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Center Channel for Wilson Audio Speakers

5K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  KAHughes 
#1 ·
Hello everyone. I've tried using a phantom center for movies and TV shows, but it's not just as good as having a real center channel. The problem is that the Wilson Audio center is $9k right now. Sure, it's nice, but I don't care about it THAT much! I realize that not having a Wilson center will cause some mismatch in tone, and I'm OK with that. It's the lesser of two evils. I either deal with vocals getting lost because of surround downmixing, or get a mis-matched center.

So, has anyone matched a center channel to Wilsons before? I have Wilson Audio Sasha (series 1). In all honesty, movies and TV shows aren't super important to me, I just want better dialog than what phantom center offers. It's funny, when listening to music, I get absolutely perfect imaging with some vocals and instruments focused right in the middle of the speakers, and everything is separated and clear. But when watching 5.1 content, the vocals just get lost. I'm using an Anthem AVM-60 processor too. It's just the nature of downmixing the 5.1 content to 2-channel.

I was looking at Martin Logan since I found a few people online that did the same thing, but was just wondering if anyone else had any suggestions. Budget is about $2k and I'm perfectly happy going used.
 
#2 ·
Recommend calling Wilson and asking. One has to believe they've been asked that questions many times and have opinions, recommendations or at least some helpful insights.

BTW I agree with your comments...reality based humor: What do you call a "phantom center" surround system? ....a stereo.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, probably a good idea to contact Wilson. I just worry they're gonna recommend something completely insane. But it can't hurt.

I am guilty of suggesting phantom centers to people. In theory, it sounds good. My speakers can image with the best of them, but there's just something about taking 6 discrete channels and pushing it to 3 speakers that doesn't work right, no matter how good the speakers are. I will never recommend phantom center to anyone ever again.
 
#4 ·
One direction to explore is to search the web for what drivers are used in the Sasha and perhaps search for a less expensive center channel from another speaker brand that also uses those drivers. Won't be exact but worth a look. Here is an old thread
on the drivers used in their speakers.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/199857-wilson-audio-sasha-drivers.html

Or you can see if this one will work for you. A lot cheaper than 9 grand.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/f...er-black-2016-12-28-speakers-03748-enfield-nh
 
#5 ·
One direction to explore is to search the web for what drivers are used in the Sasha and perhaps search for a less expensive center channel from another speaker brand that also uses those drivers. Won't be exact but worth a look. Here is an old thread
on the drivers used in their speakers.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/199857-wilson-audio-sasha-drivers.html

Or you can see if this one will work for you. A lot cheaper than 9 grand.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/f...er-black-2016-12-28-speakers-03748-enfield-nh
I actually saw the Watch on Audiogon, but unfortunately it's a series 1 (which is completely different and wouldn't sonically match at all). Plus it's beat to hell and too large for my space. It would cover up the bottom inch or so of my TV.

I've been looking at centers that use similar drivers to what the Sashas use, but there are only a couple out there and almost equally expensive. Plus, I think a lot of the character of the sound has to do with the enclosure. It's one of the few speakers that doesn't sound like a box (I've previously only owned planar or electrostatic because of that).
 
#6 ·
I have all Thiel system including Thiel Center MCS1, but also bought an Aerial CC5 for center (to replace the Thiel MCS1) because the Aerial is quite a bit more dynamic in the low end (dual 9" woofer vs dual 6.5" for the Thiel). The warmer sound of the Aerial (vs Thiel and Wilson) does not bother me, in fact I prefer its sound character for voice.


I would highly recommend either Aerial CC3 or CC5 (used around 2k). The CC5 in particular is an outstanding center speaker with great sound and great dynamic headroom.


If you call Wilson IMHO it's a guarantee they won't recommend any other manufacturer. Hope this helps.
 
#8 ·
I've heard some good things about the Aerial center. I might check into those. I don't really need the low end (the JL takes care of that), but if it has just an open sound for vocals that doesn't sound boxy, it might work.

Also, I'd have to agree with you on calling Wilson. They MIGHT make a recommendation, but probably not. But it might not hurt to email my dealer. They're a bit more down to earth.

Yeah, I didn't notice till afterwards how rough it was around the edges. a little black auto paint and its as good as new.:)
Haha, yeah... I wouldn't mind the cosmetic condition, but that series is a totally different animal than what I have. Completely different tweeter and voicing. I would think it would be as much of a mismatch as just about anything else out there. I also don't think the original version used the same cabinet material even.
 
#13 ·
I did a bit more digging around and it seems like the CC3 or CC5 are really the best dyanamic center channels out there and blend well with just about any high quality dynamic speaker. I've seen pairings with Wilson, Rockport, and a few others. The CC5 might be a bit large (it's pretty deep!), and much harder to find. But the CC3 is pretty easy to come by and relatively cheap. I might try one of those. There's one on eBay just a few miles from my house, but it looks VERY rough and I'm not sure I want a project, especially considering they're asking the same price as what they typically sell for when mint.
 
#14 ·
Prior to purchasing my Sophia 2's I had an all B&W system with an HTM-1 center channel (802S2 mains, and DM601 rears). I still use the HTM-1 with the 601's, and they match very well in my system. I do not listen to surround for music, however, only HT. A Denon AVR 4810ci drives the center and rears, with a bridged Meridian G55 driving the Sophias.
 
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