Best center channel for under $400...

[Lord Nikon]

To go with my Polk Audio R30's!

[Lensman]

Best center channel for under $400...To go with my Polk Audio R30's!

It's extremely important to timbre match your center with your mains. Though there might be another manufacturer that makes a center that would match your R30s well, finding it would probably be a long, involved process. The more expedient route would be to buy a center from Polk. Their current CS1 and CSi3 centers are your best matches in driver type, frequency response and efficiency and would probably be the closest timbre match. Both are well under $400.

[AVMASTER]

To go with my Polk Audio R30's!
technically speaking, the Polk CS1( $199.99) is the match, the better performer is the CSi5 ($400. )

[Lord Nikon]

This is the logic I am using. Since I only use my center channel during tv/movie viewing... I could pretty much get any Polk silk tweeter center channel and it would sound great. For music, of cours I don't even use it. I just figured if I get a higher product model center channel from the same company I would be pretty safe.

Will I run in to any problems if i did go with the CSi5, or one of their higher model centers?

[AVMASTER]

This is the logic I am using. Since I only use my center channel during tv/movie viewing... I could pretty much get any Polk silk tweeter center channel and it would sound great. For music, of cours I don't even use it. I just figured if I get a higher product model center channel from the same company I would be pretty safe.

Will I run in to any problems if i did go with the CSi5, or one of their higher model centers?
the CS1 is timbre matched but it has been my experience that these little centers are useless for good dialog reproduction. Larger drivers and a wider dispersion pattern would be my determining factor in centers; having said that, you would have no problem utilizing the CSi5

[SAPSEC]

Bw Lcr3

[thedude1]

avmaster is right. go with the csi5. i will still match your fronts, and the csi5' larger drivers, bigger cabinet, and dual port design will have a bigger impact, whether for home theater or music. always remember: NEVER skimp on you center!!

[Geoffcin]

the CS1 is timbre matched but it has been my experience that these little centers are useless for good dialog reproduction. Larger drivers and a wider dispersion pattern would be my determining factor in centers; having said that, you would have no problem utilizing the CSi5

My opinion is that bigger is ALWAYS better for the center. Timbre matching is important yes, but when you using quality speakers, with flat responses the timbre differences should be minimal. Dispersion differences between speakers are much more apparent, as is bass response, which is sometimes grouped into timbre, but in reality is much more apparent than small differences in frequancy responce. While I wouldn't say that small center speakers are useless, (I think they are fine in a smaller room) I concur that the larger the center the better for HT.