need some center channel input

[timbo54]

I just got some Monitor Audio silver 5i speakers from a friend. I would like to put together a home theater package with them. Do I need to use a Monitor Audio center channel or is there another acceptable alternative? The speakers were a really nice gift and I can't afford the 600.00 for a center channel, maybe around 350.00. Any ideas?

 

[gqmagic]

Do you have to? No

Will it sound better if you do? Yes

Try to find a used one or make an offer of your $350 to whoever is selling a new one and see what they say.

Even if you have to pay close to full price you're still ahead, since the first 2 were free.

 

[fast1]

check out ebay or craigslist to see if there are any offers

 

[agarwalro]

If your room/ setup allows, you can always get a single speaker to use as the center. This will create the most ideal speaker setup for getting a seamless frontstage, that is, blending of sound as it pans from one side to the other through the center.

 

[croseiv]

I just got some Monitor Audio silver 5i speakers from a friend. I would like to put together a home theater package with them. Do I need to use a Monitor Audio center channel or is there another acceptable alternative? The speakers were a really nice gift and I can't afford the 600.00 for a center channel, maybe around 350.00. Any ideas?

My answer is most of the time, but not always. I am running an Emotiva ERM-6.2 monitor, with Polk Audio RT7 mains and I'm getting excellent results. My advice is to experiment and see what happens. The suggestion to run a phantom center is plausble as well, but I personally prefer having a real center channel speaker in place. Other folks seem to be doing quite well running phantom centers.