Please suggest a center speaker

[crazyeye]

Hi - For some reason I think I worded my previous question in a misleading manner. I'm looking to upgrade the center channel speaker in my system and would appreciate some suggestions. Ideally, I'd like to purchase something used on ebay in the neighborhood of $450 or so, which I think would equate to something that maybe a few years ago went for $750 or so new. I don't want to restrict the suggestions to that, though. If there is a center speaker that would seem to ideally fit the rest of the system, go ahead and suggest it. I'd consider purchasing new, and upping the budget considerably, though I can't imagine I'd ever go above $1200 for a new one. Here is my current system:

Pioneer PDP-433CMX Plasma display
Krell Kav-250A/250P - Pre Amp and Amp for Fronts
B&W Matrix 803 Series 2 - Front Speakers
Rotel RB-985 5 Channel Amp
Energy XL-C - Center speaker
Magnat All Ribbon 4's - Sides
Boston Acoustics HD5 bookshelf speakers - Rear surrounds
I have all this running through an Outlaw Model 950 as a preamp and surround processor/switcher

Thanks and sorry for posting a similar, but misleading question earlier.

 

[Sheep]

Idealy, you would want the center to match your fronts.

What is it that you dislike about your current center?

SheepStar

 

[crazyeye]

I recently upgraded the 5 channel amp to the Rotel and since it has become clear that the current center is not up to par with the rest of the system. It is kind of muddy and sounds kind of small. In that I've read that the center is supposed where the system does the most work, it seems silly to have BMW 802's, Krell and Rotel Amps and have that all compromised by a much inferior center speaker. There is a BMW center that was recommended to me, but that costs well over a thousand dollars and I was hoping to get some options that were more reasonably priced, but that would work well with the equipment I have and be a significant upgrade to the current center.

 

[Sheep]

Well, I have never heard the 803's, so all I can advise is to find a center that sounds similar to them and in your price range.

Maybe someone who has heard them can say what would match better.

SheepStar

 

[tbewick]

Hi - For some reason I think I worded my previous question in a misleading manner. I'm looking to upgrade the center channel speaker in my system and would appreciate some suggestions. Ideally, I'd like to purchase something used on ebay in the neighborhood of $450 or so, which I think would equate to something that maybe a few years ago went for $750 or so new. I don't want to restrict the suggestions to that, though. If there is a center speaker that would seem to ideally fit the rest of the system, go ahead and suggest it. I'd consider purchasing new, and upping the budget considerably, though I can't imagine I'd ever go above $1200 for a new one. Here is my current system:

Pioneer PDP-433CMX Plasma display
Krell Kav-250A/250P - Pre Amp and Amp for Fronts
B&W Matrix 803 Series 2 - Front Speakers
Rotel RB-985 5 Channel Amp
Energy XL-C - Center speaker
Magnat All Ribbon 4's - Sides
Boston Acoustics HD5 bookshelf speakers - Rear surrounds
I have all this running through an Outlaw Model 950 as a preamp and surround processor/switcher

Thanks and sorry for posting a similar, but misleading question earlier.

Your situation sounds quite similar to me. I recently picked up a B&W centre speaker off ebay for around £200. This must be equivalent to around $400. It's the home theatre centre (HTM) speaker which is a matrix 800 series unit. I've been delighted with the sound quality of this speaker. It's quite surprising that it works in my set up, because I'm using it with some Tannoy fronts that have a warm sound. If you see this unit available, then I'd go for it. It should match nicely with your existing B&W speakers.

The B&W unit I've got doesn't strike me as sounding 'big', but has the quality of sounding unnoticeable. It's able to reproduce quiet bits in film soundtracks that I hadn't heard in the past. Probably just like your existing matrix speakers, it sounds like a brick wall when you tap it. The only problem is that because it's not the size of a coffin, the bass performance is not truly full-range.