older paradigms with cc-170??

[diggerdave]

I have a pair of paradigms, maybe 12-15 years old now, 8"woofers model 3SE.

it's been recommended here, that I use paradigm's cc-370 for a center spkr with these. I looked at one today and it is physically too big whereas the 170 will fit in the space I have. I listened to the 170 in the store and was impressed. I listened to it both alone and with I think a pair of the monitor line spkrs.

So my question is can I go wrong with the 170? also it is half the price of the 370...

thanks,
dave

 

[dloweman]

There is also a 270 which is between the two in size and price. The bigger you can go, the better as alot of the sound in movies is from the center channel!

 

[cam]

I have never heard these 3se's. You should bring them down to your speaker store and see how they match the 170 and the 370. Find out for yourself which set up you can live with. Having said that, I have owned the 170 and now the 370 and what I can tell you is that there is alot of demand on the center channel. With my listening levels (preference) I found the tweeter in the 170 to be very grating and harsh. The 3/4 tweeter can be overwhelmed very quickly, whereas the 1 inch tweeter in the 370 never becomes strained even under the loudest demanding circumstances. You might want to consider changing all three front speakers to a matching set up. If money is limited consider a pair of titans with the 170. More money would be a pair of paradigm focus with the 270. As far as I am concerned, if you want to get good sound where you do not want to have the urge to upgrade, get the 370 with the mini monitors for mains. Many years of happy listening will follow.

 

[diggerdave]

yeah the 3SE is a really old spkr maybe 15-20 years old. perhaps the mini monitors or titans could sit atop the 3SE's and I could switch between them for music and movies...