Center channel recommendations (1 Viewer)

[greg baker]

I Know I am probably going to get hammered for this but here goes. I have JBL S26's in the front and the S-center II in the front. For some reason it has started having major problems with the sheilding. I have lifted it up, put it on a sanus tv shelf, put MU-metal underneath, and basically unless I lift it a foot off of the TV then I am screwed. I have heard this is a common problem with this speaker and I am not real hip on getting the same one. JBL is not that interested in helping me becuase I bought it from the dreaded non-authorized dealer. (I have learned my lesson) No other speaker is Timbre matched and I am not interested in scrapping the S-26's. Can anyone recommend a solution or a good center channel speaker. Thanks,

Greg:b

 

[Lew Crippen]

Oops, I just read your post more carefully.

What is your budget?

 

[greg baker]

Probably $300-350 on the budget

 

[Lew Crippen]

Rocket makes a center channel (RSC 100) for $350, that I have not heard, though I am reasonably familiar with the product line. Its big brother, the RSC 200 goes for $600 and is absolutely outstanding.

Ascend makes a center channel for about $300 that I have not heard, although I have heard their 170 monitors that this is supposed to match.

I expect that you would be pleased with either center channel, as both companies provide very good value for the money. I don’t much care for the look of Ascend speakers, but that may not be important to you.

I read your first post again and I understand that you don’t want to get rid of the S-36s nor get another center channel. Even so, either of the suggestions that I made would allow you to replace the JBLs with quality products, should you decide that timbre matching was important in the future. Rocket has a somewhat more diverse set of speakers from which to choose than Ascend at the current time.

 

[CurtisSC]

Lew has some good suggestions.

I like the sound of the RSC200, and I own the Ascend CMT-340c. Two very good centers. The shape of the 340 is nicer than Ascend's 170, but the finish is the same.

There are a lot of center channels out there. I would recommend going out to listen to them.

Clarification question: You do not care to timbre match?

 

[Chris Quinn]

How about seeing if there is a speaker repair shop were you live and calling them to see if they can redo the shield? Or PM one of the speaker builders here on HTF and see what they would charge to fix the shielding if you shipped it to them.