Can I Mix Brands (Center vs Towers)?

[Cmacsocial]

Hi all. So happy I found you guys. I ordered an Anthem MRX 540 in early Dec; ETA is mid Feb. Dan and Robert at Raleigh's Intelligent Electronics have been a joy to work with.

The MRX 540 (5.1ch, 100W/ch) will power SVS Prime Pinnacle towers and a center. I plan to add surrounds and L+R subs later. System is mostly for home theater, with occasional gaming and music. TV is an LG 65" C7.

Centers I'm considering (specs are from manuals):

SVS Ultra
Rec: 20-225W | Sens: 87dB | X/O: 500 Hz, 2.2kHz
Manual & Specs

MartinLogan Motion 50XTi
Rec: 20-300W | Sens: 94dB | X/O: 900 Hz, 2.2 kHz
Manual & Specs

Golden Ear SuperCenter XL
Rec: 20-250W | Sens: 91dB | X/O: ?,?
Manual & Specs

Monitor Audio Silver C350
Rec: 80-200W | Sens: 90dB | X/O: 830 Hz, 3.2 kHz
Manual & Specs

I'm leaning toward playing it safe by buying the Ultra, but I have a few Qs:

1) Will 100W be enough power to realize the full potential of the above centers (100W is only 50% of the upper-end of recommended power)?
2) If no, would the SVS Prime Pinnacle (or another) be a better match?
3) What kind of X-over freqs should I look for to blend well with the SVS towers?
4) Any reason I might prefer the GoldenEar, ML, or Monitor center over the Ultra?

Thanks for your insight.

 

[ryanosaur]

You want to voice match the front 3 as best as possible. If you have pinnacles, the Ultra Center should be a slam dunk.

If you don't have the Pinnacles, my favorite of the speakers you mentioned would be the Monitor Audio Silvers. Had I bought OEM instead of ID, I would be an MA owner. Silver 500 and 350! They outperformed the ML Motions. Not a Golden Ear fan.

 

[Cmacsocial]

You want to voice match the front 3 as best as possible. If you have pinnacles, the Ultra Center should be a slam dunk.

If you don't have the Pinnacles, my favorite of the speakers you mentioned would be the Monitor Audio Silvers.

Thanks Ryan. Using the Prime Pinnacle towers, seems like the Ultra center is ideal. My second choice is the MA CS350. However I've read it's "polite" sounding (in contrast with the bass-in-your-face SVS). Also, with 80W the lowest recommended power, not sure my AV's 100W would squeeze every drop of performance from the CS350.

Let me know if I'm wrong!

 

[NINaudio]

Thanks Ryan. Using the Prime Pinnacle towers, seems like the Ultra center is ideal. My second choice is the MA CS350. However I've read it's "polite" sounding (in contrast with the bass-in-your-face SVS). Also, with 80W the lowest recommended power, not sure my AV's 100W would squeeze every drop of performance from the CS350.

Let me know if I'm wrong!

I'd stick with the same company for your front 3. The Ultra center will be a great match to the Prime Pinnacles.

As far as 100w being enough, that all depends on your room size and preferred listening levels. Having said that, 100w is usually more than enough for most speakers in a typical home setting. A speaker's sensitivity rating tells you how loud it will play with 1 watt of power. Perceived loudness does change with distance, but all the speakers you listed have are reasonably efficient. If you look up an online spl calculator you can figure out what levels you can achieve with any of those speakers at your listening position.

 

[lsiberian]

Thanks Ryan. Using the Prime Pinnacle towers, seems like the Ultra center is ideal. My second choice is the MA CS350. However I've read it's "polite" sounding (in contrast with the bass-in-your-face SVS). Also, with 80W the lowest recommended power, not sure my AV's 100W would squeeze every drop of performance from the CS350.

Let me know if I'm wrong!

80w vs 100w is actually not a significant difference the volume increase. You need to double wattage to get a 3db bump which is the tolerance range for good speakers. The ideal center is actually another tower, but normally they make for an awkward setup which only makes sense in dedicated rooms. Sticking with the same brand/line is of course a good option as well. But there are plenty of examples of great setups that use a different center than L/R channel. I used a setup like this for a while as did TLS_Guy. If either of us did it then you can do it too.

 

[Cos]

Hi all. So happy I found you guys. I ordered an Anthem MRX 540 in early Dec; ETA is mid Feb. Dan and Robert at Raleigh's Intelligent Electronics have been a joy to work with.

The MRX 540 (5.1ch, 100W/ch) will power SVS Prime Pinnacle towers and a center. I plan to add surrounds and L+R subs later. System is mostly for home theater, with occasional gaming and music. TV is an LG 65" C7.

Centers I'm considering (specs are from manuals):

SVS Ultra
Rec: 20-225W | Sens: 87dB | X/O: 500 Hz, 2.2kHz
Manual & Specs

MartinLogan Motion 50XTi
Rec: 20-300W | Sens: 94dB | X/O: 900 Hz, 2.2 kHz
Manual & Specs

Golden Ear SuperCenter XL
Rec: 20-250W | Sens: 91dB | X/O: ?,?
Manual & Specs

Monitor Audio Silver C350
Rec: 80-200W | Sens: 90dB | X/O: 830 Hz, 3.2 kHz
Manual & Specs

I'm leaning toward playing it safe by buying the Ultra, but I have a few Qs:

1) Will 100W be enough power to realize the full potential of the above centers (100W is only 50% of the upper-end of recommended power)?
2) If no, would the SVS Prime Pinnacle (or another) be a better match?
3) What kind of X-over freqs should I look for to blend well with the SVS towers?
4) Any reason I might prefer the GoldenEar, ML, or Monitor center over the Ultra?

Thanks for your insight.

I am a GE fan, enjoyed them for a long time before I upgraded, still use as my Atmos/surrounds. That being said I felt that their center channel is a weaker part of their setup and I would not recommend the XL. The general opinion is to center match your mains and I would personally stick with SVS for your center.