Center Channel RT55i vs CS400i vs R400 w/ A9 Fronts

polkevin
polkevin Posts: 17
in Speakers
So I originally had a CSiA6 with the front A9's but I just wasn't getting the depth of sound I wanted from the center. I had an old pair of RT55i's I wasn't using so decided swap out the A5 for an RT55i and laid it down sideways. I immediately heard a differnce for the better. The front sound field opened up and center vocals were crisp and clear, I could hear footsteps, things being placed on tables, etc... way better. Problem is I want to use my RT55i's in the garage so I need a new center channel. I don't want to go back to the A6. How is the CS400 sound quality compared to the RT55i? Their specs, sizes, weights seem very close, almost like the CS400 is an RT55 just with the tweeter moved to the center for horizontal positioning. Hear a lot of good reviews for the R400 as well in terms of bringing the vocals and being more dynamic. Would the R400 sound be too different than the A9's it would cause a noticeable difference and be annoying or you'd only really notice if you were looking to hear the difference?
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Comments

  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,553
    WOW my CSiA6 replaced a CS350. I do not find the fault you describe in the A6. The CS400/400i are very nice centers but both the A6 and the CS400/400i have 6.5" drivers and the A6 has a much stiffer cabinet. The centers you're asking about can be had on eBay for very reasonable sums of money give one a try.

    If you have any room correction software available (in your receiver) did you rerun it ?
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,645
    The A6 is a beast! Maybe yours has a problem.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,524
    edited February 2022
    May help to share a photo of the front setup in the room. Relative physical placement of the speakers could be an issue since the CSiA6 is a big center speaker. What they're being powered by could also be an issue. The crossover settings in the system if there's a subwoofer involved could be an issue too.

    I'd recommend working with the speaker some more to see if its performance could improve.
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