Any problems pairing Audax HT center and 281's? (1 Viewer)

[Gary Joe]

I'm trying to plan my next DIY project and make a descent HT system. I noticed that Audax's center channel HT speak found at madisound and Zalytron uses the same tweet as the Adire 281. Would this be a good match in a HT setup for the front stage or should I stick with all audax HT or all Adire? Thanks!

 

[Kerry Hackney]

Dan Wiggins said recently that he is finally nearing completion of the center channel speaker. If you are interested in the 281s I would build them first and by then, the center should be available. If not, you could also use the kit 81 for a center or even a sealed 281 for an almost perfect match. FWIW, I have been considering building one of the Audax mains to use as a center because of my space limitations. I think that the tembre matching has more to do with the mid-woofer than the tweeter. Hopefully, one of our resident guru's can address that.

 

[Rick Guynn]

I built the complete Audax HT set. I really like them. The mains are especially good... something is a little wrong in the crossover for the center as I seem to get some serious harmonics ditortions in certain parts of the vocal range. Unfortunately, I don't know how to localize/fix the problem other than rebuilding the crossovers completely so I have let it be.

Gary, I'm sorry I can't speak too much to your question, as I have not tried combining these speakers with anything else. Me sense tells me that Kerry is right and that the midwoof has moer to do with it... but I am definitely not a guru, so....

Kerry, I hink you are right to use one of the mains as the center channel. If I had it to do over again, that is probably what I would do. I do not really 'hear' the advantage of the 3-way center and it is bearishly large. I have been extremely happy with the mains.

 

[Mark Krawiec]

using a main as a center is actually an excellent idea. but you have to keep the vertical orientation.

if you turn an MTM main on it's side, you get major off axis response dips. the audax has the TM arranged vertically, then the WMW arranged horizontally, so the off axis dips are limited to the lower midrange, where they're less of a problem.

if your wife and room will allow a 281 sticking out of your set vertically, this is the best way to go. unfortunately, this is usually nixed on the grounds of lack of aesthetic beauty.

not having heard these two together, i can't say. in fact, unless you yourself hear them, it's going to be very hard to tell.

i'd just be tempted to wait for dan's CC to come along. supposedly it's very close to being done, as kerry mentioned.

 

[Kerry Hackney]

Mark> I agree that turning an MTM on its side is less than perfect. However, there are a huge number of commercial designs that do just that. There are a lot of DIY builders of 281 that use them for centers. Depending on how your room is laid out and the size of your screen you may not have much off axis listening anyway. In my case 90% of my viewing is dead center. With my family sitting on the coach with me, they aren't off enough to matter either. I guess I'm saying, I realize it isn't a perfect solution, but it is certainly acceptable for most situations.

 

[Kyle Richardson]

Although Dan is going to release a new dedicated center speaker for the 281's, I have no intention of replacing my sealed 281 I am currently using for my center speaker. I don't have a large off-axis listening area so it has never been a problem for me.

Kyle Richardson

Acoustic Visions

 

[Gary Joe]

I checked out adires sire and they have posted a new crossover layout for turning the 81 on it's side. It's listed as Kit 81C. That might be just what i would need. I would prefer a 281 but without a reworked crossover the 81C would probably be the best choice. What do you guy's think?

P.S. I think thier site was just updated on Wed.