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Need help with center speaker

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Rollie

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I have narrowed down a few options for a center channel speaker. Currently my mains are arendal 1961 tower speakers. I didn’t include the 1961 center because it had some reviews that said it wasn’t as good. The next step is the arendal 1723 s and it’s also an mtm design but doesn’t fit. So my choices are svs evolution center, and either the rbh 661c-sf or the rbh 661c-sf/r. I know the rbh are not 3way but heard good reviews. It has the tweeter a bit higher than the drivers. The main difference between the rbh models is amt tweeter and better drivers. I can’t go any bigger than 8-1/2 inch tall. Heard good things about rbh. Kef r6 meta sounds good too but very expensive. Any help would be appreciated.
 
First, why do you need/want a center particularly? I'd prefer a 3-way if forced to horizontal style center myself, but if I were only concerned with my primary seat, not so much
 
Q6 meta
 
Chrispy said:
First, why do you need/want a center particularly? I'd prefer a 3-way if forced to horizontal style center myself, but if I were only concerned with my primary seat, not so much
Click to expand...
I have a sofa with three seat which is my main seating. I also have two sofas on each side so I have a wide seating arrangement. However 70 percent of the time it’s just me and my wife in the main seating. So I’m guessing an mtm design would suffice?
 
Rollie said:
I have narrowed down a few options for a center channel speaker. Currently my mains are arendal 1961 tower speakers. I didn’t include the 1961 center because it had some reviews that said it wasn’t as good. The next step is the arendal 1723 s and it’s also an mtm design but doesn’t fit. So my choices are svs evolution center, and either the rbh 661c-sf or the rbh 661c-sf/r. I know the rbh are not 3way but heard good reviews. It has the tweeter a bit higher than the drivers. The main difference between the rbh models is amt tweeter and better drivers. I can’t go any bigger than 8-1/2 inch tall. Heard good things about rbh. Kef r6 meta sounds good too but very expensive. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Not sure why Arendal doesn't make them 2.5 way. The center channel is the most important speaker in a home theater by a huge margin. B&W is doing the same thing with so many 2-way center channels.

Surprisingly, my old B&W which was cheaper turned out to be 2.5 way.
 
Last edited:
Rollie said:
Better than the svs evo center?
Click to expand...

The center channel plays a lot of dialogue but it's also important that it can handle bass. A lot of people say that subs can play bass the same as a speaker but I'm not sure that applies to frequencies over 60-70hz.

The SVS says it goes down to 40hz but perhaps you can cross over at 50hz. That will give you positional bass from the speaker that nothing can replicate.

The only concern would be the 4.5 inch midrange driver. My B&W center had 5.5 inches drivers and the higher model at the time (same line) had 6.5 inches and it was highly recommended. I couldn't use it inside my cabinet as it limits height to 7 inches so I had to get the smaller one.

I was listening to a demo of the 5.5 inch center and the one with the 6.5 inch center and the larger drivers and cabinet do make a difference in that case. I'm a bit shocked that the SVS Evo would have a 4.5 inch driver but then again Perlisten has dual 1.1 inch midrange woofers (odd looking ones) in the Perlisten S7c in the $8,000 speaker.

Hmm, I just looked at it a bit more. Since it's a dedicated midrange, they don't need the extra foam that MTM designs would need as the driver in those speaker is also handling bass and needs to travel more. So there's more speaker in the 4.5 inches, so-to-speak :-)

Can you buy it and try it?
 
Last edited:
techsamurai said:
The center channel plays a lot of dialogue but it's also important that it can handle bass. A lot of people say that subs can play bass the same as a speaker but I'm not sure that applies to frequencies over 60-70hz.

The SVS says it goes down to 40hz but perhaps you can cross over at 50hz. That will give you positional bass from the speaker that nothing can replicate.

The only concern would be the 4.5 inch midrange driver. My B&W center had 5.5 inches drivers and the higher model at the time (same line) had 6.5 inches and it was highly recommended. I couldn't use it inside my cabinet as it limits height to 7 inches so I had to get the smaller one.

I was listening to a demo of the 5.5 inch center and the one with the 6.5 inch center and the larger drivers and cabinet do make a difference in that case. I'm a bit shocked that the SVS Evo would have a 4.5 inch driver but then again Perlisten has dual 1.1 inch midrange woofers (odd looking ones) in the Perlisten S7c in the $8,000 speaker.

Hmm, I just looked at it a bit more. Since it's a dedicated midrange, they don't need the extra foam that MTM designs would need as the driver in those speaker is also handling bass and needs to travel more. So there's more speaker in the 4.5 inches, so-to-speak :-)

Can you buy it and try it?
Click to expand...
I could buy it and try it. It’s been the one I want but the rbh has my eye as well. There was a reviewer that had both the evo and rbh and he liked the svs a lot but decided to go with rbh even though the rbh was an mtm.
 
When you have a centre channel it will play all the dialogue and nearly all the music. Your L, R and surrounds will be used for effects. So make sure your centre speaker is amazingly good,
 
Rollie said:
I could buy it and try it. It’s been the one I want but the rbh has my eye as well. There was a reviewer that had both the evo and rbh and he liked the svs a lot but decided to go with rbh even though the rbh was an mtm.
Click to expand...

You said you have a 3 sofa configuration. If there ever were a person who should avoid MTM, it could be you.

I can't find any reviews for either but that doesn't mean much. As the person stated above, the centre channel is everything.

I liken speakers to chess pieces with the Center being the Queen + King, the Left and Right being Rooks, the surrounds as bishops, the rear surrounds as knights, and the height channels as pawns.

It's insane how important the center channel is and the LCR together. If you can try the SVS and return it, then I'd do that. I would also consider isolating it somehow. Be careful though "sticky foam things" will leave marks over time and take off the finish which is not an issue for me inside the cabinet (as no one will ever see that) but on top it would have been destructive to my cabinet.
 
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