Center Channel Upgrade Questions (1 Viewer)

[Neil McCaulley]

Hi Everyone!

I currently own the Onkyo HT-S660 Theater in a Box. It has five discreet channels and the receiver. Lately, I have been considering replacing the center channel with an Infinity 3-Way Center Channel. (I was VERY impressed with the Infinity Speakers when I went shopping for a home theater audio system. I did not buy them because I could not afford them at the time.) Anyway, my current center channel is just a 2-way. Does it make sense for me to upgrade my center channel only, with another brand of speaker (Infinity) that is different from my Onkyo? Will I be able to hear a big difference/improvement going from a 2-way center, to an Infinity 3-way center?

Advice please…

 

[MikeDuke]

The center channle contributes to about 65-75% of the on screen action. You want to get the best center you can. When I upgraded to a better center the change was very big. My center is a 3-way. There might be a problem with matching of your other speakers. Meaning, action or movie scenes that pan across from the left to center to right or other pans may not sound seemless. Only you can say if it is a pain. But if you really like the Infinity and think you may get a set up of all Infinity some day then do it. It will make a difference.

 

[Daniel.Han]

Upgrading the center channel will often make a very large difference. Like Mike said though, you find that with a new speaker, especially one from a different brand, that the sound of it tends to 'stand out' from the others so that the front sound stage isn't very smooth.

Another thing to consider is that a new speaker may have very different energy requirements than what your HTiB receiver is capable of putting out. So take that into consideration before you purchase anything.

dh