Could anyone post advice on candidates I could go audition?

cheers
alf

ps. the rears will be next so any thoughts on those too will be welcome

Centre channels are a ruse to get people to buy more amps and speakers.

Lecture over

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

Because most AV processors have a mode which routes the centre channel to both the main front speakers so it sounds just like a centre speaker placed in the middle.

Matthew

A centre speaker locks dialogue to the screen; in my case, it's not possible to have the TV in the exact middle of the front speakers, so I have no choice but to use a centre. A B&W CC6, which is fine for AV but pants for music

John

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

quote:

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Because most AV processors have a mode which routes the centre channel to both the main front speakers so it sounds just like a centre speaker placed in the middle.

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...and because this is often the origin of many 5.1 / 7.1 mixes anyways. Many engineers start with a stereo two-channel mix (music beds), then work the elements to the five, six, or seven surround channels. (The LFE channel is almost always a mono afterthought.)

Very few fold back dialogue gently into the front channels (after they've extracted it from the stereo mix) with any degree of reasonable balance--the variance in forward position of center-channel speakers in real-world consumer installations results in audible phase shifts and/or frequency imbalance.

So--if your processor has a dialogue-channel "ghost mode", you might actually be closer to a reasonable intended balance than meets the eye...many of these actually arbitrarily process the dialogue channel into the sides, some with adjustable delay setttings for your particular situation.

Not everyone can be expected to have round/ octagonal / square rooms with the flexibility of properly angling for surround--even in retrofitted professional installations (DVD pre-mastering suites, for example), speaker positions are not always absolute.

Dave Dever, NANA

[This message was edited by David Dever, NANA on TUESDAY 05 December 2000 at 05:19.]

I'm going to start with a ProAc Response CC1 which I've got on order to audition. Paul, I hope you meant that one not the (infeasibly) larger CC2. I'll work on the other suggestions from that point.

I'd welcome anybody else using that speaker posting their experiences.

In case it helps foster other comments, my wife recently admitted that she finds my (hifi) system 'cold'; lacking richness particularly in voices although she likes the other aspects. She can live with that for music as (horror) she's quite happy listening as background while doing other things around the house. However, with film she is more attentive and it is important to her that the soundtrack is portrayed in a 'cinemagraphic' manner. I suspect this will only complicate things and compromise may be the order of the day but we'll see.

cheers
alf

An easy match for your SBL,s is another SBL and a second set bought secondhand could well be a bargin.This recommendation only works if you use a projector and screen.

I currently use my SBL,s as surrounds,ATC 100,s as main and replacing my kef 200 will be an ATC 50.I will be getting a 50 rather than a 100 due to space considerations rather than preference or finances.

I wonder if you can buy just a single speaker from Naim like you can from ATC?

All the best and try secondhand,there are a lot of bargins to be had,

hooch