Bookshelf speaker for a center? Newbie needs info :). (1 Viewer)

[Anthony N]

Hey.

I was just wondering if a bookshelf speaker pair could work well for the front and rear center channels? I'm a newbie to HT and such, but I've decided on my reciever (Kenwood VR-6060) which supports 6.1 audio, and I can either buy a single dedicated center channel for the front, or a pair of bookshelf speakers for the same price but you get the two bookshelves instead of just the one real center.

Is this worth it or are the bookshelves just not designed for that kind of thing and would pale in comparison to a real center channel speakers? Thanks in advance.

 

[keir]

three indentical bookshelf speakers can work wonderfully for left/center/right channels (even better than using a different center). the only thing you need to be careful of is shielding. if the bookshelf speaker isnt magnetically shielded it will interfere with the tv like any other magnet.

 

[Jose G]

Keep in mind what Keir just said about the mains and center being timbre matched (having the same tone)- very important! Don't use a different center than the mains, unless it's a very close match. This means using a speaker from the same line as your mains or asking the manufacturer for a recommended match. Good luck!

 

[Adam_Bailey]

if your other speakers are book shelf speakers too, that would be good. If you have larger or different speakers for the left and right channels, then its questionable.

My current system has two bigger speakers for the left and right, and then a small JBL center channel and the dialogue suffers quit a bit. On the new system I'm building now, I have 3 floor standing speakers for the front. I think if you have bigger left and right speakers, i would sacrafice the rear center to have a big front channel too.

 

[keir]

I wouldnt judge all small centers by the jbl bookshelf. small speakers are only really sacrificing some low bass response and can be at least as good as any floorstander at speech especially. the gr-research a/v1 is a very good example.

 

[Steve Simm]

I was recently able to pickup a single bookshelf to match my mains, Boston VR-M60's, so that I have 3 identical speakers across the front. I was using a Boston VR-MC center that was a very close match sonically but having 3 of the same is definitely better. If you can swing it then do it.