Best center channel for under $200 street price ? (1 Viewer)

[anthony_b]

Can someone recomend the best center channel for under $200 street price ?

 

[BryanZ]

The best center will timbre match your mains. Better to go without a center than to have one that sounds bad.

 

[John Garcia]

Paradigm CC-170 : $199 is the going price so you may be able to find it for less.
------------------
All progress is based upon a universal, inate desire on the part of every organism, to live beyond it's income.
ITRCA ** Honda/Acura Club ** Link Removed (sorry, car guy)

 

[Chad Isaacs]

Klipsch sc-.5
------------------

 

[Nicholas A. Gallegos]

I would add the JBL S-Center to your list too. It goes for $250 at the retail stores, but you should be able to snag it cheaper online. Amazing center for the price range.
------------------

 

[Tim Markley]

What are you using for your mains?

 

[anthony_b]

I'm using Pinnacle classic gold towers

 

[John Garcia]

I'd wait and get a Pinnacle center then. Voice matching is a fairly significant detail in having your system sound right. It will be noticable if the center and mains are not at least somewhat matched to eachother. Ideally, all the mains & surrounds should sound as close as possible to eachother. It is only critical based upon your personal taste and level of acceptance.
[Edited last by John Garcia on August 02, 2001 at 05:54 PM]

 

[Scott Burke]

I have heard this before about matching timbre, but I have Sony 515's and the center that Sony has to match these speakers is terrible. I really did not care if it matched or not I was not happy with it.
My advice is to just listen to different center channels within your set-up, and buy the one you like the best!
------------------
My DVD Collection

 

[Barry_B_B]

I currently have a KLH front/center combo

dying to upgrade. I've read good things about Home Theater Direct's Level III center for $130 range, 30-day return policy. If I like it, will build around it.

 

[Martin G]

I have a polk CS245i. It retails for $199, its hard to really find it for much cheaper than that, maybe a demo model or an open box. It has good bass response and an incredible high range. It also matches really well with other non polk speakers.

 

[MatthewJ S]

Yeah, well sony...they don't exactly go to great lengths to timbre match......but I'll re-iterate , better to run in phantom mode,yes I said phantom mode, than run mismatched speakers!How many of you use a b&w as your front left and a jbl as your front right? not matching your center is as big a mistake!If it's a cost issue I understand(myself having caviar taste on a herring roe budjet)but then just run phantom(if your speakers are reasonably equidistant from your tv)and save up...I just told this to a customer rewcently and he said 'BUT I have nht's and you don't sell them, are you telling me to go to your competitor?" and I said in his case YES!

 

[John Garcia]

Polk CS245 is definitely a good choice.
In the JBL line, IMO, the N-center actually has a bit better bass response than the S-center, and costs less.
As for timbre matching, as I said, to each their own. I like mine to match, or at least be as close as possible. When I listen to my Paradigms, the sound is seemless, ie; you cannot place a particular speaker, as if the sound was coming from everywhere.
------------------
All progress is based upon a universal, inate desire on the part of every organism, to live beyond it's income.
ITRCA ** Honda/Acura Club ** Link Removed (sorry, car guy)

 

[Tim Markley]

Yes, get the Pinnacle center speaker. You really need to have 3 front speakers that are timbre matched or else you won't get a seamless transition between them.

 

[BryanZ]

Don't know how this would sound right off, but I do have a Pinnacle Widescreen Center that is not being used. That might be a possibility for you. Let me know if you are interested.

 

[Samuel Des]

When people say "timbre matched," do they really mean a specific physical property of the speaker?
------------------
SAM

 

[John Garcia]

Timbre matched means the performance of the speakers is sonically identical. That will be most likely to happen when the same, or nearly the same drivers, are shared among the speakers, most notably the tweeter. The mid/bass components should be the same material, though not necessarily the same size, and the tweeter type & material will also be the same.
Also referred to as the "voice" of a speaker.
[Edited last by John Garcia on August 03, 2001 at 12:31 PM]

 

[MatthewJ S]

crossover point 'tween tweet 'n mid also needs to be the same...in short ,they should be identical above @ 100hz

 

[karthik]

I have pinnacle gold reference towers with the pinnacle widescreen center for my hometheater setup and am extremely happy with their quality. I got the pinnacle center speaker for $109 plus shipping from egghead.com. Don't know if it is still available there though.