Center channel speaker recommendations alongside Hivi Swans 3.1A

[Avamander]

I have a pair of Hivi Swans 3.1A connected to my Denon AVR as L/R and I'd like a reasonable center channel to go alongside these.

I keep reading that timbre matching is important, but unless I take a handsaw and make a hole in my TV stand I can't place a third 3.1A there. (I'd also be left with a leftover speaker that I'd have little use for.)

What are my options, what's the most reasonable option within the same price and quality range as the Swans themselves? Should I just saw a hole and be done with it? (Can I buy just one kit from somewhere? :/)

 

[staticV3]

For proper timbre matching we'd need Spin data for the 3.1A

Amir did measure a 3.1A, but unfortunately it was a modified specimen so with different timbre than stock.

With Spin data, you could go to spinorama.org, go through the various Center speakers, and see which one has matching EIR.

In any case, I would strongly advise against 2-way centers of any kind.

You can go through the list of Center speakers here, scroll down to the SPL Hor/Ver Normalized graphs, and check that there are no crazy dips and notches in the response. One such example:


If the speaker has them, best to avoid.

For reference, this is roughly what loudspeakers should strive for: