centre speaker...

hi guys,

i know this is a bit off-topic, but i am confident that some of you can help...
not long ago Michealab said something about choice of centre and surround speakers that made a lot of sense... :respect: basically that if looking for a 5ch musical setup one should ideally get all speakers from the same family/maker. However, if cinema is the main use for it, this is not so important, and some makes are more synergetic with eachother than others...

i am looking to build a 5 channel setup and need to get a centre speaker and two surrounds. important point: it is just for movies, so i want to spend as little as possible (trying to be pragmatic... ).

the front speakers will be my beloved Sonus Faber Signum, driven by the MF A3.2. (i will use the preouts of the Denon 3802).

does anyone recommend specific centre speakers or brands of speakers that will do well with the SFs? Any suggestions for surrounds? would something like mission work well at all?
(apart from the picollo by SF i only know the triangle sextan202 is supposed to be good with them but it is very hard to find, and these are not that cheap...)

as always, thank you very much for any help!

:beer:
Jack

 

personally i think it's the most important to get the front 3 as similar as possible as this is where most of the sound comes from - sometimes on mono sources such as tv or old films the center speaker is the only one with sound comming from it so a crap center speaker will be very noticable. surrounds i feel are less important and good dispersion is the key to immersive home cinema so a di/bi pole design is best.
for multichannel music though all the speakers should be the same as who knows where those craaaazy engineers will put the sound also bi/di pole surrounds can introduce strange phase effects to the rear channels with music.
cheers


julian

 

thank you, julian.

is there a difference between dipole and bipole speakers?

i see your point about centre speakers. is there a centre you'd know or recommend to go with my sonus fabers?

cheers!
Jack

 

cant' remember which it is but in one type the 2 speakers will project the same signal in 2 directions whilst the other will project the signal in one direction and it's inverse in another.

sorry, i can't help with a match for your sf's - do sf do a center channel speaker? if so it may be worth while biting the bullet and going for one. if not then it's going to be some lengthy auditions.
cheers


julian

 

Hi Jack,

Perhaps the following links will help with your query about bipolar and dipolar speakers:-

http://www.audiovideo101.com/dictionary/dictionary.asp?dictionaryid=142

http://www.fredsoundofmusic.com/newsletter2.html

http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad/q.php?article=bipole

I used to have a url for a simple concise article on bipolar and dipolar speakers but I can't quite find it at the moment.

 

Hi Jack,

I am no home Cinema expert as I use only two channel at home but the closest you might be able to get to matching the Signums is a second-hand Sonus Faber Solo Home centre speaker http://www.sumikoaudio.net/sonus/prod_solo.htm . However, bear in mind that the Solo is part of the Concert range and was voiced to partner the speakers from that range e.g. Grand Piano, Concerto Home etc. However, the Signums & Electa Amator II belong to the Classic Range which are above the Concert Range for build quality and sound. I also think even though it is more expensive, the Solo will be more of a sonic match for the Signums than the Picollo.

Those who have tried what you are attempting to do, after countless other centre speaker auditions, have settled for the Solo Home as the closest (though not perfect) match, mainly as it from the same family. However, you could also try Proac as I think Lowrider of this forum uses or used Proac centre IIRC (or does he use the Solo?). Anyway, it might be worth sending him a PM as he uses the EAIIs upfront and the Signums as rears and either the SF Solo or Proac ?? as centre or you could also contact an SF dealer who also sells other speaker brands, for guidance.



Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

When I couldn't find a centre unit that sounds like my main loudspeakers I settle for a 4.1 surround. No problem for the dude who get to sit in the hot spot all the time. That may sounds selfish but I believe that has always been the case in any conventional stereo set up.

How different are the voicing between the concert and the classic range? Bear in mind that not everyone ears are that critical as it is only a matter of taste. For me the main bugs is most centre speakers make people speak with a strong nasal sound.

 

Well, it would depend on where the centre speakers were made. If they were made in the U.S.A. then it's very likely that voices will come through with a strong nasal sound but that's not a problem you'll get with the Sonus Faber centre speaker as Italians are not known to have a nasal twang.



Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Guys,
Thank you very much. Dev, the links are brilliant! Cheers!
Lawrie, I see your point and perhaps the only way is to bring home the picollo and see what i think of it. I was really trying to see if there was something cheaper that I could go for, that people felt it was acceptable as a starting point, even if not ideal like the Solo or even the Picollo. Some range that would sound more like SF than others... so that I would know where to start audition.

wolfgang suggestion is a good one. I always thought not having a centre speaker would really hurt the surround effect but if you say it doesn't it may be the best option and wait till i find a s/h Solo or picollo or Triangle Sextan202 which are the ones i heard so far that would potentially work with SFs.

As a matter or curiosity, Lawrie how would you define the Signums in terms of sound character? Very transparent, very good in the mids and with a tight if not very deep bass... i'd say? if so, a fairly transparent with a fair amount of detail is probably a good match for them as a first pass approach to centres? This is perhaps why the Triangle range is said to work well with them... any other centre speakers or brands you guys know that could have this kind of characteristics and is not over the top expensive? (you can see i am clutching at straws here... 7) ) Proac perhaps as suggested, any others? (are they very expensive?).

and thanks for the suggestion, i will PM Antonio and see what he thinks...

cheers guys, as always, you have not disappointed me!

:beer:
Jack

 

Jack,

You have summed up the character of the Signums quite well but here is someone who gained access to my notes before writing his review: http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=speakers&n=19663&review=1 He goes into more detail about the sound characteristics of the speakers.

Personally, I would say the best centre speaker match for the Signums is another Signum but that is not realistic as these things always come in pairs. I've never heard any Triangle speakers (French brand, I think) so I can't comment. Anyway, if you don't get much joy from Lowrider as his views on the sound of the Signums differ widely from mine, your's and that of every other Signum owner I know (and I know a lot, including the local distributor and many dealers) then why not post on http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/speakers/bbs.html where there is a Sonus Faber mafia to which Lowrider also belongs? You might even get more cheaper options being suggested. So let us know how you get on.




Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Lawrie,

Thanks for the tip, I found a bit of info there (some of it posted by our own Lowrider) and I've posted a message asking for advice on this. Let's see what happens...

I am hoping that I can find a speaker make or brand that will be at least acceptable for home theatre in a small room like mine, and not too expensive to start with... otherwise i will go for the phantom centre channel until i find a Picollo Solo centre second hand...

Either way, thank you all very much!

:beer:
Jack

 

:yikes: Never thought of that. Must remember to keep my eyes open now and again.