What are the most realistic sounding center and/or mains for HT you have owned?

Mine are the AR.com DIY bookshelf speakers from Madisound (http://www.madisound.com/ar_com.html).

KEF Reference line

Mains - Definitive Technology (Def Tech) 700X series.

What are the most realistic sounding center and/or mains for HT you have owned?

Mine are the AR.com DIY bookshelf speakers from Madisound (http://www.madisound.com/ar_com.html).


I 2nd the Def Techs.

What are the most realistic sounding center and/or mains for HT you have owned?

Mine are the AR.com DIY bookshelf speakers from Madisound (http://www.madisound.com/ar_com.html).



i second the def tech 7xxx series

Def Techs here, also. (BP10b fronts, BP8b surrounds, no center, ProSub80.)
Whatever environment I see on the screen is where it sounds like I am.

JBL 4412A STUDIO MONITORS
effortless
dynamic
clean

Von Schwiekert LCR 15's for both center and main. a little known fact is that LCR stands for left, center, right. Center channel speakers are a good choice because they have excellent clarity, usually have more bass than true bookshelves. and cost less and take up less space than floor standers.

b&w htm1 is extremely impressive.

boston acoustics vr975'
s mains vr12 center

Magnepan MGCC1

Von Schweikert LCR 15 center and 4jr mains.

Tyler Acoustics Linbrook series.
my sys: http://www.relsyscon.com/projects.htm

http://www.tyleracoustics.com/linbrook.html

Extremely accurate & smooth.

Regards,
Jose

Atlantic Technology. Most anything they put out, but the older 370 and 470, and the newer 6200 and 8200 are the best I feel.

-K

Paradigm Signature
crystal clear
expansive
balanced

Dali Helicon
slightly warms sounding, but the most extended and effortless treble I have ever heard

What are the most realistic sounding center and/or mains for HT you have owned?

Mine are the AR.com DIY bookshelf speakers from Madisound (http://www.madisound.com/ar_com.html).

The B&W 802Ds (http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.models/Label/Model%20802D) I currently own with two Revel Ultima Sub 30 (http://www.revelspeakers.com/products/product-overview.asp?ID=13) subwoofers in stereo setup. I'm not using a center but I have heard the B&W HTM1D (http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.models/Label/Model%20HTM1D) center that matches the 802Ds and it is phenomenal sounding. The B&W 802Ds did have a bump in the low end FR, but that is solved easily with the three parametric EQs in the Sub 30s

I'll second the Magnepan MGCC1(or 3).

Aerial Acoustics CC5, paired w/model 9s, SW12, and CC3B for the rear, all powered by bryston. Small fortune, great investment. www.aerialacoustics.com

Ascend Acoustics 340SE

Mackie HRS series active studio monitors.

10,000 audio engineers & musicians also seem to think so! :D

If you don't mind spending MSRPs of $20K on the pair of front left and right speakers (B&W 800Ds - as opposed to the 802Ds in my system which are $8K less), $8K on the center channel (B&W HTM1D), and $9K on two subwoofers (two Revel Ultima Sub 30 Custom Installation Editions) for a grand total of $37K, or approximately $39.9K with tax, then I highly recommend this setup for the extra detail brought out by the different woofers, woofer drivers and woofer crossovers as opposed to the ones in the 802Ds. At those prices though, you should be able to get a nice discount off MSRP. I would hope somewhere around 20%...

Probably not a popular choice but I absolutely loved my Klipsch RC-7. Imagine it and RF-7's in a 12x11 room, just insane overkill but as far as centers go, it delivered such wonderful, natural dialog. One of my tests for center channels is the bit near the end of Return Of The King where Gandalf is talking about what it's like to die and with the RC-7 it was like he was in the same room as you, I've gone through different systems more matched to my tiny viewing room but I still miss the clarity and realness of dialog, they don't sound bad per se, they just lack intimacy.

Mackie HRS series active studio monitors.

10,000 audio engineers & musicians also seem to think so! :D
Yes...they use them for mixing, but you would rarely find them in their homes. :)

Yes...they use them for mixing, but you would rarely find them in their homes. :)

I haven't heard the Mackie's, but out of curiousity. Why not?

My 1975 JBL 4311 Control Room Monitors....My all time favorite speaker including all my newer stuff.

I haven't heard the Mackie's, but out of curiousity. Why not?
The differences in environment and purpose.

I enjoy my Klipsch KLF 30's(4) and C 7 center. Better than the cinema. Crisp and clean.

Klipsch Quartet and Academy front stage....

Had a Def Tech BP20 and CLR1000 setup before. Didn't A/B them but the Klipsch sounds more life-like to me. The Def Tech sounded more 'produced' for lack of a better term to me.

I'll second the Magnepan MGCC1(or 3).

Thirded (for the MGCC3).

I haven't heard the Mackie's, but out of curiousity. Why not?

I've heard that some of the most popular speakers with audio engineers, are popular because they simulate the sound of the average speaker most people listen to music on, not because they are high quality speakers. This allows the engineer to mix their music so it sounds good on the type of speakers most people use and listen to their music on. I don't know if that applies to the Mackies, but perhaps that was what he had in mind.

My understanding is that Mackies are accurate, and allow the engineer hear what he needs to do...but are focused and have limited dispersion, which I think makes sense given the application.

I have never heard Mackies....so it is not something I can verify.

PMC speakers are also used a lot in mixing as well, and from what I am told, the same situation.

Now in the movie sound mixing studio I visited......basicly a movie theater, they used HUGE JBL's for the front soundstage, BIG Klipsch for surrounds, and Bag End subs....all EQ'd and calibrated professionally by Dolby Labs. The speakers would take up most of my livingroom. :)

ok, I gotta weigh in. I am on my sixth brand of speakers. Some others were; jbl, ohm accoutics, pinnacle and polk. I have had my definitive technology speakers (7 of them) for 7 years and I would not trade them for anything in their price range. I use them more for (gasp) music then movies! I know some people say they are favoribly reviewed because of their advertising budget. But reviewers have to maintain some sort of integrity. One line from a recent review said he became "emotionally involved " in the music while listening to the 7002's. I have heard it said that they are more geared for ht but EVERY review I have ever read on them has never shared this opinion. I was listening to some good 'ol stereo music today and could have sworn the center was on when it was'nt. I am not saying they are everyone's cup of tea, no speaker is. Sorry for the rant but.....
http://www.definitivetech.com/reviews/BP7002_revu_AVR_704.pdf

I use them more for (gasp) music then movies!

I don't get it, why did you gasp? Do you need tissues and some privacy? :rolleyes:

Agreed. This is the best Center I have owned.

b&w htm1 is extremely impressive.

ok, I gotta weigh in. I am on my sixth brand of speakers. Some others were; jbl, ohm accoutics, pinnacle and polk. I have had my definitive technology speakers (7 of them) for 7 years and I would not trade them for anything in their price range. I use them more for (gasp) music then movies! I know some people say they are favoribly reviewed because of their advertising budget. But reviewers have to maintain some sort of integrity. One line from a recent review said he became "emotionally involved " in the music while listening to the 7002's. I have heard it said that they are more geared for ht but EVERY review I have ever read on them has never shared this opinion. I was listening to some good 'ol stereo music today and could have sworn the center was on when it was'nt. I am not saying they are everyone's cup of tea, no speaker is. Sorry for the rant but.....
http://www.definitivetech.com/reviews/BP7002_revu_AVR_704.pdf


In the early 1990's, they were a highly respected smallish speaker manufacturer with an impeccable reputation for making high quality speakers at affordable prices and which produced a really unique sound with their bi-polar technology, and were found at some very high end audio stores like The Listening Room in Scarsdale (who do not sell anything that they don't believe in, which is a sort of justification for knowing they sound good).

I think they are getting an undeserved bad rap which has been building up over time as they go more mainstream commercial expanding their product line downward and especially after landing in almost every Bestbuy on the planet. :eek:

I think a lot of people like to knock them and probably have never even tried them, but as you and I know, they continue to sound simply incredible. I am a HT enthusiast first, & a custom installer/dealer second and nothing yet has sounded better in my room or else it would be there instead of my seven Def Tech speakers with 26 6.5" drivers and 13 1" tweeters producing simply awesome immersive surround sound.

I don't get it, why did you gasp? Do you need tissues and some privacy? :rolleyes:
I left kindergarten in 1965. How about you???
I simply meant they are more known for ht then music.

I left kindergarten in 1965. How about you???
I simply meant they are more known for ht then music.

I don't know, your need to (gasp) for effect sort of falls into the kindergarten category IMO. :D

I haven't heard the Mackie's, but out of curiousity. Why not?

Because most people dismiss them through lack of understanding. The term "nearfield" scares them away because they think it has something to do with low volume. If having accurate sound reproduction is something you are interested in, you owe it to yourself to do a search on active studio monitors. You will find out that most excel in all the qualities desired by home users. (loudness, frequency responce, directivity, accuracy, price, ect). Danetracks Studios used the Mackies exclusively to mix movies such as Matrix, Gothika, Master and Commander.

There are many great sounding speakers, not just studio monitors. I really enjoyed some of the passive Klipsch bookshelf speakers, as well as Paradigm models. I did my research and active studio monitors just made more sense to me. I never regretted my purchase! The only upgrade I could ever imagine is going to some Genelec active studio monitors. I haven't heard them but people say great things about them over the Mackies. But they aren't cheap by most standards.

Dr V

Vinculum -

I work in the video game industry and had a chance to hear the surround mix of one on the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six games in the mixing studio. They used Genlec's in their set-up. Some of the best sound I have ever heard. Of course it helps that the studio was acoustically treated, but a fair amount of credit has to go to their sound system.

Cheers,

- Tim

Vinculum -

I work in the video game industry and had a chance to hear the surround mix of one on the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six games in the mixing studio. They used Genlec's in their set-up. Some of the best sound I have ever heard. Of course it helps that the studio was acoustically treated, but a fair amount of credit has to go to their sound system.

Cheers,

- Tim


I bet that did sound outstanding! Room treatments of course help any listening environment. Mandatory in studios. This is where "nearfield" comes into play. Engineers don't want the room to influence the sound coming from the monitors, so they sit close to the monitors and treat the room. For this reason, studio monitors are usually EQed super flat out of the box for this environment. (Mackie's are +/- 1.5 dB, each comes with its very own graph printout). In a HT environment you wont get this flat performance, but you are going to apply some EQ and room treatments anyways. (hopefully) Passive speakers have roller coaster impedance curves and when matched to some random amplifer's output impedance, who knows what your final FR is going to be. There may even be a point in frequency where the speakers impedance drops below what the choosen amplifer can drive. Of course the final product can also be EQed. Its a reassuring fact to know all these technicalities are already worked out with an active studio monitor. Not to mention active crossovers, biamped, no high capacitance cables to worry about, ect. Everything was designed and tested to work in harmony at the factory. I'm a pretty firm believer and advocate on studio monitors, but they aren't for every application. I still love horn loaded drivers in large environments! I'd probably have some Klipsch references if i had passives and a large room.

Dr V

The Mirage OM-C2 is the most realistic center channel I've ever owned. There was just something "right" about the voices it produces. I had an in home demo of the Focal Solo 6Be active monitor and it was the equal of the Mirage.

Onix Rocket RSC200 nicknamed Bigfoot!!

Revel F52 + C52.

If you don't mind spending MSRPs of $20K on the pair of front left and right speakers (B&W 800Ds - as opposed to the 802Ds in my system which are $8K less), $8K on the center channel (B&W HTM1D), and $9K on two subwoofers (two Revel Ultima Sub 30 Custom Installation Editions) for a grand total of $37K, or approximately $39.9K with tax, then I highly recommend this setup for the extra detail brought out by the different woofers, woofer drivers and woofer crossovers as opposed to the ones in the 802Ds. At those prices though, you should be able to get a nice discount off MSRP. I would hope somewhere around 20%...

Wow, and I thought my $89 open box Primus 250's were the best I ever heard.

Your post is the kind of elitist attitude that explains why companies can charge $20k for a pair of speakers and get away with it.

Magnepan CC3 and 3.6R.

The Mirage OM-C2 is the most realistic center channel I've ever owned.

Had one for years. A VERY good center.

Wow, and I thought my $89 open box Primus 250's were the best I ever heard.

Your post is the kind of elitist attitude that explains why companies can charge $20k for a pair of speakers and get away with it.

Where do you find the "elitist attitude" that you mention that I have in your post? I don't have the more expensive setup that I listed. I have the cheaper one. Also, I currently only have the subwoofers and the front left and right speakers until I can afford the rest of the system.

You might feel that speakers aren't worth spending a great deal of money on, which is great for you because there are plenty of companies out there that are making speakers at low prices. I didn't hear anything in my area that sounded as good as the 802Ds at around the same price or below it, this includes stores such as BB, CC, Magnolia amd Tweeters as well as high-end audio dealerships.

If you don't agree with the price/performance ratio you don't have to buy the product. A lot of folks do agree with the price/performance ratio of some expensive speakers and are willing to invest in the sound experience. I didn't buy mine because they were expensive, I bought them because they sounded unbelievable. You pay exponentially more for smaller gains in sound quality as you move up a companies product chain. I felt that the B&W 800 series sound quality to price ratio peaked at the 802D. This is partially subjective since an aspect of sound quality is personal preference, while other aspects are measured, such as distortion, etc.

Revel F32 + C32

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 MKII used as L,C,R

(technically 3 pairs used in a 6.1 setup)

I've heard that some of the most popular speakers with audio engineers, are popular because they simulate the sound of the average speaker most people listen to music on, not because they are high quality speakers. This allows the engineer to mix their music so it sounds good on the type of speakers most people use and listen to their music on. I don't know if that applies to the Mackies, but perhaps that was what he had in mind.

There is some truth to this.

I think it's common for engineers and producers to have at least 2 sets of speakers for 2ch stereo mixing. One, a fairly flat, response, near-field monitor and a second pr. of more common sounding speakers. For years the latter were the Yammys that you may have seen in shots of studios, but mainly because they were the standard monitor of old and engineers were used to them. Don't know if they still use those. Been out of it for a little while.

It's also not unheard of to test out a mix in a boom box as well as the home and car system that the engineer and producer are familiar with. But I think in general, the engineer tends to get pretty familiar with his choice of studio monitor.

Have had many different centers, but nothing has come close to the Magnepan MGCC1.