I bought a stereo system a while back and chose Boston Accoustic for the speeker system. The problem is this, the center channel is not providing enough dynamic range to cut through my living room's poor accoustics. Several people have told me to get a bigger/better center channel which will provide the power needed to saturate the room with discernable dialog atlow volumes. Currently the center channel, when turned up at max still requires the over all volume to be turned up reasonably high. When an effects seen occurs, you get blown out because all the other speakers kick in. I know this is the Theater effect one looks for in a 5 speaker surround sounds system, but my wife is going to leave me if I don't get the sound system sorted out. Sleeping babies and their mothers don't appreciate the Matrix lobby scene.
I've been looking at a few different center channels in price range of 150.00 to 250. Brands like Cambridge Soundworks CenterStage, Accoustic Research PSC25, Klipsch RC-3, and JBL N-Center. I'm having difficulty deciding which one is going to best address the accoustic issues I'm having. Do you have any opinions on what variables are used to best solve the problem I've described? My living room is 300 sqt., wood floors, no accoustic ceiling.
If your main speakers are Boston Acoustic, get a matching Boston Acoustic center speaker, You will have matching timbre and sensitivity from center to main speakers. Poor room acoustic need to be treated, you cannot obtain good sound even if you buy expensive speakers. Spare your money to tame your room acoustic.
I don't think it's as much the brand as it is the speaker sensitivity. If your center channel is less efficient than the two mains, you'll end up with EXACTLY the problem you describe. I suspect your center is probably giving you 87 or 88 dB/watt, whereas the mains are probably up in the 92 db/watt range.
If you still have the manuals for the speakers, check their sensitivity, then see if you can find several different center channel speakers that are at least as good. Then audition them and pick the one that sounds the best. And contrary to conventional wisdom, the winner may NOT necessarily be the same brand as the mains.
