Is a Klipsch center channel better than no center channel?

[turingsmachine]

Hi folks, first time/long time reader here. Apologies for the jokingly provocative thread title. This forum has been extremely helpful over the last few years as I've been upgrading the audio equipment in my life, and I've finally got a question of my own.

First, the setup: I recently put together my first home theater-ish system to replace my old Yamaha soundbar/subwoofer combo. For ~$500, I was able to scrape together a 2.1 setup with a new pair of Polk ES20s that were on sale, and a second-hand bundle of a Sony STR-DN1060 receiver and a Definitive Tech ProSub 60. I've been pretty happy with the setup so far, but my partner and I have noticed that we have to run the volume higher than we would like in order to be able to hear dialogue clearly. I understand that this is something that can be rectified by adding a center channel, so I'm hunting around for something to add the the setup.

Second, the problem: I'm not too keen on dropping an additional $300 for the matching ES30 center channel, since I was already "splurging" on the ES20s when they went on sale. So instead I've been scrounging around for something less pricey, and the solutions I have found are as follows:
1) buy a "lesser" Polk center channel, probably either the XT30 or the CS1 II. Both cut the cost in half, but I understand that they might not be the greatest pairings due to different model lines.
2) go sketchier and get a $30 Polk T30 that I found on FB Marketplace, which is missing all the screws in the left woofer but otherwise seems fine. Hard to turn down at that price point, but I do run the risk of wasting $30 if the speaker is damaged.
3) the middle of the road solution, which is a $65 Klipsch R-25C with no visible issues from FB Marketplace. This seems the most ideal in terms of investment and return, but I understand that mixing brands may not yield great results. I also understand that Klipsch is generally frowned upon, but I'm hardly a snob and am willing to accept some imperfections from the price range I'm working in.

So, with all of this in mind, does anybody have any advice on which route to pursue here? I know the "best" answer is probably just spend the cash and get one of the Polk center channels new, but I'm curious if anyone has had experience mixing these or other similar speakers with good results. Any and all advice is appreciated. Happy listening!

 

[DVDdoug]

Your decision is up to you, but anything should be better than nothing and your AVR should allow you to adjust-up the center-channel volume (which a lot of people do).

I have to wonder why that one speaker is missing the screws... If you're handy you could probably replace anything that's 'blown" and just use the cabinet and whatever parts are good.

 

[kyuu]

I'm not of the opinion that you necessarily have to "match" the center to the mains. However, what you don't want is a significant difference in tonality between the speakers. Here's the Polk ES20:

Decently neutral, a good budget speaker.

There's no measurement available for the Klipsch R-25C that I can find, but here's one for another Klipsch R-series (we can safely assume the response will be in the same general ballpark):

Yikes. Typical of budget Klipsch, response is quite uneven with a large boost in the treble. I think the mismatch here would be quite audible, and I'm not sure this sort of response will help much with dialogue clarity in any case.

What sort of height restriction are you dealing with on the center channel? While typically for a home theater setup you want the center channel to be able to handle the dynamics of a movie soundtrack (hence the typical toppled MTM arrangement, with dual woofers to get better power handling while avoiding taking up too much vertical height), if you aren't listening at elevated levels in general you can probably get by just fine with a standard bookshelf speaker (also given that your main left and right are standard bookshelves it's questionable how much advantage there is in having a center that's more capable at least in terms of power handling). The main issues there are if you have enough room to fit one in your setup, and getting a single bookshelf speaker since they are typically sold in pairs.

If you're going to go with one of your listed options, I'd probably choose the Polk XT30:

Still a bit of a boost in the treble, but overall much better behaved than the Klipsch.

 

[turingsmachine]

Wow, thank you both for the prompt responses! I've asked the owner of the T30 if he has the screws and/or the clothe grille; hopefully his response will give some indication about what the deal is with the missing screws. As for height restrictions, there isn't a hard ceiling, but it will probably be sitting in front of the TV on top of our entertainment center, so something short-ish and wide like an MTM would probably work best. I do generally run things pretty quiet though, so I will keep the single bookshelf idea in mind, and may experiment if I find something cheap that looks good. Thanks again to both of you for your answers!

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

For a temporary measure any small speaker, laid on it's side or not, will help. So given budget, maybe try thrift stores? Pick up a pair of bookshelf speakers and use one for now?