Affordable (Bose?) Center Speaker recommendation for Denon AVR 4800? (2 Viewers)

[Sonicgogo]

Hi all, newbie here.

First off, looking for a solid center speaker. I currently have 4 ancient low to mid range tower speakers that honestly sound great, clear, and full, so I'm looking to add at least that quality of sound to a center channel. (2 Kenwoods from a high end stereo and 2 Sears LXI, both 3 way. Still great to my ears even after a degree in audio engineering lmao)


I was browsing looking at the Bose VCS 10 and Horizontal dual cubes since they are the only ones that have old school speaker wire attachments.

My Denon AVR 4800 accepts 6-16 ohm impedance, but the bose wording is weird. On the VCS10, it says compatible with 4-8 ohm systems, but rates it at 6 ohms. I'm aware impedance varies with frequency, so does that mean it would or wouldn't be a fit for my stereo?

The horizontal dual cube with those old school wire clamps has no info I can find anywhere on impedance, though Amazon AI reply said it was 8 ohms.

I'm looking to stay around 50ish bucks on something used, and I just want something that doesn't sound woofy and constricted when 5.1 kicks in like with my tiny Boston speaker. It's bad enough that I turned off the center channel completely and prefer the directionally of 4.1 a lot more ATM. All the dialog in the center sounds so bad I couldn't take it. I'm hoping that something with better clarity and spread would be more pleasing, or at least a better option when gaming.

Please let me know you're thoughts on the listed speakers, compatibility, and perhaps some recommendations on other better options!

Thank you everyone!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Many years ago (probably 30+ years) I tried a Bose VCS 10 center speaker in an attempt to match some old Bose 601 tower speakers. The speaker sounded like it was shoved in a burlap sack -- a muddy, awful mess. I would suggest looking at another brand.

 

[JohnRice]

I was browsing looking at the Bose VCS 10 and Horizontal dual cubes since they are the only ones that have old school speaker wire attachments.

I'm not certain what you mean with this statement. All normal, passive speakers have that type of connection. Honestly, Bose is the last brand I would recommend looking at, though, for the reasons Scott mentioned.

Do you have a desired price range?

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Quite a few years ago I bought 2 pair of JBL Northridge N24 bookshelf speakers for our basement recreation room for a music-only application. Back then they cost me about $50 each, and they sound great for the money. It appears there is a matching center speaker called an N-Center. You should be able to pick one up used for under your $50 budget.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

I'm not certain what you mean with this statement. All normal, passive speakers have that type of connection.

I found a picture of the backside of the VCS 10 and it has spring clip connections. That’s probably what he was talking about.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[JohnRice]

I found a picture of the backside of the VCS 10 and it has spring clip connections. That’s probably what he was talking about.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

OK, that could be. If that's the case, I should probably point out that the more common binding posts can be used with the same bare wire that spring clips need. It's probably just necessary to remove more insulation to expose more wire.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

IF it's not too much, maybe the Monoprice Encore C5 could fit the bill nicely... It's currently on sale again for $75 (w/ free shipping).

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=43154&utm_term=&utm_campaign=PMax+%7C+Offers+%7C+Too+Many+Sale+%7C+Monoprice&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&hsa_acc=6614305189&hsa_cam=20688757861&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_Thz7iPazsSgqfxp0DnBjFTcurZ&gclid=CjwKCAiAxaCvBhBaEiwAvsLmWNLqGimu4M9Iu5SEEDXUuttECuB3TbZDadKm42li_EbXLX5ucUpv-BoCXEkQAvD_BwE

I was very satisfied w/ mine for this price range (although I usually use better, more expensive, for my main HT)...

And if you wanna upgrade/replace the other old speakers (before long), their Encore (not Audition) T5 towers are also quite good for their recurring sale price of <=$100 each -- they don't seem to have any (new ones) in stock (and on good sale) right now though...

IF you like Bose (and similar bass reflex designs that are fairly common) at all, these should be great/better, especially for the price when on good sale...

FWIW, I would never recommend Bose either... and yes, my 1st ever pair of "real" speakers were some Bose bookshelves from back when I couldn't afford better as a college student (and bought cheaply, used from a friend). It served its purpose alright enough at the time, but I moved onto far far better when I could eventually afford it, ie. used pair of Vandersteen 2Ci's, heh.

_Man_

 

[YANG]

if memory serves me well... i don't recall there isn't any new dedicated center speaker made by Bose anymore in recent years?