$300 or under Center Channel Search -- Epos, SVS, MS Avant, Polk? (1 Viewer)

[dany]

If its a ploy to make sence,i bought it. You ask 100 audiophiles and 95% will tell you matching the 3 fronts when your listening to a DVD movie and DVD-A and SACD and DTS music disc is very important. So that says 95% has been fooled?

 

[AlanZ]

I don't use a center, and I love Maggies, but I don't think the Magnepan MMG-C is the best idea for the OP's situation. That beign said, you can order one direct from Magnepan and try it out for a month or two. If you don't like it, ship it back.

I'm not in the camp that feels center speakers are some "ploy", but I do think that good quality mains can produce such a good center image/fill that spending additional money on a matching center is not warranted. I think it just depends on what your individual preferences and goals are; there is no right or wrong answer, IMO.

 

[johnADA]

As you stated in verbatim, yes. I think with cheapish setups the center is important, but when you have good speakers as with what Alan said and in what I've heard, it really doesnt add enough to warrant the extra dough,space etc.

95%, no, not from the postings I've seen, more like just over 50%.But I'm a gear head and know many other gear heads that swear with particular add ons they've gained so much power, but a dyno shows minimal impact your rear side couldnt even pickup on. Its all in their minds!!

 

[Jacob C]

*sigh* Can we just answer his questions?

If I were you I would go to as many local shops as you can and listen to different speakers. When you find something that sounds like your snells take note of it. Then post the list of speakers you think are similar to the snells and we can try to reccomend something. IMO 2 good speakers set to phantom center is better than 2 good speakers with a center that isnt up to par (or has a significantly different sonic signature). Thats my $0.02. Good luck.

 

[DaveHo]

If you are not going to match your mains, just go with the phantom center. You'll most likely get better results.

 

[JeremyErwin]

There's an easy way to discover whether that center channel is useful. Pop in a 3 channel SACD. Play both the two channel and three channel tracks.

3 channel SACDs include a number of "Living Stereo" releases, Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue", etc. These discs don't use surround speakers, which would get in the way of the experiment.

I read a couple of papers which claim that certain frequencies are not reproduced optimally by phantom centers. However, loudspeakers which can generate a respectable phantom center are not cheap, and since most music is stereo, well...

 

[SVS-Ron]

Not to steer, pressure, cajole, influence, sway, persuade, strong-arm, or otherwise indicate there aren't dozens if not hundreds of choices for affordable (and IMO critical) center channel speakers (there are) ... but the SVS SCS-01 is indeed available separately from our other packages.

This was not the case with the SBS-01 system's debut (of which the SCS-01 is a part) but we heard from quite a few folks that wanted the flexibility of getting a center alone from us.

And we can follow the money as good as the next guy.

Any color you want, as long as it's black (though we are working on decor friendly cream white and silver right now in limited quantities).

Ron Stimpson

 

[dany]

If you cant take it home,you cant tell if its going to match up right no matter who tells you this or that is the right one. You might e-mail snell and see which they might advise you to check out. They most likly have an idea who matches there speakers.

 

[JeremyErwin]

Oops. I just realized that "Kind of Blue" is 3 channel mono (with some leakage). Probably not the best disc to test the stability of stereo imaging with.

 

[John Garcia]

Sorry Ron, I did actually go check your site after I posted that and saw that you were now offering them individually. Thanks for the follow up though

 

[EvanYeager]

I have called SVS and Magnepan (I haven't yet called Snell -- I am busy today it seems).

The consensus so far seems to be that SVS subs and Maggies work well together and that the Snell KIIs should work well with either center channel speaker.

Basic info:
Model, Description, Freq. Resp.± 3dB, Sensitivity, Impedance
Maggie MMG 2-way, Quasi Ribbon Planar - Magnetic, 50-24kHz, 86dB, 4Ohm
Maggie MMG C, Planar - Magnetic, 100-16kHz, 88dB, 5Ohm
SVS SCS-01, Sealed 2-way 1" Silk dome, 5.25" polypro. cone, 68-20kHz, 87dB, 8ohm
Snell KIIs (from memory) Sealed 2-way 1" Silk dome, 8" polypro. cone, 80-22kHz, 89dB, 8ohm

(Maybe one can make sense of that)


Why not get the Maggie center and save for the Maggie mains and the SVS sub?

How do Maggies work for front channels?

 

[AlanZ]

Evan: If you plan to go to MMGs for mains, then that changes the whole game. In my opinion, the MMGs are the best speakers you can buy for under $1k. I know others will feel differently, but I lived with them for a year and a half and absolutely LOVED them. I encourage you to read through some of the "Maggie Update" thread that was started by my buddy "Alan M". There is a lot of good info on Maggies in there.

In all honesty, the MMGs image SO well that I would almost encourage you to save your $300 (that you would spend on the Maggie MMG-C) and just put it toward getting the MMGs. I think you'll find that the MMGs produce such an amazing center fill that you will be happier with the MMGs in phantom than you will be with your Snells and an MMG-C center. In my opinion, you should ALWAYS focus on your mains first if you have plans to make a change there. You can always add a center speaker later on, but the MMGs will give you a LOT of enjoyment, provided you give them the right juice. If you're going to do Maggies, do them right. Get yourself a decent amplifier for them. You can use a receiver to do the processing, but you really should get an amp for the MMGs. If you want a really inexpensive solution, find yourself a B&K ST-140 off of Audiogon or Ebay. You can probably find one for less than $200. It's an outdated model, but it's good, clean current. That's just one example....there are lots of ways you could go for the amp.

But honestly, think about just going for the MMGs first and holding off on the MMG-C. Oddly enough, while the Magnepan CC3 center channel has been called the "best at any price" by a couple of reviewers, the MMG-C has only received lukewarm praise. I'm sure it's fine for $300, but that money is best served goign toward the MMGs in my opinion.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Can't disagree, if you can give them room to breathe.

Just some general observations:

The need for a dedicated center is predicated on the desire to anchor the center signal to the center position (the screen) for off-center viewers/listeners...that's it's primary purpose. While the MMG indeed throw a very good center image, it pulls to the nearest speaker once you move out of a fairly narrow lateral range...as always. If your "serious" listening (during which you might care about such "sonic positioning") is done from the "sweet-spot", then a phantom works quite well.

I auditioned the MMG-W at home and didn't find much of a family resemblance to the MMG. If the MMG-C is like it, I don't think I'd build a system around it.

 

[LanceJ]

Knowing how good Snells are, I can't imagine them not generating a precise/stable center image, but if you do decide on a center I would put Boston Acoustics on your list. I'm not sure if they are a sonic match but I've never heard a Boston sound bad yet (and yes, I own Bostons myself ).

Though personally, I would use the Snells in phantom mode rather than put up with mismatched speakers.

FYI: until recently, Snell was owned by Boston Acoustics.......now both are part of D&M Holdings. :frowning:

 

[Alan M]

As to the MMG-C,

I use one in my HT.While it is a good center and matches the MMG's,its not a great center.It took lots of hours to break in(much more then the MMG's).While I found the MMG's and the MMGW's(my surrounds) easy to setup,the C took some work to get it to sound right.

Maggie recommends room between the C and the front wall(mine is 3 feet from the wall),and a wall hanging or other absorbing material behind it.

I will say that,if your willing to spend some time doing adjustments to it and the room,the C can be a very good center channel speaker.

A 5 speaker Maggie HT,set up correctly,can be an amazing experience,but its not a "plug n play" speaker package by any means.


O almost forgot,Hi Z

 

[JeremyErwin]

From what I understand, the basic problem with the Magnepans is that they are 4 ohm speakers, and thus require a capable amplifier. A number of receivers are advertised as having high current, low impedance capability, but often safety warnings in the manual belie these slogans.

 

[Alan M]

Amps to power Maggies have become much less expensive then they use to be.I use Outlaw amps to power my center and surrounds,with a pro amp powering my MMG's.Pro amps,such as the crown brand or qsc,are a low cost means to power Maggies and still get quality sound reproduction.

With that said,The main thing with Maggies is placement.They are very critical of distances to walls,both front and sides,and room reflections.

I have found them much harder to place then conventional speakers,but the reward is worth the effort.IMHO,for the price,they truly are a bargain.

 

[JeremyErwin]

Any amp is expensive if your receiver doesn't have preouts

 

[EvanYeager]

It was a really bad Mother's Day as everyone (me and both kids) got sick but "mother" bless her heart. Anyway, I got to watch a lot of movies Sunday as church and visiting family was out. Everything from “Phantom of the Opera” to "Return to Me" to "Highlander" to “Star Wars III”. With our arrangement in our living room we really need the center channel to anchor the dialog to the screen as much as possible.

It seems almost by definition that $300 is going to buy one a mediocre center channel speaker. The somewhat narrow frequency response of the MMG-C (100 Hz - 16 kHz) at first seems to like it would be some what of a concern but after listening to such a variety of soundtracks it seems that the vast majority of center channel material falls well with in that range. At this point something that correctly reproduces the human voice is a concern. It seems that the MMG-C would stand the best chance of working with the Snells and then blending with the Maggies later. The current second choice is the SVS SCS-01 center channel at $185.

Interestingly, the typical female aversion to Maggies is not there (“How can I decorate around that?”). The spouse thinks Maggies sound good enough that their room dominating presence is not an issue. The Snells are currently about 12” from the sides of our rear projection DLP (which is centered in the room), 24” from the back wall, and 30” from the side walls. Sounds like a good spot for some Maggies.

 

[AlanZ]

So you're thinking about going Maggies across the front? Mains and center? If so, I think that's a great idea, Evan. I can't tell you how much I loved my MMGs. Well, actually, I can.....it's all documented in the "maggie update" thread for all to see