The C1+ isn't a d'Appolito. It's a 3 way with the midrange and tweeter vertically aligned.
2 ways don't work in this application, you're right. There's no getting around it.
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JBL Stage 135C Review (Center Speaker)
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
2 ways don't work in this application, you're right. There's no getting around it.
There is almost 20degree difference on some frequency range!
If you call that well we do not have much further to discuss, I'm afraid.
All my comments are on 2-way centre speakers as this thread is about a 2-way centre speaker.
Compared to what we’ve seen here, yes this is not to bad. Obviously it’s still a compromise.
beagleman
Major Contributor
Oddly enough I really do not see people Seeing this as a huge problem like we do outside of this forum.
Not saying it is not an issue, but until I became a member here, I never even seemed to see it AS much of an issue. Not saying it is not, but not sure it really bothers me enough for it to BE an issue.
I have a center that is fairly limited in dispersion, it is a 2.5 way on its side, with centered tweeter, and even when I tried to "Find" this issue, it simply was not big enough of a change to really merit much worry or cares??
Not saying it is not an issue, but until I became a member here, I never even seemed to see it AS much of an issue. Not saying it is not, but not sure it really bothers me enough for it to BE an issue.
I have a center that is fairly limited in dispersion, it is a 2.5 way on its side, with centered tweeter, and even when I tried to "Find" this issue, it simply was not big enough of a change to really merit much worry or cares??
If you see no problem, why would you (I assume you do) care about the Spinorama characteristics of a speaker? Or, would want a flat FR?
Harman is a corporation motivated by profit and will make decisions like any corporation to maximize their profit. Poor off-axis tonality is a different problem than not working at all. That along with the low price distinguish this particular product from the typical audiophool product.
I dropped off a brand new A125C with Amir and it is in his queue.
This is the perspective ASR members need to keep in mind. Even with poor off-axis tonality, the A135C will do the job to anchor the center image to the screen. The narrow horizontal dispersion bothers me to the point that I would never purchase this product, but that just means I'm not the customer.
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Would you consider a 3-way concentric design like the KEF R2c the best approach (at least on paper)?
KxDx
Senior Member
It serves its purpose for sure... affordable, better than TV speakers or a soundbar, and fits under the TV. That checks off most of the boxes for the people who will be buying it.
And realistically, how many of us would have ever gone down this expensive rabbit hole we call a "hobby" if we had never known how much better stuff was out there?
They could increase their profits by convincing the market that you need larger centre speakers. Apple convinced the market that you need $1000 mobile phones and became a huge company.
What do you expected? No sound coming at all? Is that the only way a centre speaker can be considered not working?
Audiophool products are not necessarily expensive.
Russ Andrews - Hi-Fi mains and cable specialist
Leading manufacturer and retailer of Hi-Fi mains cables, mains conditioning products and Kimber Kable interconnects and speaker cable. Est 1986.
KH 310.
I'm not entirely convinced a centre speaker is that important. I don't have a multichannel system but I've got two JBL 308p Mkii speakers located at screen height pointed at my listening/viewing position in a pretty much perfect equilateral triangle, and the centre imaging is basically perfect and feels totally natural. Is the centre speaker in a multichannel system really necessary? Is it's presence more important for those not sitting in the sweet spot of the L & R channels, in which case you'd think this could only be solved by having a quality centre speaker with good horizontal directivity? Or is the centre channel necessary in order to actually play multichannel material, as praps AVR's don't allow properly for say 4.1 when playing 5.1 material, I dunno?
That would be a lot harder than just meeting the demands for both market segments: (1) customers wanting large high-performance centers and (2) customers wanting compact centers.
Yes. A center that cannot be heard off-axis would literally not work as a center speaker. As we have it, the A135C is simply not optimized to provide consistent tonality to multiple seats. Customers in the second group above do not care about this non-optimal performance as much as you or I do.
I would at least consider the possibility of turning either an LS 50 or a Meta on its side and using it as a center. There might be a question about whether it can play loud enough and whether the directivity is wide enough, but it would otherwise better the large majority of center speaker units reviewed here to date.
It's not critical for a single listener sitting in the sweet spot. A phantom center won't be tonally perfect though due to comb filtering from crosstalk.
Right. But even a tonally imperfect off-axis response from the center will keep the image from collapsing to the listener's side. I'll reiterate that I would never accept this horizontal dispersion for my center channel, but there is a market for the form factor that doesn't care.
beagleman
Major Contributor
I mean, I do not see or hear it as a "Big" problem.
Many in here see it as a complete "Failure" in sound. In practice, mine, while not perfect at all, serves its purpose and even when off to the sides, it is simply not as big of a change as some are making it out to be.
Flat FR on axis is quite important to me. I guess when watching movies, I simply do not find it bothersome "Enough" to cause me to be upset or let down feeling.
If the feeling was so universal, no one would be able to stand center channel speakers.
Again, I tried putting my center vertically also, and it was simply not a big change. I know what to listen for but it was a mild change. Not a huge change, despite what the dispersion charts show.
I guess it is a mild enough trade off to not bother me is all.
About the comb filtering, wouldn't this be the same for any 2-channel music system then? At which point you'd say that 2-channel is not even optimal for plain old music listening? Thing is though, I know my speakers measure fine at my listening position when both are playing, so I know the mids & treble are not messed up, so I guess I don't have a comb filtering problem.
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