Entry level centre speaker? (1 Viewer)

[Marc*F]

What would be your pick of the following brands ENTRY LEVEL range of centre speakers (the cheaper the better)?

Castle
Mission
Quad
Tannoy
Welling
Wharfedale
NHT
Paradigm
B&W
JM Labs

 

[GrahamT]

That all depends on what your other speakers are. If you have say b&w mains with a paradigm center it will sound weird. You want a matching front soundstage.

 

[Marc*F]

I forgot to mention I am getting the centre speaker first, and then will get the rest at a later time...

 

[TylerZ]

Do not go cheap on your center, it handles the dialog of all the movies you will be watching. Like Graham said, match your center to whatever front speakers you have, not only in the manufacturer, but in a particular series also. For example, if you have Infinity 'Alpha' series speakers in the front L and R an Infinity 'Primus' series center speaker just won't match. The internal components of the two series are different giving you a different sound. A couple questions for you. What speakers do you have for your fronts now? Do you plan on upgrading soon? What's your budget?

 

[Marc*F]

My current situation is that I would like to start slowly purchasing the speakers starting with the centre.

My budget would be within the brands i stated, entry level series....out of those brands, which has good entry level speakers?

I've been looking at the Tannoy MX series...

 

[Chad A]

I'm gonna suggest the Wharfedale Diamond series.
Entry level price with award winning sound.
The Diamond center lists for $150 but can be had for $100.
I have a 7.1 Diamond system and couldn't be happier with my price to performance ratio.

 

[Marc*F]

Thanks, any other recommendations?

 

[GrahamT]

You have a good list there. I like to pimp Paradigm and Polk Audio. I suggest you give both an audition. The Paradigm Performance or Monitor series or Polk R or RTi series are good values and sound great to me. Buy what you like best. Always audition carefully and take your time. Dont be in a hurry, you will regret it later. I have had four center channels in the last year.

 

[Kevin G.]

I've read that Paradigm guarantees their timbre matching for the future so if you buy now and then two years from now, get the mains (they claim) you shouldn't have a problem.

I'm going to audition them today, and haven't made up my mind on the monitor, focus or titan, with the 70 or 170. guess we'll see

 

[GrahamT]

I believe that is true Kevin. I bought Monitor 3s about 2-3 years ago and recently purchased a new CC370 which was still timbre matched to my older monitor 3s. I think that they sound great and worth the money. I would go with 170 or,if you can afford it, the 270. This is the most important speaker if you watch a lot of movies. The 270 matches with the performance series. The focus and 270 would be pretty sweet.

 

[Pablo Abularach]

I think you should also consider JBL, it offers great speakers for the money, try to check the Studio series or Northbrige series, or even the new Northbrige E series. The studio Scenter is grest center for $140.

 

[Marc*F]

I'm really considering the Tannoy Mercury series...specifically the Tannoy MXC-M centre speaker....anyone had any experience with this speaker series?

 

[Kevin G.]

The focus and 270 would be pretty sweet.

that's pretty much what I've decided on... the preview went fantastic, could hardly believe my ears. I checked the atoms, titans, mini monitors, and focus. The focus had a more well rounded "fat" sound compared to the titans and atoms, the monitors sounded great, but the cost was a little outta my range
Looking forward to dragging these home & hooking up

 

[Tim Streagle]

If you are looking for bargain basement priced speakers, you may have luck with searching the auction sites. I put together a very nice system for someone over a period of weeks/months by finding killer deals on the RCA/Rat Shack Linaeum tweeter series. It was excellent sound quality for low, low price. Other speaker types/brands are traded regularly and represent excellent value, albeit at some risk of ending up with something that doesn't work. I found my own Aurasound center speaker online for less than $100 and it was virtually brand new. Other friends have bought Martin Logan, Definitive, JBL, etc. from auctions and saved thousands. They couldn't be happier. Most of my friends are performing musicians and many are dirt poor. Trading and auctions are a way of life for them (thank goodness I retired and took a day job!).

As stated previously in another thread, care must be taken to match speakers with each other in order for them to present an cohesive soundstage. Of course there are those who just spring for an expensive system from a high end dealer. I buy some things from the really good local shops, but I can't resist that urge to find great deals that I can brag about to friends!