Center Channel Speaker

M

mwhit

Audiophyte
I am looking for a good "slim" center channel speaker, to place in front of my new HDTV. It needs to be less than 5" tall so that it doesn't block the TV screen. I came across the Yamaha NS-C310 which I have read some positive reviews on. Does anyone have any views on this speaker (or any other possible recommedations?). Also, when trying to "match" the center channel with the fronts and rears, what exactly should I be looking for....are there certain specification, etc. that should be the same? Thanks!
 
bandphan

bandphan

Banned
I am looking for a good "slim" center channel speaker, to place in front of my new HDTV. It needs to be less than 5" tall so that it doesn't block the TV screen. I came across the Yamaha NS-C310 which I have read some positive reviews on. Does anyone have any views on this speaker (or any other possible recommedations?). Also, when trying to "match" the center channel with the fronts and rears, what exactly should I be looking for....are there certain specification, etc. that should be the same? Thanks!
matched is same mid/upper drivers. Matching doesnt work using mix-matched gear. if you can match and are limited to a very small center, just skip the center and rub it "phantom" through the mains. A little more info about your whole setup might help with solutions:)
 
M

mwhit

Audiophyte
Thanks Bandphan. My front speakers are Tannoy System 600 monitors, which are 6.5" dual contentric drive units" (whatever that means). My rears are in-ceiling Speaker Craft AIM8 Two. Thanks.
 
bandphan

bandphan

Banned
Thanks Bandphan. My front speakers are Tannoy System 600 monitors, which are 6.5" dual contentric drive units" (whatever that means). My rears are in-ceiling Speaker Craft AIM8 Two. Thanks.
what is you display setup,? wall mounted? stand mounted? on a stand? or is it a projection screen?
 
M

mwhit

Audiophyte
It's the new 55" VIZIO XVT553SV that is on its low pofile stand that is sittings on a bulit-in shelf.
 
sholling

sholling

Audioholic Ninja
I'm not familier with Tannoy but generally the center needs to be the same brand and product line as the mains. I'd contact Tannoy and see what they recommend or just go with a phantom center.
 
bandphan

bandphan

Banned
It's the new 55" VIZIO XVT553SV that is on its low pofile stand that is sittings on a bulit-in shelf.
Since you have nice monitors (wave guide tweeter), I would definitely just run the "phantom center" instead of spending money on a compromise only speaker:)
 
M

mwhit

Audiophyte
Since supposedly 70% of a movie's dialog, etc. comes from the center channel, does this mean that it will just be redirected to the front speakers?
In my previous set-up, I had another Tannoy 600 as the center channel, and it sounded great. I can't use this speaker now for the center because physically its too big. I wonder how much less "volume" I'll have with two speakers instead of three?
Are you saying to eliminate the center because the slim one I selected is too inferior to the Tannoys?
Also, what does it sound/feel like when there is no sound coming from the center (where the TV is), but instead from the left/right?
Thanks again!
 
bandphan

bandphan

Banned
Since supposedly 70% of a movie's dialog, etc. comes from the center channel, does this mean that it will just be redirected to the front speakers?
In my previous set-up, I had another Tannoy 600 as the center channel, and it sounded great. I can't use this speaker now for the center because physically its too big. I wonder how much less "volume" I'll have with two speakers instead of three?
Are you saying to eliminate the center because the slim one I selected is too inferior to the Tannoys?
Also, what does it sound/feel like when there is no sound coming from the center (where the TV is), but instead from the left/right?
Thanks again!
Yes it will be redirected. The sound will be much better than tring to find a "replacement" due to size constraints. It will do more harm than good. Ive run 2.1 setups many times and depending on the room size and speaker placement, it can be better.
 
L

leousm

Enthusiast
Tannoy seems to make tons of different speakers, so I'm sure they could find you a matching center channel. The problem is, I'm not sure they'd have a slim one like you want. Looks like most of their speaker use traditional cabinets and speakers. You should definitely give them a try. Meanwhile use a phantom setup as bandphan suggested.
 
J

jostenmeat

Audioholic Spartan
Since you have nice monitors (wave guide tweeter), I would definitely just run the "phantom center" instead of spending money on a compromise only speaker:)
bp, are you sure about this? (I can't tell by the small pics I've found.) I wonder if this is even the right speaker.



OP,
If it's a coaxial speaker without any directional guide, it might work fine horizontally. If you are really hell bent on a center speaker, I simply advise that you raise the height of your TV somehow, just enough, to fit the matching speaker.

Otherwise, I also agree with phantom. Yes, you're right, the center channel has a lot of duty. But, let's see if I can come up with a stupid analogy. I rather have 2 very strong men split the work between two medium jobs and one very difficult job, rather than having them split the two medium jobs, and giving the toughest job to a scrawny kid.
 
bandphan

bandphan

Banned
I was just reading the PDF on the speaker, didnt actually look it them :eek: From the PDF

The drive unit used in the System 600 monitors is part of the latest generation of
Dual Concentric units designed by Tannoy. Among many others features, this range
of drivers incorporate a dual magnet assembly, ‘tulip’ HF waveguide and injection
moulded polypropylene LF cone.
The design of the HF waveguide has been arrived at by making extensive use of
CAD (computer aided design). It matches the acoustic source impedance at the HF
diaphragm into the acoustic environment, shaping the wavefront as it travels down
from the diaphragm ensuring equal path lengths to achieve a spherical wavefront.
Wavefront shaping begins at the diaphragm surface and, because the compression
ratio can be kept relatively low with this design, the distortions due to air nonlinearities
are minimised. A hyperbolic flare has been chosen for optimum low
frequency performance at the crossover point.
The HF diaphragm is made from aluminium and magnesium alloy, with optimised
shape and thickness providing rigid piston behaviour up to 25 kHz. The diaphragm
assembly is suspended by a precision moulded, inert nitrile rubber surround. Its very
narrow roll eliminates resonances below 25 kHz and provides a very stable and
consistent mounting. The roll form ensures high excursions can take place if
necessary yet provides a fatigue-indestructible assembly.
The HF voice coil assembly incorporates a high temperature copper wire chemically
bonded onto a kapton former fitting onto the outside of the HF diaphragm skirt. The
thermal power handling of the voice coil is greatly increased thanks to its ferrofluid
filled magnetic gap
 
M

mwhit

Audiophyte
Bandphan has posted the specs and picture of my Tannoy 600's. Unfortuantely, their size makes them to big to place under my TV. So its either buy a different slim center channel speaker, or go with a phatom and hope for the best....
 
Pyrrho

Pyrrho

Audioholic Ninja
Since supposedly 70% of a movie's dialog, etc. comes from the center channel, does this mean that it will just be redirected to the front speakers?
Yes.

In my previous set-up, I had another Tannoy 600 as the center channel, and it sounded great. I can't use this speaker now for the center because physically its too big.

That is too bad. I personally would try to get a different shelf/mounting system and get it to fit.

I wonder how much less "volume" I'll have with two speakers instead of three?

You can try it out and see if it is adequate for your needs.


Are you saying to eliminate the center because the slim one I selected is too inferior to the Tannoys?

If the center is very different from the fronts, it won't "voice match" them. This is important because it means when a sound pans across the front, it will change tonal quality from one speaker to the next, drawing attention to the differences between them.


Also, what does it sound/feel like when there is no sound coming from the center (where the TV is), but instead from the left/right?
Thanks again!
If you sit precisely in between them, and if everything works fine, you will be okay. But for anyone sitting even slightly to the side, the phantom center will not be ideal at all, because one will tend to hear the speaker closer to one louder than the other one, due to the fact that volume decreases with distance, and also there is a tendency for most speakers to output less sound off axis (i.e., not directly in front of it) than on axis.

Your best option, if at all possible, is to get a different piece of furniture that will allow you to use the speaker you were using before that matches the front right and left speaker.
 
M

mwhit

Audiophyte
Thanks everyone. However, upon checking furthur, my front speakers are actually Tannoy System 800's which have a senstivity rating of 92 db. Previously I was using the Tannoy S6LR for my rears, which according to Tannoy, are built similarly and have the same tone. My question is, can I use one of these speakers for the center channel, even it has a sensitivity rating of 89 db? Or will the sensitivity difference of 3 db between the fronts and the center be too much of an issue (the dialogue will be too low relative to the sound coming from the fronts). Thanks.
 
W

waxey

Junior Audioholic
Not up on Tannoy but Is it possible to get a matching Tannoy center chanell to fit in a pre made center chanell cabinet or make a a cabinet yourself then you can put your tv on top of it. I just did this for a new cc-590 to match with studio 100s and have to say it's sounds better when they all match.
 
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