When it comes to the front 3 , I'll basically find the best center channel I can get , then pair that with the matching towers.. I don't know if it's the look, or reviews , but these have caught my eye for a while

 

When it comes to the front 3 , I'll basically find the best center channel I can get , then pair that with the matching towers.. I don't know if it's the look, or reviews , but these have caught my eye for a while

If you like Polk products, this is the only decent center speaker they make:

Amazon.com: Polk Audio LSiM 706c MM Center Channel Speaker (Midnight Mahogany, Each) : Electronics

Amazon.com: Polk Audio LSiM 706c MM Center Channel Speaker (Midnight Mahogany, Each) : Electronics

www.amazon.com

If your usage is mainly TV/movies you can easily keep your Monitor 60s and just go with that 706C if you want something with a pretty cabinet that actually sounds good.

If VISUAL uniformity is important, $1K would buy you a pair of Emotiva T0 with C2+ center for $800, or T1+ with C2+ for $1100.

Unfortunately, you missed the last great Infinity Reference sale...you could have gotten a pair of towers and a great center speaker for just $500 all in.

If you can live with bookshelves on stands, I'd get 3 x Chane A2.4 for around $900 shipped.

 

I went from a similar Polk set up to a set from Elac, specifically the Uni-Fi 1.0 5 series towers and center. It was a noticeable difference for me and the overall soundstage and clarity improvements were definitely worth the cost. For $1000 you are right on the cost for a front stage of their Debut 2.0 series. They do run deals quite often so you might be able to get it a bit cheaper or even get their Uni-Fi line for your price. I also sold my polks to offset some of the cost.

Other great option -
Emotiva - probably the best performing center channel option in your range. If movie watching is primary goal this is a big advantage as mentioned in the prior comment that centers drive the results for home theater.

 

Thanks for the reply.. I'll just have a 5.1 , possibly 7.1 setup for now..

I'm in the middle of remodeling the basement and the home theater room is also kind of a rec room.. so 7.1 would be nice, otherwise I'll just take my current 5.1 , get a new LCR, and call it a day..

Primarily 50% movie / 50% music gaming

 

If you're looking for a front wall (LCR) upgrade for $1000 ... Emotiva C1+ ($299) and T1+ ($699) (or for ~$1100 total get the C2+).

I'm only 60 days into my HT refresh I did with all Emotiva speakers and the center channel dialogue is amazing (and the LR bring out details I've never heard before) ... my previous CC was a Polk LSIM704.

 

I had the S35 and it we decent, but it did not have much depth. I think you pay a premium because there are not a lot of centers that are so short. People give it good reviews because it is ok and the best option for WAF. I did not think it was worth the money, if I had not had space constraints I would have bought something else.

 

The Emotivas above, or the Infinity Reference speakers when on sale.
Crutchfield had the Klipsch RP-280F and RP-450C speakers on sale for $399 each.

 

Compared to those (i had them 17 years back, good old frys sale); modern book shelves can produce much better sound stage. Dont be locked into floor standers. KEF Q350 + 650C will probably fit your budget and can easily out do the polks.

 

Thanks guys. The monitor 60s are still fine. I don't listen to much 2.1 anyways. So the idea of spending a bit more for a good center channel is a good suggestion.. everyone always talks about matching your LCR, that I didn't even think about keeping the LR for light duty

 

The only way to truly "match" your front 3 is to use an IDENTICAL speaker for the center---for example, a 3rd Monitor 60. The idea that a horizontal center speaker from the same brand, which often has different sized woofers and crossover points, can in any way "match" the "timbre" of the L/R speakers is a steaming load of HS.

However, whether this mythical "timbre match" even matters in real life HT usage, is also debatable.

 

To see how multiple people are finding out FOR THEMSELVES just how silly the whole "timbre matching" hoopla is, start with post #19 of this thread:

Emotiva C2+ stock

Do any of you wonderful people have an idea when the C2+ is going to be back in stock by chance? (This csiA6 is super duper meh despite it being traded to me for ceiling fan). Thanks

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There are many more threads like that:

Hsu HC-1 with NHT SuperOnes

Need help choosing a center channel speaker

I'm trying to pick out a center channel speaker in the $250 range, but there are so many choices out there, and I'd like to get the best bang for my buck. I'm looking at these, but open to any other suggestions. Air motive C1+ Chrono 515 Infinity RC252 Def Tech CS-8040HD Do any of those...

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Infinity RC263 used with JBL 590s

Infinity Reference owners thread

The new Infinity Reference lineup is now available and while I do not own anything from this particular lineup yet, I wanted to start an owners thread for us to have some discussion and post our thoughts. So far there has only been one review that I can find and that is from the folks over at...

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Infinity RC263 with Emotiva T1, vs C2

Guidance upgrading my Polk CS10 Center Chanel Speaker

Hey all, Hoping to get a little advice on the best options for an upgrade I'm in the middle of. My old LCR Setup: Polk Monitor 50 II - Towers Polk CS10 - Center Just upgraded the towers yesterday to Klipsch R-820F. Went against my (slow, steady, researching) nature and jumped on them as...

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Emotiva C2 with Klipsch RP-600M, JBL Studio 530, etc.

Official Emotiva Airmotiv Speaker Thread

Official Emotiva Airmotiv Passive Speaker Owner's Thread Since I picked up my C1 last night wanted to go ahead and start the owners thread for the new Emotiva passive speaker line ( http://emotiva.com/products/emotiva/loudspeakers ). I live near the Emotiva headquarters and picked up the...

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Klipsch RC-62ii with JBL 590:

Center channel to match JBL 590

I'm reasonably certain that the JBL 520 isn't going to be able to keep pace with high volume movies. I have heard some glimmers of shortcomings during my initial test runs of movies that have a lot of action at high volume and the consensus is pretty clear also that the 520 won't ultimately be...

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Klipsch RP-450C with JBL 590

mdildine

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Emotiva C2 with Revel F35, and with JBL 530:

Center channel to match JBL 590

I'm reasonably certain that the JBL 520 isn't going to be able to keep pace with high volume movies. I have heard some glimmers of shortcomings during my initial test runs of movies that have a lot of action at high volume and the consensus is pretty clear also that the 520 won't ultimately be...

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Polk 706C with Legacy Signature II:

Trouble understanding dialogue using my 5.1.4 setup no...

I have trouble understanding movie dialogues no matter what I do or tweak. Help appriciated. For context my setup : Receiver: Onkyo TX-NR787 Fronts: Jamo S 807 x 2 Center: Jamo S83 x 1 Rear: Jamo S 801 x 2 Height speakers: Polk Audio OWM3 x 4 Subwoofer : SVS SB12-NSD 12" x 1 *Issue *: I...

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SVS Ultra center with Polk LSi-9

Upgraded my Polk Audio LSIC center speaker to the SVS...

I added a SVS Ultra center to my system and the sound stage improvement was huge. The sound improvement from my old LSIC was massive.The front height came to life, I did not except this. My whole set-up is more focus, I am listening to my older atmos blu-rays and they sound so much better. I...

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Emotiva C2 with Mission 770

Looking to replace my Mission center and surround speakers..

Hi all, I have a Mission speakers set up, as I was given a pair of Mission 770 speakers some years ago, which I have built around over the years. I added a 77C center and a pair of 702e's for surround. Both my surround and center are not as good, and I was looking to upgrade. One issue is...

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Emotiva C2 with JBL Studio 590

JBL Studio Series 5 - The Magic Guaranteed

Recently I've reviewed the new breakthrough class seven D Pioneer SC-61 receiver. http://www.avsforum.com/t/1417558/pioneers-reasonably-priced-sc-61-class-d-receiver/0_60#post_22271495 There I wanted to give a corresponding recommendation for selecting a high-performance yet value speaker...

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and

High-volume/low-profile center that compliments JBL...

I'm working on a new HT system to replace my 58" plasma TV and Klipsch Icon (NewEgg) speakers in my open floorplan great room with high ceilings. It's a lot of space to fill, so I think I'll be going with a pair of JBL Studio 590s for the fronts. I already have in-ceiling Polks for the surrounds...

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KEF Q650 with Polk RTiA3

Polk Audio Signature Series S35

My new Denon AVRX2400H sounds amazing except for the center channel speaker (Sony SS-CN5000P) which still sounds as bad (hollow and boxy) as on my old Sony receiver. I have tried turning the center channel off completely but do not like how that sounds either. I know the boxy sound of a center...

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Emotiva C1+ with Wharfedale Diamond 225

Speaker Review Thread

Have some new updates. Emotiva T1+ Front Emotiva C2 Center Emotiva T0+ Surround Monolith 10 sub Dayton 652 Air Front Rear Heights Lovin this stuff :) Thanks Zorba922 for the help I would like to give a huge THANK YOU to Zorba922 for helping me with my choice of speakers. I have used...

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Paradigm center with B&W in-wall speakers

How to Timbre Match my speakers?

Does Timbre matching my speakers mean I need to get from the same line from the same company? I have a Klipsch 250c, so would timbre matching mean I need to get from the same line of reference speakers, or at least Klipsch speakers, or can I mix it up and get KEF or Polk or something? Thanks.

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Hecor Aurora with Revel F208

Center channel suggestion for Revel F208 mains

I'm looking for a center channel to match my new Revel Performa3 F208's. However, my amp is 200 watts per channel and max power for most of the Revel centers is less than that. The Revel C208 has a power range of 50 to 350 watts but is $2K, more than I'm willing to spend. So, I'm looking at...

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HTD Level 3 with Def Tech BP30

Emotiva C1 or Ascend Acoustics CMT-340SE

I currently have Emotiva C1 paired with B1 bookshelves for home theater use. I am looking to get a little more sound out to my MLP, so I thought maybe since these have dual 6.5” vs my dual 5.25 this might be a good option and then add a pair of 340s to replace the B1s. Thoughts on this? Since...

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Monoprice 365C with PSB Stratus:

Infinity Reference owners thread

The new Infinity Reference lineup is now available and while I do not own anything from this particular lineup yet, I wanted to start an owners thread for us to have some discussion and post our thoughts. So far there has only been one review that I can find and that is from the folks over at...

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Chane 752 with JBL Studio 590:

**The Official Chane Music and Cinema owner's thread**

I welcome your participation in this thread. Please note that discussion needs to stay focused on direct listening experiences with audio experiments discussed here. Some of the user experiences and observations discussed here do not have a readily available analytical explanation. Once we get...

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Canton Chrono 505 with Polk LSiM-703:

Looking for a center channel recommendation

Just bought a UST projector for my living room and now need another center channel that will fit inside the lower cabinet I have (as the top space will be used by the projector now instead of the center channel). The space is 19" wide by 7" tall by 18" deep. I think the Polk T30 would just...

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Emotiva C2+ with Klipsch RP-600M:

Another help me decide which speakers to buy post

TL;DR - Looking for new home theater speaker set up LR+C, the more I read/watch, the more confused I've become First to answer the questions 1) Your budget: Originally? $1000 for all of it. Now? $1500-$1750 (so roughly $750 - $1000 on the LCR speakers) 2) Your listening interests: For these...

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I'm still running polk monitor 60s , and a cs2 center I've had for probably about 10+ years. Just looking to see what I can get for a good upgrade for around $1000. They still sound ok, but looking to get a nicer , fuller, crisper setup. So basically move up a few steps....


...I'm all ears, and like I said , just looking for a better overall speaker set, that I can actually notice ..

I've said this on several other threads, but after years of moving between consumer hi-fi speakers - I've gone with active speakers - and will NEVER go back!

Why?

The sound quality is simply in another league. They have specially matched amps, built in for each driver (so bi- or tri-amped), with active crossovers and DSP - and are designed for accuracy for professional sound mixers.
(They're also much better value for money, all told.)


Some excellent examples that have larger drivers and front bass-ports include:

• Presonus Eris E7 or E8 XT
• Kali IN-8
• Fluid Audio FX8 or FX80
• Focal Alpha
• KRK Rokit G4 - 7 or 8
• KRK Rokit G4 - 10-3
• Tannoy Gold 8
• Presonus Sceptre S8

With any of these, most people would actually get away without a subwoofer, but for best results, this one is amazing bang for buck:

• Presonus Temblor T10

You would need a receiver with pre-outs, btw.

 

I've said this on several other threads, but after years of moving between consumer hi-fi speakers - I've gone with active speakers - and will NEVER go back!

Why?

The sound quality is simply in another league. They have specially matched amps, built in for each driver (so bi- or tri-amped), with active crossovers and DSP - and are designed for accuracy for professional sound mixers.
(They're also much better value for money, all told.)


Some excellent examples include:

• KRK 10-3 G4
• Kali IN-8
• Tannoy Gold 8
• Presonus Sceptre S8

You would need a receiver with pre-outs, btw.

prob better then low end gear .
Some people love horns , some like professional speakers. Monitors can be excellent yes , cheapest amp with pre outs is $1400 or more.
No type of speakers are superior all opinions .... been debated 111100x over
Wish I knew they worked with receivers... lost a cheap pair I could’ve had .
I’m sure studio monitors are good but might just be better in your opinion. They do not hit as high spl as hifi or pro gear , maybe it’s due to them sounding accurate for music recordings . For movie dynamics I wouldn’t expect them to stand a chance vs larger speakers .
Plus op wouldn’t be able to buy a a matching center or anything close .
Some studio monitors are over 3k, there not that different from hifi speakers just for a built in amp.