Home Theater Center: Is Electrostatic Important? Mainly Voice, Right?

[remoteportal]

I would say if you can live with a phantom center channel for a while

I'm guessing that the phantom somehow magically makes the voices come from the middle of the sound field? Now, if I only knew what a processor was!?

I must admit I'm getting pretty tired of hearing Luke Skywalter talk three feet off to the left of the screen.

 

[remoteportal]

I'm using the Vignette as a center channel and I am quite satisfied....skimp on the rears

I should have read your post before starting another thread. Thanks for the input!

 

[Dreamer]

I will agree with everyone else--the Center speaker is the MOST important in a HT setup. Most of the dialog, main sound effects and even the indicental music on movie soundtracks gets routed through the Center speaker.

The Front R/L speakers are for front-side ambient cues, and to give the soundtage some depth and width. Rears are for soft ambience and special effects. The choice of Center speaker should be given the same care you'd give to choosing your TV.

Matching the voice of your Center to the mains is also critical. If it's not matched well, you will hear all sorts of weird interaction, frequency humps and dips, and it can even effect imaging on movie soundtracks.

If you have an SACD player, or are listening to music in a multi-channel mode, matching the voicing of your center to your mains is even more critical.

So if you can't afford a brand new ML ESL center, I would suggest either getting a Fresco, or trying to find a used Logos in good condition. The Logos is, to some of our ears, the most musical center ML ever made--it hs full bass, delightful mids, clear highs, and a wider dispersion pattern than the newer "inverse curve" panels of the newer ML Centers.

And besides, you will be VERY hard-pressed to find a center speaker from another manufacturer that voices similarly to ML main speakers. Perhaps the Sunfire speakers (with the ribbon drivers) might be a good match, but I think that trying to match a "traditional" Center speaker to a pair of Vistas or Vantages will be fraught with heartache...

--Richard

 

[remoteportal]

...or trying to find a used Logos in good condition. The Logos is, to some of our ears, the most musical center ML ever made--it hs full bass, delightful mids, clear highs, and a wider dispersion pattern than the newer "inverse curve" panels of the newer ML Centers...

Thanks for the tip! I'm now going to start looking for a used Logos... sounds like it might be better than the Motif and certainly better than the Matinee.

 

[kcl]

Thanks for the tip! I'm now going to start looking for a used Logos... sounds like it might be better than the Motif and certainly better than the Matinee.

A used Theater would be good, too. I'm very happy with ours when we run our system in HT mode.

 

[Kaboomnash]

I agree with center importance, but our center had to fit in an antique cabinet (huge WAF issue). I went with a KEF center and have been very happy during SACD or DVD playback. I am more of an enthusiast, but feel my Vantages sound quite good in this setup.
Cabinet opening really limited me.

Lee

 

[Rich]

. . . and a wider dispersion pattern than the newer "inverse curve" panels of the newer ML Centers.

Actually, this is not true. Both types of speakers are designed to have a 30 degree horizontal dispersion rate.

 

[remoteportal]

The Logos is, to some of our ears, the most musical center ML ever made--it hs full bass, delightful mids, clear highs, and a wider dispersion pattern than the newer "inverse curve" panels of the newer ML Centers.

Richard, thanks for your advice on the Logos center... I just purchased one and I can't wait to receive it and hook it up!