Center Channel Advise

[2string]

I have a pair of Cremona Auditors that I want to use as a left and right front. What would be a good match for a center channel?

 

[jonnythan]

The Cremona Center.

 

[2string]

Holy cow,I guess I should have said, I'm looking for something small enough to put on the stand in front of my TV. How important is it to have the same brand center as the left & right? It seems not to important to me because all your getting is mostly dialog out of it anyway. If I switch to stereo listening it's not even on. I am new to surround so please explain. Thanks

 

[2string]

Hers a pic of where it's going,on the top shelf under the screen.

 

[jonnythan]

Holy cow,I guess I should have said, I'm looking for something small enough to put on the stand in front of my TV. How important is it to have the same brand center as the left & right? It seems not to important to me because all your getting is mostly dialog out of it anyway. If I switch to stereo listening it's not even on. I am new to surround so please explain. Thanks

It's under 9 inches high. It might fit.

Besides, it's very important. I can't comprehend spending almost $5000 on a pair of bookshelf speakers and then totally destroying my front soundstage by using a center channel not timbre matched to them.

You could also move your components somewhere else off to the side and use the Cremona Center with its stand right under the TV. That would look really nice. You could use small stands flanking the center channel to house your components, or put your components clear on the other side of the room.

 

[mazersteven]

It seems not to important to me because all your getting is mostly dialog out of it anyway. If I switch to stereo listening it's not even on. I am new to surround so please explain. Thanks

Your front 3 speaker must be the same to have a seamless front sound stage. It's called Timbre Match.

And with HT that is what is so important with the center channel, the dialog.

 

[2string]

But I don't have the Cremona's, I have the Auditors which is alot smaller so wouldn't the Cremona center be to much?

 

[mazersteven]

Hers a pic of where it's going,on the top shelf under the screen.

Is that component on the bottom of the television stand a Classe?

Here is your amp for your front 3.

The Classe CA-3200

http://www.classeaudio.com/delta/specs/ca3200.htm

 

[jonnythan]

The Cremona Auditor is made to be timbre-matched to the whole Cremona line, which probably uses the same drivers (tweeters and woofers) across the board. Sonus Faber recommends the Cremona Center for the Cremona Auditors.

 

[mazersteven]

But I don't have the Cremona's, I have the Auditors which is alot smaller so wouldn't the Cremona center be to much?

Your speakers are meant to be used as surrounds for the Cremona mains. But it's still the same family so you need to use that center.

 

[Warpdrv]

Try this on for size... on your left is a Harley Davidson, and as it drives to the right on your screen, it turns into a moped, and then when it hits your right speaker it turns back into a Harley Davidson again....

Thats what happens when you mismatch your center channel from your left and right speakers in your (whole picture here) sound stage

Get the matching Center Channel... Same make, same model... same drivers, same tweeters, same timbre


Beautiful setup, magnificent speaker choice... !!!

I would love to hear them...

 

[2string]

Well thanks everyone for the lesson. I don't think I want to spend another 4 grand for a center so maybe I'll sell the Auditors and pick up three of something matching. I have been looking at the Monitor Radius 225 any thoughts on them?

 

[mazersteven]

Well thanks everyone for the lesson. I don't think I want to spend another 4 grand for a center so maybe I'll sell the Auditors and pick up three of something matching. I have been looking at the Monitor Radius 225 any thoughts on them?

How in the world can we go from talking about the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors. To Monitor Audio 225's?

 

[2string]

Well I'll tell you,4 grand on a center is just not possible for me so I have to go backwards. I saw the Radius at a local store but never heard them. If I decide to change my set up I think I would want to wall mount them on each side of my TV. Do you have any suggestions?

 

[TLS Guy]

Timbre match

Good speakers don't have timbre. Timbre by its nature is an aberration. Timbre matching is making sure all speakers have the same errors, and that means usually of frequency response.

I'm always amazed that often when visiting a dealer different speakers from the same manufacturer can be like chalk from cheese. However things are improving as I now note there are far more similarities than differences from good designers and stables.

What I'm saying is that there should be no more reason to timbre match speakers than amplifiers. I do think the better designs are moving closer.

 

[mazersteven]

What I'm saying is that there should be no more reason to timbre match speakers than amplifiers.

Your saying you "Shouldn't" timbre match your front 3 speakers?

 

[TLS Guy]

Your saying you "Shouldn't" timbre match your front 3 speakers?

What I'm saying is the we should be careful about terms and admit that timbre really is the character and ugly footprint of the speaker. Really good neutral and usually expensive speakers don't have a character, and then the issue becomes one of radiation angle or coverage to minimize interference of the three front speakers.

Now a lot of people will say that the speakers have to be made out of the same cone material, and even use the same driver compliment. I know this not to be true. For my left front and right speakers I selected drivers with magnesium alloy cones. For the center I chose drivers with polypropylene cones.

However the sound stage is seamless, and the speakers all have a neutral flat frequency response. It matters not whether a singer moves stage left right or center the sound of the voice is unchanged.

I stand by my comment that as speakers improve and come to sound more and more correct these aberrations we gloss over by by referring to as timbre will disappear. As I said you don't timbre match an amp do you? Of course not! This just shows that most speakers are falling far short of the performance of amplifiers.

All I would say is that if speakers are to have an aberration they should all have the same aberrations rather than different ones. It all boils down to intellectual honesty.

 

[mazersteven]

Anyone else have any opinions on that?

 

[2string]

OK the reason I posted this question is, I am getting out of the 2 channel setup and wanting a surround to compliment my tv. In order to keep my loved Auditors I will have to buy another Harley,amp and pre.No can do. I was hoping something like a B&W CC6 S2 or something like that may work as a center but I guess not. So I have a chance to get a 2308ci real cheap and apparently that won't drive the Auditors anyway. So I'm looking for three wall mounting speakers that will please my ears and eyes, thus the Radius 225's comes to mine. They have them at a local store hear and they look well built and real nice mounted on the wall around a 42" LCD but I took a quick listen through a B&K and was not super impressed with the sound, they didn't have much presence. Maybe it was the setup on the B&K or the room I don't know. Any opinions on these or maybe other suggestions? I have until today to buy the 2308ci

 

[OttoMatic]

Anyone else have any opinions on that?

Hmmm.

I think TLS is saying that there are speakers whose character disappears, and that there is then no need to match the LCRs for a seamless soundstage. Now, I've not heard everything out there, but I've heard a fair amount of nice stuff. I've always felt that speakers have the biggest impact on your system's sound (exclude the room), and that one can get the biggest variation by changing them. Some speakers sound more similar than others, but they generally have their own character. None are perfect.

TLS Guy, your statement implies that there are speakers out there that coult be mixed and matched. Could you give us three examples of these speakers, regardless of cost or anything else?