any specific info or pictures on that speaker except that, as you stated, it's an older 3-way tower so I'm guessing there isn't a matching center available. The woofers aren't the critical part but the tweeters. The best thing to do is try and find a Sony center, new or used, that has the same tweeter or one close to it. Otherwise, buying any old center won't come close to matching your fronts.

It would be impossible to recommend a center channel but if you feel you know the basic sound of your fronts then Infinity's, like the Primus 250 and Beta 250 and 360 are considered softer and warmer while Polk and Klipsch are considered much brighter.

I wouldn't spend $2-300 on a center in your case but if you want to then along with the SVS I'd look at Axiom Audio.com, Elemental Designs.com, Aperion Audio.com, among so many others. The Beta 360 is also very good.


As I said earlier, you really have to know what you're doing if you want to build your own speaker, and that includes sub woofers. Another option is to build a "kit" speaker where it has been designed by a knowledgable person and the parts are available as a kit which you build. Partsexpress.com and Madisound.com are good places to start and I'm sure google can find some others for you. I know there are bookshelves available as kits but I don't recall ever hearing of a center channel in kit form. But there must be something out there. That might be something for you to look into if you are a DIY'er.

3" cone tweeters were very common in the '70's and 80's from brands like Sony, Pioneer, Fisher, Technics, Sansui, etc. It would be impossible to find anything that would truely match the Sony towers. Just find a nice center in your price range and hope for the best.

I'd even consider buying something used off ebay or craigslist.

But if you want a specific recommendation then I'll say the Infinity Beta 250 or Primus 250. Both can be found new on Ebay/Amazon for around $125 shipped.Very smooth mid-range, not too expensive. And you can build around them later for a complete matched system if you choose to. The 360 and 350 are even better but much more expensive.

As always, how much do you want to spend? And what other devices will be hooked up to it? BluRay player? DVD player? Cable box? With receivers it's mostly about cost, connections, features and usability. A few people, me included, think there is a slight difference in sound quality between brands but it's not enough to worry about. Room acoustics also play a huge part in the sound you hear. Much more so than the average person thinks.

Buying used equipment on craigslist/ebay is a great way to get a lot for your money but there are risks. Often times people have no idea what their stuff is worth. I just bought a pair of mint condition Infinity Beta 50's off craigslist for $225! But make sure the item works before you hand over the cash.

A good used Yamaha, Onkyo, H/K, Denon, Pioneer can be had relatively cheaply. It should have at least 4 digital inputs, optical and/or coax, and look for 6/8 channel analog inputs. They could come in handy later on. I quick check of craigslist in the S.F area shows several that would be excellent buys. Also look at Dakmart.com for refurbished older Denon receivers. These come with a warranty.