Hunting for a new center speaker

[Miko Raud]

So, I have Tannoy Mercury line bookshelf speakers which I bought about 20 years ago and which sound even better than the day I first installed them. So in my infinite wisdom I though I'd get myself a center speaker (I have a sub, but no rear speakers yet) and figured that since my expectations are quite low I'll just get the first (cheapest) one I come across. Big mistake - realized that in movies a whole lot of stuff comes through the center.

So, now the pendulum goes the other way. I'm basically considering either
* Tannoy mercury VCi (same line as my existing bookshelf speakers, but a much newer model) 300$
* Tannoy Eyris C (A more expensive line, same mfg) abt 550$
* Klipsch Reference RC62 or RC64, 1K$+ (Seem to be really loved by owners left and right)

To be fair, I make decent money so that even the last one wouldn't really leave a dent. Plus, as my tannoys have taught me, good speakers last a generation. My concern is that I don't want to go overboard, that is to say while I enjoy good sound, if after getting the Klipsch my Tannoys couldn't keep up then I'd have to upgrade again and that's not the road I want to take. But if a good center speaker is going to only (or mainly) add to the experience, then I'll just get what I can afford.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions???

 

[afterlife2]

I would try these. Maybe you can try both and return the one you dislike?
* Tannoy mercury VCi (same line as my existing bookshelf speakers, but a much newer model) 300$
* Tannoy Eyris C (A more expensive line, same mfg) abt 550$

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I would get the center from same line your speakers are to match with. Another good option would be the center from tannoys better line, but I would still pick the center from same line. I would forget other companies as it won't match your speakers so well and can stand out too much.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I would go with the same line as your current front L/R speakers.

 

[TheWarrior]

To be fair, I make decent money so that even the last one wouldn't really leave a dent. Plus, as my tannoys have taught me, good speakers last a generation. My concern is that I don't want to go overboard, that is to say while I enjoy good sound, if after getting the Klipsch my Tannoys couldn't keep up then I'd have to upgrade again and that's not the road I want to take. But if a good center speaker is going to only (or mainly) add to the experience, then I'll just get what I can afford.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions???

Do you have any plan to actually turn this in to a surround sound experience? Assuming you are using any model receiver, the center is going to produce the majority of what you hear, but only with movies. If you pop a cd in, the receiver will only play 2ch stereo anyway!

Point is, unless you want 5/7+ channel surround sound, save your money. And if you do, and intend this process to take some time, you will likely want to retire those speakers to a bedroom anyway, so consider what your goals are before money gets wasted!

 

[Miko Raud]

I rarely listen to music on speakers, and when I do it's always in the living room. I have pretty good cans that I enjoy music with, so the speakers would be 95% 5.1 oriented. I don't have rears but they are in the plans. As I said, I am happy with the sound my bookshelf Tannoys make. I do intend to upgrade as time goes by, and as such I'm planning to start with the center. The goal is to buy anything once and not buy new stuff unless the old is broken or the new is so much better that keeping the old just makes no sense.

 

[Miko Raud]

I guess the real question is whether the choice of fronts has inevitably locked me in the same brand/line or can I upgrade the components (fronts, center, rears) independently?? Maybe at some point I'll get some new fronts instead and use the ones I have as rears, though that seems quite a waste...

 

[TheWarrior]

I guess the real question is whether the choice of fronts has inevitably locked me in the same brand/line or can I upgrade the components (fronts, center, rears) independently?? Maybe at some point I'll get some new fronts instead and use the ones I have as rears, though that seems quite a waste...

In simplest terms, the tweeter, both type and material, is what really allows different speakers to play together, and make smooth transitions as the sound pans left or right. Ideally, the tweeters are identical.

But with so many high quality drivers now adays, you can occasionally get away with mixing and matching. If you do mix n match, just be sure you can return what you buy in case the new speaker noticeably stands out on its own!

 

[Swerd]

I guess the real question is whether the choice of fronts has inevitably locked me in the same brand/line or can I upgrade the components (fronts, center, rears) independently?? Maybe at some point I'll get some new fronts instead and use the ones I have as rears, though that seems quite a waste...

I think everyone agrees that the sound quality of the rear speakers matters the least. If they don't match the front three speakers, your overall sound quality will not suffer. If you want to spend less, do it with the rear speakers.

I have a slightly different take about matching the front three speakers. The simple answer is to get an exact match (as much as possible) among these speakers. It is clearly noticeable when the center speaker performs poorly compared to the front left & right speakers. But if you get a center speaker that performs better than the front left & right speakers, it works well. That's been my experience. By "performs better", I mean a center speaker that reproduces human voices clearly with wide sound dispersion. Bass performance for a center channel speaker is not important for movies.

So, if you aim to gradually replace your speakers with better ones, focus on the front three and don't worry about the rear speakers. I suggest you first get a better center channel speaker, and later replace the front left & right with similar quality speakers.

 

[herbu]

It is clearly noticeable when the center speaker performs poorly compared to the front left & right speakers. But if you get a center speaker that performs better than the front left & right speakers, it works well.

Agreed.
Miko, consider this... People often say the front 3 speakers must "match" timbre, and being in the same line from the same mfg is the easiest way to assure. The thinking here is so in TV/movie, sound movement between the Left/Center/Right is seamless to your ears. But think about that for a moment. "Sound movement". This would be a person talking as they walk from side to side and their voice follows them. Or maybe a plane flies by from side to side. Does that really happen a lot? And how many times have you said, "Hey! I can hear the difference in speakers as that car went by!"?

The Center speaker is absolutely KEY to TV/movies. By FAR, most sound comes thru it, and almost ALL voices come from the Center. A "bad" Center will mean difficulty understanding some voices, and have a generally fatiguing effect.

Most people listen to music in stereo, which doesn't use the Center. So your most important speakers are:
Left & Right for music.
Center for TV/movies.
Subwoofer(s) for TV/movies, (and music unless you spend thousands on your L/R).
Left & Right Surrounds
Rear Left & Right Surrounds

It sounds like the system in question is almost all TV/movies. If possible, listen to the 3 choices you listed. And listen to TV dialog, not music. See if you think voices sound better on one than another. If you can't hear them in a store, try to find a place w/ a return option if you don't like them.

If you like the L/R you have, I'd likely give the Eyris C a listen first.

 

[Miko Raud]

Thanks, guys. Herbu, this is what I actually did to a degree, and I'll go out this week to try a few more. I came across a nice B&W 62 that sounded natural and warm to me. I'm yet to find a Tannoy store, but I'm determined to give one a listen before I pull the trigger. Also, I've almost given up on the Klipsch - I checked the specs and this monster weighs 100+ pounds. I live in a rental in another country - if I ever had to move it'd be a b!tch to take with.