Center channel for older BA's

S

Shoe

Enthusiast
I want to match the center to my exisiting Boston Acoustics VR940 fronts (I'm currently using a Definitive C1 center). My receiver is a Denon 3803 and everything is in a small room (16x9).

What BA center matches well with my older speakers? I prefer something smaller than a VR12.
 
Tomorrow

Tomorrow

Audioholic Ninja
Shoe said:
I want to match the center to my exisiting Boston Acoustics VR940 fronts (I'm currently using a Definitive C1 center). My receiver is a Denon 3803 and everything is in a small room (16x9).

What BA center matches well with my older speakers? I prefer something smaller than a VR12.
Smaller for price or for size? There is a used VR12 for sale by an Audioholics member.....
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23039
 
tomd51

tomd51

Audioholic General
Get The VR12 If You Can...

Shoe said:
if the VR12 is head and shoulders better than the others
It is, absolutely. If the VR12 is still available, you have the room and the means, grab it while you can. There isn't a center channel under $500 I've heard that sounds better than this speaker for movie dialog, music, you name it, it performs.

If you need something shorter, but can still fit width-wise, the VR920 is an excellent speaker as well. The VR910 and 920 are the models that were released w/your mains, but almost all of Boston's speakers timbre match very well. The VRC is a decent center also, but if you can afford that and can fit that into your system, you're better off getting a good used VR920 or VR12... -TD
 
S

Shoe

Enthusiast
tomd51 said:
It is, absolutely. If the VR12 is still available, you have the room and the means, grab it while you can. There isn't a center channel under $500 I've heard that sounds better than this speaker for movie dialog, music, you name it, it performs.

If you need something shorter, but can still fit width-wise, the VR920 is an excellent speaker as well. The VR910 and 920 are the models that were released w/your mains, but almost all of Boston's speakers timbre match very well. The VRC is a decent center also, but if you can afford that and can fit that into your system, you're better off getting a good used VR920 or VR12... -TD
A quick check of the web finds no VR12s or VR920s, but there is a VR910 and a VR10 to be had. What's your opinion of those?
 
Tomorrow

Tomorrow

Audioholic Ninja
Shoe said:
A quick check of the web finds no VR12s or VR920s, but there is a VR910 and a VR10 to be had. What's your opinion of those?
Did you check with the Audioholics member who has the VR12? I provided the link to his post. I think he still has it for sale. Click the link I posted below my message on post #2 in this thread.
 
tomd51

tomd51

Audioholic General
Jeez, that was a steal. They were going for over $300 not even 2-3months ago. The VR10 would be a decent speaker, but if you can hold of for a VR12 or a VRC in your price range, I would suggest doing so... -TD
 
S

Shoe

Enthusiast
tomd51 said:
Jeez, that was a steal. They were going for over $300 not even 2-3months ago. The VR10 would be a decent speaker, but if you can hold of for a VR12 or a VRC in your price range, I would suggest doing so... -TD
I'm an impatient person, but I'll hold on because I think it'll really improve the sound of my HT.

I calibrated my speakers for the first time (ever!) yesterday with a sound level meter and it's a big improvement, but I do notice that the Bostons and the Definitive center aren't in harmony. Is that why the music and/or sound effects on movies often overpower my center channel?

Also - I have a nagging itch to upgrade my BA VR940s with VR2s, but am concerned that it would be overkill for a small room (18x10) and a waste of money. Thoughts?
 
tomd51

tomd51

Audioholic General
You'll be rewarded if you can, Shoe...;) A VR920 center would match up perfectly with the 940s both sonically and visually, however they can be a bit difficult to find. I've had both the VR920 and the VR12 and while both are very good centers, the VR12 is the superior center.

Calibration can make a world of difference in getting the proper levels for your setup. Quite often, you'll have overbearing mains, too lively surrounds or a recessed sounding center, which leads me to my next response on one of your questions.

As for your question regarding the BAs and Def center not being in harmony, this is commonly referred to as 'timbre' matching. This is generally why you want to go with the same speaker line or manufacturer for, at the minimum, your front sound stage (e.g. L/C/R) and possibly all five or seven speakers in your setup. The front sound stage carries between 70-80% of the soundtrack for movies and as such, panning effects from left to right and back need to be as seamless as possible. Using the same model line of speakers will almost assuredly guarantee you of this. Fortunately, most speaker manufacturers tend to have very similar timbre for their different model lines, within reason (e.g., speaker size, low end Vs high end models, etc.), so you can typically use a relatively similar center speaker from the same brand to match up w/your mains and other speakers in your system.

As for your upgrade question, I think you may be right that the VR2s might be a little too much for a room that size as the '10' is a little narrow for towers of that size. The 920s should provide a good sound stage for that size a room, so w/out going to VR2s or VR3s, I don't think you'd be getting a substantial upgrade.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of sub are you using? A solid subwoofer properly calibrated w/the rest of your system can make speakers that may have seemed a bit lacking suddenly come to life. I would suggest the center upgrade/change first, but this may be a consideration as well... -TD
 
S

Shoe

Enthusiast
I've got a Velodyne VA-1012X sub. I plan to calibrate it tonight. It wasn't hooked up when I did the previous calibration so BAs were set to "large". When the sub is running I set them to "small" with a sub xover around 80.

When I got the 940s, I was also sold Polk M3II rears. I thought they sounded good and the salesman really pushed them That was 10 years ago. Since then, I've tried a set of Tannoy Fusion Rs and some Castle Richmonds. The Castles seem the best, but I may look for some small BAs.

I can't thank ya'll enough for your advice. I've learned a LOT in a short period of time without feeling like a total idiot.
 
Tomorrow

Tomorrow

Audioholic Ninja
Shoe said:
I can't thank ya'll enough for your advice. I've learned a LOT in a short period of time without feeling like a total idiot.
Good luck with your system. LOL, I still feel like a total idiot! :eek:
 
tomd51

tomd51

Audioholic General
Shoe said:
I've got a Velodyne VA-1012X sub. I plan to calibrate it tonight. It wasn't hooked up when I did the previous calibration so BAs were set to "large". When the sub is running I set them to "small" with a sub xover around 80.

When I got the 940s, I was also sold Polk M3II rears. I thought they sounded good and the salesman really pushed them That was 10 years ago. Since then, I've tried a set of Tannoy Fusion Rs and some Castle Richmonds. The Castles seem the best, but I may look for some small BAs.

I can't thank ya'll enough for your advice. I've learned a LOT in a short period of time without feeling like a total idiot.
Haven't heard that Velo model specifically, but on paper, it looks as though it should be pretty capable. You definitely want to run the 940s small, whether is for music or movies. The low end of the 940s I believe is ~50hz, so any deep passages in music you're going to miss out on and for HT, you may miss out on quite a bit. In general, most decent subs are going to be better than entry to mid-level speakers in the 40-80Hz range.

Less than a couple of months ago, I was using a pair of Boston Bravos for surrounds and for the cost and form factor, I found their performance very impressive. I was fortunate enough to pick up a pair these from OneCall (original Bravo version, not Bravo IIs) for less than $300 shipped. If you come across a pair of these for close to that price, you may want to consider it. I've seen some of the BA VRX surrounds for between $300-400/pair, these have been well regarded by owners as well.

Anytime we can help. And if you do feel like an idiot at some point, don't feel so bad, it's inevitable, we all do... :D -TD
 
S

sh0

Audioholic Intern
I have a VR10 that I'm not using if you're interested. I switched to the VR920 a few years ago which I think sounds better and is a better match to my VR950 mains. I also have a pair of the VRS surrounds that I'm not using but I was never too impressed with them.

I'm itching to do a speaker upgrade at which time I'd be willing to part with the VR920 as well but it will probably take me quite a while to decide on the upgrade.

It looks like there's a few VR12's on Ebay.
 
S

Shoe

Enthusiast
I finally located a used VR12. It's arriving today via UPS... I can't wait to hook it up!
 
tomd51

tomd51

Audioholic General
Good grab, Shoe, the VR12 is a heck of a center. Once you get it calibrated and put it through some listening tests, let us know what you think.

Funny sh0 mentioned he's got a VR10 available, I just happen to be in the market for one myself... :D -TD
 
S

Shoe

Enthusiast
Who knows... If I don't like the VR12, I might be interested in sh0's VR920!
 
tomd51

tomd51

Audioholic General
The VR920 is definitely a nice speaker. But if you aren't happy w/the VR12, you won't be happy w/the VR920. Having owned both, I can't see anyone liking the 920 over the 12 unless it timbre matched better, which it's possible, but doubtful... -TD
 
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