Piecewise upgrade to JBL 5.1

[SpiritMachine]

Currently I have a JBL SCS150 5.1 surround speakers and a Yamaha HTR-5660 receiver. I am planning on upgrading to the Yamaha RX-V663 receiver. One of the main complaints with my current set-up is that the voices are not very clear or loud. The end result is that explosions/effect sounds are ear-rattling while voices are indistinct. My remedy to this situation would be to upgrade the center channel speaker. I can't afford to upgrade all the speakers. I read on here that the majority of dialogue goes through the center channel so this seems like an obvious place to start upgrading. I was planning on sticking with JBL because I also read on here that mixing and matching speaker companies can result in tone changes when the speaker moves across sound fields. Is my thinking right so far?

So my main question is which JBL center speaker? Should I get a two-way or three-way? Any other suggestions? Thank you!

EDIT: Budget under $300

 

[mike c]

don't upgrade your receiver yet ... just the center would do ...

I have the exact same JBL HTIB set myself, the center and the sub are the weak links.

i would also recommend auditioning the best center you can get and don't limit yourself to JBL because you shouldn't limit yourself to "satellite" quality choices for the center. having a "good" center channel is better than having a "crappy-matching" center channel.

 

[SpiritMachine]

Any you would recommend in particular for 300 or under? I live in Manhattan so I was thinking about going down to J&R and "auditioning" some speakers as you recommend.

 

[mike c]

it looks like there's quite a selection there ...

http://www.jr.com/category/audio/speakers/center-channel-speakers/sort-by-salePrice-0/

yamaha 444, polk cs series, JBL, klipsch ... listen to them all. take notes of what you like or don't like about them. come back here to discuss them we'll be better able to recommend alternatives.

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker upgrade

I agree, upgrade the speakers, not the receiver. Your Yamaha has a decent amount of power even though it lacks some of the latest video features like HDMI. Consider using your money to upgrade the front 3 channels in the sub and using the HTIB speakers for the surround channels.

 

[SpiritMachine]

Update post-J&R Visit

So I had the privilege of visiting J&R today. That place is Mecca! I listened a bunch of center channels but the ones I liked the best within my price point were the Klipsch RC-52, Polk CSI-A4 and JBL ES25C. All are around $300. Interestingly the sales person quoted me $250 for the RC-52s even though they go for $300 on the website. I was able to rule out the Polks pretty quickly, the dialogue seemed much more muddled. Comparing the JBL to the Klipsch I thought that the male voices on the JBL seemed deeper and overall the sound was pretty rich which was kinda nice. But overall I have to quote my girlfriend who described the JBLs as more "noisy" than the Klipsch. The voices with the Klipsch seemed very accurate and incredibly clear. I am definitely going with them. There are still a lot of other brands I haven't heard so maybe I will look around to see if there are any other stores that have more brand options.

 

[mike c]

don't forget to ask for a discount. most prices are SRP, and stores can give further discounts.

 

[SpiritMachine]

OK I will do that. The next question is which matching fronts. It seems the RB-51s or RB-61s would be the logical choice. It seems the main difference is front versus rear-porting. If I understand, rear-porting is ok as long as you don't plan on putting them flush against the wall. I plan on putting them on either side of the TV, possibly on stands, and have a small room (14x20) so I am thinking of getting the 51s. Anyone want to convince me otherwise?

 

[SpiritMachine]

Klipsch speaker stand

Another question I have is where can you find the speaker stand featured in Klipsch's packages? I can't find it on the Klipsch home page nor any online stores. I suppose I could just call them but wondering if I am missing something. Thanks!

 

[eBay]

don't upgrade your receiver yet ... just the center would do ...

I have the exact same JBL HTIB set myself, the center and the sub are the weak links.

i would also recommend auditioning the best center you can get and don't limit yourself to JBL because you shouldn't limit yourself to "satellite" quality choices for the center. having a "good" center channel is better than having a "crappy-matching" center channel.

I've read your expert advice and I'd love to have your comment on my setup too. I have JBL cinema 510 and want to upgrade to 7.1 system. I am assuming I should also buy good center. If so, I'd have one satellite speaker which I'm currently using for the center. Then, I should locate this speaker to the back?

 

[eBay]

Hello Mike - Thank you very much for your super quick feedback.

On the hand, I'm interested in the floor standing speakers (Fluance XL7F).

If I purchase those and put them on the side of my TV and move the JBL satellite speakers to the back, does it work well?
I'd deeply appreciate your expertise to avoid any stupid purchasing decision.