Center Channel Suggestions

hackman55
hackman55 Posts: 17
in Speakers
I have been considering replacing my center channel speaker. I am currently using a Signature s35 along with s55 fronts, s15 surrounds and t15 heights powered by a Yamaha RX-V685 AVR.

It's a humble system but I have been pretty happy with it. My only real gripe is that that I am not particularly impressed with the s35. I've really enjoyed getting into home theater but still don't know a helluva lot about it. I've found this forum to be helpful with a lot of very sharp people and was hoping for some recommendations on a reasonably priced center replacement.

Thanks in advance for any replies.
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  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    Can you post a photo of how the center channel is currently sitting? Maybe it's just a simple setup/placement issue.
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  • hackman55
    hackman55 Posts: 17
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Can you post a photo of how the center channel is currently sitting? Maybe it's just a simple setup/placement issue.

    It is on top of a tv cabinet, pulled to the front edge and below the television. It is about 24" in height from the floor and nearly 13' from the main listening position.
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,014
    Did you go with the S35 for any particular reason, such as space limitations?
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,524
    edited December 2021
    The S30 would be a better match with the S55s. If that doesn’t cut it then it may be time to look for a different speaker line. It should be good though.

    The center speaker is the most important one for home theater. The S30 has better bass performance than the S35 at 55Hz vs 70Hz. Also add as good a subwoofer as you can get to the system.
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  • Milito
    Milito Posts: 1,960
    As one who has had both the S30 when I had S55's and the LSiM 704c when I had 705's, I would go with the 704 even if it's not not timber matched.
    Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
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  • hackman55
    hackman55 Posts: 17
    edited December 2021
    You all were even better than I had hoped, answering some of my follow up questions before I even asked. I was curious about the 704 center and how important timbre matching would be. I was even hoping to ask if an outboard amp for the fronts would be beneficial. I don't have a whole lot of experience with home audio-I kinda jumped into it late in life-but read a lot about it on a few sites. Timbre matching and how much improvement an amp would make are two topics it seems hold a lot of different opinions and I'm never quite sure what to make of them. I'd love to get in and test things out myself but it can be a considerable investment for something which may not really help.

    I'm hawkish on my spendings-would the larger lsim center really justify the extra price? It's a decent size room and has 12' ceilings. I have heard some opine that a center channel should really be a three way design. How accurate is that? And if I were to add an outboard amp, what kind of power would make it a noticeable upgrade?

    Thanks again, you all have been great.
    Post edited by hackman55 on
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  • hackman55
    hackman55 Posts: 17
    edited December 2021
    dromunds wrote: »
    Did you go with the S35 for any particular reason, such as space limitations?

    Most of my gear is my first setup but I actually replaced my original Pioneer center with the s35. It's better than the Pioneer was, at least. I chose the s35 because it matched my other Signature speakers and I had heard some good things about it. Plus, I got a deal. I don't know, I've wondered if maybe I'm just expecting too much out of a center and am just making a mountain out of a mole hill. I'm tired of straining to hear dialogue, though, even though I set the center levels pretty hot relative to the others.

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  • hackman55
    hackman55 Posts: 17
    edited December 2021
    Emlyn wrote: »
    The S30 would be a better match with the S55s. If that doesn’t cut it then it may be time to look for a different speaker line. It should be good though.

    The center speaker is the most important one for home theater. The S30 has better bass performance than the S35 at 55Hz vs 70Hz. Also add as good a subwoofer as you can get to the system.

    I know the s30 has better bass performance than the s35 but wasn't sure how important that would be for a center channel. The s55's have decent lower end and I run two subs so thought maybe it wouldn't be an issue. They aren't great subs but they do a decent job and I don't have big complaints about the bass in the room. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't look at possible sub upgrades all the dang time....
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  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    hackman55 wrote: »
    Timbre matching and how much improvement an amp would make are two topics it seems hold a lot of different opinions and I'm never quite sure what to make of them. I'd love to get in and test things out myself but it can be a considerable investment for something which may not really help.

    The LSiM are a more composed and accurate speaker. So having a better speaker doing the critical center duties will make up for any side to side sound panning differences that you may or may not be able to pick out.

    hackman55 wrote: »
    I'm hawkish on my spendings-would the larger lsim center really justify the extra price? It's a decent size room and has 12' ceilings. I have heard some opine that a center channel should really be a three way design. How accurate is that? And if I were to add an outboard amp, what kind of power would make it a noticeable upgrade?

    Thanks again, you all have been great.

    At least 50-100 watts a side would be a great start as you will be adding more power reserve to your system. A better center channel with proper power will help dialog during the quietest passages all the way to bombastic action movies played at near reference levels.

    If you wanted to go all out with the LSiM706c, that speaker will give you a little more grunt from the woofers. However both the 706 & 704 3-way design will have very clear dialog and very good off axis performance for large rooms and sitting off center.

    The problem with running the 706 is it would be a shame to power such a capable speaker with just your modest AVR, even if you add an amp for the front channels. So, the 704 makes more sense. A $600 receiver can only do so much running 5+ speakers.

    Now, if you want to upgrade your AVR to one with pre-outs for all channels, and run a 3 -5 channel high current amp with some balls, then you start to add even more clarity and dynamics to the system. Now your speakers are not starving for power. More power is better when dealing with super dynamic movies and music.

    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
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  • Milito
    Milito Posts: 1,960
    The 704 sounds better in movies than the S30 with clearer dialog, just a better speaker.

    I've had both like I stated above.
    Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
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  • hackman55
    hackman55 Posts: 17
    I hope it isn't poor form here to bump old threads but my setup has changed and I have another question relevant to the thread topic.

    My poor Yamaha avr met an untimely demise. I have a replacement coming, an older used Integra 70.2 that I'm hoping will be a serviceable stopgap for a while. I have previously owned an Integra avr and liked it.

    Some responses had concerns about the Yamaha's power and recommended an outboard amp. The Integra is more powerful than the Yamaha(140 W@ 8 ohm/2 ch driven vs. the Yamaha's 90 W). Would an additional amplifier still be as important or recommended? A couple of years ago a customer had given me an amp(Audio Centron RMS-1601) that had quit working. Last week I opened it up and fumbled around and somehow got it running. I believe it is some kind of PA amp(my knowledge of amps is very limited) because it has very basic controls and handles for rack mounting. It's a heavy sucker, though, and research shows it to be bridgeable, putting out 650 W x2 @ 2 ohms. I did not see 8 ohm specs. Would this type of amp be at least decent for home theater use? I've had it plugged in and it seems to be working well. I'd still prefer a proper home theater amp someday but free is free.

    To finally get back around to where I said I have a question actually on topic to the thread....I am still wanting to get the lsim center that has been suggested here but paying for another receiver is going to set that purchase back for a while. In the interim, I'm speculating about cheaper options. Would a single Polk s15 work as a center channel speaker? And if so, would it be any improvement over the current s35? The appeal of it is it's something I would still be able to use after it's been replaced with the lsim center, I think they're pretty good book shelf speakers, and they are easy to find individually.

    Many thanks for the responses already given, your patience, and any more opinions on the subjects.


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  • Hansvelton
    Hansvelton Posts: 151
    I really love the older LsiC model. That thing, while quite small, has very clean and clean sound. A very neutral sound, that is hard to beat.

    Have not heard the newer versions (LSiM series) but wonder if they are better or just different sounding.
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  • gp4jesus
    gp4jesus Posts: 1,988
    I know where you could PU THX certified 5 ch amp. If you’re not delving into Atmos or equivalent, add a pre/pro as well….
    Samsung 60" UN60ES6100 LED, Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro Samsung BDP, Amazon Firestick, Phillips CD Changer Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; Ctr Ch outside BJC 10 ga: LCR mids “Foamed & Plugged**”, inside* & out
    8 ga Powerline: LR woofers, inside* & out
    *soldered **Rob the Man (Xschop) LR: Tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; Tweets & Mids - 981, connected w/Monoprice Premiere ICs
    Ctr Ch: Rotel RB981 -> Bi-amped CSi A6 Surrounds: Premiere ICs ->Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3. 5 Subs: Sunfire True SW Signature -> LFE & Ctr Ch; 4 Audio Pro Evidence @ the “Corners”. Power Conditioning & Distribution: 4 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 5 Furman Miniport 20s
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  • hackman55
    hackman55 Posts: 17
    An update:

    I finally found the OE feet for my tv, which made it to where even the slim s35 is tall enough to cover the tv's IR sensor so ended up moving it to just above the tv, angling down slightly toward the mlp. Oddly enough, dialogue from the center channel seems clearer now. I don't know if this is due to the speakers new location (which I thought was supposed to be sub-optimal to placement below the television) or to the different avr? I'd still like to upgrade the center sometime, but with the current one now sounding better it isn't as pressing.

    I still have plenty of questions, but mostly about the new old avr, so guess I'd better quit congesting the speaker sub. Unless anyone has any advice about front wides, lol. Thank you again for all the feedback, this community has been very helpful.
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