Need Center Channel Speaker advice

[Guest Condorll]

Hello all,

It was truly a surprise to find this board. I have owned a pair of AR4xa's and a pair of AR2ax's since new in the early 70's. A couple of years ago I had the speakers re-coned at SpeakerLab in Seattle. They continue to sound great after 32 years!

I just went the home theater route, bought a JVC 52" D-ILA TV and a new Harmon Kardon AVS 235 surround sound reciever rated at a conservative 50 watts per channel (I believe they have been tested at closer to 80)

I couldn't resist picking up a 12" KLH subwoofer at Costco for 89 bucks and it sounds great with the 4 AR's. Now I need a center channel and this is where I am having problems. I am looking for a cheap center that will sound great with the AR's and is not too big.

Any recommendations?

[ninohernes]

Find yourself another AR-4x. It will work wonderfully! Single units pop up on ebay from time to time.

[dynaco_dan]

Hi there

Two very good choices for nice hifi sound.

I would suggest ebay for a matching 4x.

Good choices.

Good luck.

>

>I just went the home theater route, bought a JVC 52" D-ILA TV

>and a new Harmon Kardon AVS 235 surround sound reciever rated

>at a conservative 50 watts per channel (I believe they have

>been tested at closer to 80)

>

>I couldn't resist picking up a 12" KLH subwoofer at Costco for

>89 bucks and it sounds great with the 4 AR's. Now I need a

>center channel and this is where I am having problems. I am

>looking for a cheap center that will sound great with the AR's

>and is not too big.

>

>Any recommendations?

[Guest Condorll]

Thanks for the advice to purchase another vintage AR, but the wife would prefer one of those slim center channel speakers. The center channel placement is either below or above the TV and as such a slim design would be more appropriate visually.

So, back to shopping here!

[Guest molecules]

If you need it near the TV does it have to be shielded, therefore modern ?

if so, how about something like this ?

saturday audio.com PSB Image 8C List $299 Sale $199 Color: Black

[Guest dogmeninreno]

>Thanks for the advice to purchase another vintage AR, but the

>wife would prefer one of those slim center channel speakers.

>The center channel placement is either below or above the TV

>and as such a slim design would be more appropriate visually.

>So, back to shopping here!

I am using a set of AR9's for my main L&R channels, driven by 2 Adcom GFA-555IIs. I am bi-amping the woofer section and the uppers off two channels of each Adcom. My rears are AR18b's and the center channel is a AR4x. The center and both rears are driven with a seperate Adcom 3 channel amp rated at 100WPC. I will eventually replace the 18B's with 4x's and see what I get. The system as is is wonderful. I don't know any other way to describe the incredible sound and staging I hear. The AR4x or ax is a good choice for center IMO, Dale in Reno.....

[Steve F]

You're going to have a tough time finding a modern speaker with a spectral and radiation pattern similar to the 4.

First, I'd look for a sealed design, so that the bass approximates the bass character in the 4x/4xa. The center channel is high-passed anyway in an HT system at about 80Hz, so the very low end isn't the concern. But sealed-to-sealed will be a better match in bass character, in terms of the speakers' transient, distortion, and group delay behavior. In other words, they're more likely ("more likely," NOT guaranteed) to at least sound similar in the lower region. And make certain it's really a sealed design, not a passive radiator design. PR boxes look sealed, but they're acoustically the same as vented boxes.

I'd also look to find a unit with a tweeter level control, so you can do some semblence of tonal matching to the 4. I know that some early Atlantic designs were both sealed and had tweeter level controls, so maybe one of those.

BTW, the JVC TV is an LCOS unit, not a CRT, so I don't think the center speaker has to be shielded.

(Oh--my older cousin just bought that same $89 KLH sub from COSTCO. He's a real equipment aficionado, but he loves this inexpensive unit. I haven't heard it so I can't comment.)

Have a nice Thanksgiving, everyone.

Steve F.

[Guest Condorll]

Thanks Steve, that was great advice regarding a sealed center. Looking around now armed with more knowledge.

By the way, I am using my AR2ax's as my front speakers, the smaller 4xa's are my surround rears. The 4 AR speakers with the KLH subwoofer sound awesome. I still want to add a center, just to see if it enhances what I already have.

Your cousin has a good ear and an eye for a bargain! Those KLH 12" subs at $89 (Costco) are truly a bargain and sound fabulous. I believe KLH had the right strategy, a LARGE 12" sub for home use won't be pushed to the point of distortion, whereas manufacturers using smaller (8-10") subs may find them driven to that point in a home environment. Can't beat Costco's return policy so there is nothing to loose by trying them out at home.

Before purchasing this KLH sub, we went to a high end audio store where the pushy and oh so knowledgable salesman tried to explain why I need a $400 subwoofer, all while he had his foot on the top of the 400 dollar sub to keep it from rattling!

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Guest Condorll]

Hello,

After auditioning many center channel speakers at the big chains (mostly low end - found nothing suitable) and the audio shops (higher end), we bought two to try out at home with the AR's.

Definitive Technology ProCenter C2

and the

Paradigm CC-270

The Paradigm (a large center) seems closest in tonal quality to the AR 2ax front speakers, however the DefTech c2 (smaller, modern shape) offers a wider range (a little brighter).

The addition of the center channel speaker has made a HUGE difference in the sound of my system! Now, which one will I keep..........

TV: JVC D-ILA 52" (LCOS technology)

AVR: Harmon Kardon AVR235

Fronts: AR 2ax's

Rears: AR4xa's

Sub: KLH 12"

FYI