Paradigm Cc-370 Or Psb Stratus C5

[kexodusc]

Wow,your Avatar is a cartoon. And i get called a "kid".

There, now you see, you had an opportunity to end the hostility and but you had to indulge didn't ya? Couldn't we all just get along?

II don't listen to the speaker when i bought it back in 1999 mabe i would have been able to tell in the store. But am i right in asuming that the C5 is NOT a timber match for the Stratus Silveri's,if so does it really matter what center i use.

Nope, PSB made the Stratus C5 as a matching solution to the Stratus speakers. To my knowledge they did not make any other speaker named a "C5" other than the ones that matched the Stratus line. So yes, the C5 is as close a timbre match as you are likely to get. To my knowledge, neither C5 nor C6 use the same drivers found in the other Stratus speakers so you're at the mercy of PSB's design philosophies. That's okay though, the crossover in a center channel with identical drivers would have to be much different anyway, which means the speakers would have to be "voiced" to match the Stratus mains, the same method I'm sure they used when designing the C5 and C6.

You may get lucky and find a center channel speaker that sounds closer in tone to your main speakers than the C5, but considering that every other manufacturer likely made their center channels match their main speakers and not PSB's main speakers, I'm not very optimistic of your chances of finding a better match than PSB's C5 or C6, which was designed to match PSB's Stratus main speakers.

[LEAFS264]

Alright. Thanks for all the info. I'll keep it and ditch the Sony receiver. need a upgrade anyway.

[Wireworm5]

I have the Sony DB-975 receiver, I've upgraded to a Yamaha RX-V2200 which powered my speakers much better and exhibits way more detail, this was perceived as bright compared to the Sony. So I'm suggesting an upgrade to a better receiver such as the Yamaha RX-V1500 or 2500. Once you adjust to the new sound you may be much happier with your center.
I also have the Paradigm cc 370 v3 which I have no complaints about but I was thinking of getting the 470 in hopes its tweeter would better match my Studio 100's. I can't tell you how this center compares to other brands.
Also consider upgrading your source as this can really bring out the details of movies or music. It might be a good idea to this before upgrading your receiver. Only after these improvements would I consider the speakers and you may become content with your center.

[LEAFS264]

My source is a Integra DPC-8.5. So i'm pretty sure its the sony receiver.
Can't wait to upgrade!!!

[Quagmire]

My source is a Integra DPC-8.5. So i'm pretty sure its the sony receiver.
Can't wait to upgrade!!!

So let me get this straight...

You jump from replacing the center speaker, which you are sure is the problem in your system (you've read reviews and even gone as far as taking it to other people's houses for comparison) to keeping the speaker and replacing the receiver, because now you're convinced the sony receiver has been the problem all along???? Based on What???? I'm assuming that the speaker sounded good in other people's setup? No???? And what exactly is the Sony receiver doing to make only the center speaker sound bad? That's a nifty trick: How is it pulling that off?

Look, if you've got "upgraditis"; the money is burning a hole in your pocket and you've just gotta spend it, that's your business. Buy a new receiver. But like I said to you in my earlier post, if you make this upgrade in an uneducated way, the problems are likely to follow you as you progress along the upgrade path. At least three people have encouraged you to look into setup calibration type issues before you compound your problems or try to fix something that isn't broken. I've yet to read a single reply from you even achknowleding such issues. What's up with that???

I'm going to recommend you do something that I don't often recommend... I am a big proponent for the use of a center channel speaker, but IMO, it is preferable to forgo using a center channel speaker rather than use one which is very mismatched or of a poor quality. I suggest you take the center speaker out of your system, take the time to adjust your setup to optimize the stereo imaging of the front mains, and then give it a test drive.

PSB makes some good speakers, but not every speaker in the line is guaranteed to be of the same high quality; and center channel speakers by their very nature are already compromised sonically. It could just be that nothing is going to make this speaker sound better and if that's the case you will at least have that knowledge as you move forward. And by the way, if you haven't looked into the setup/calibration issues that have been raised, you really owe it to yourself to start there.

Q

[LEAFS264]

What is with you people!!!!! I've said from the Start that this center channel sounds "off" if you will.
BUT OH NO,IT CAN'T BE THE CENTER ITS A "PERFECT MATCH" for the Silveri's.But guess what........thats right it IS NOT A TIMBER MATCH. i have the C5 not the C5i.And yes it is different. Why is this concept so hard for you "experts" to grasp. The drivers have 0 in comon with one another. So when i'm told by ALL OF YOU , that it must be somthing else, well that can only mean the receiver. Thats why i was going to change it.

[Quagmire]

"What is with you people!!!!! I've said from the Start that this center channel sounds "off" if you will."

I think we all understand that.

"BUT OH NO,IT CAN'T BE THE CENTER ITS A "PERFECT MATCH" for the Silveri's.But guess what........thats right it IS NOT A TIMBER MATCH. i have the C5 not the C5i.And yes it is different. Why is this concept so hard for you "experts" to grasp. The drivers have 0 in comon with one another."

Not hard for us to grasp at all, in fact that's what WE have been telling you all along. What YOU seem to have a hard time grasping is that there are reasons why even perfectly timbre matched speakers can sound less than perfect depending on system setup. And that even speakers which are less than perfect matches can be made to sound better... even acceptable with adjustments to system setup. And then, as I mentioned in my last post to you, there are times when regardless of all other factors, a center speaker is never going to sound alright. Then your options are more limited but do include not using a center speaker at all. You can look around endlessly for some other manufacturers center speaker that by the grace of God happens to match your mains, but that is probably and exercise in futility. By my reckoning, you've made zero attempt at addressing any of this stuff. Do you apply the same logic to other areas of your life? When your car is idling a little rough do you start by replacing the engine?

"So when i'm told by ALL OF YOU , that it must be somthing else, well that can only mean the receiver. Thats why i was going to change it."

That's quite a leap. Let me see is I follow you here... We are all idiots, but you're going to take our advice, which you have somehow deduced as being the replacement of your receiver. I think we've been trying to tell you that it can be any number of things, starting with something as basic as setup and calibration problems, extending all the way to accepting that this center speaker is never going to be a good match for your mains. But at this point, we have how much indication that the receiver is the problem? Exactly how did you go about diagnosing the receiver as being the problem? Answer me this... If your receiver is the problem, then don't you think the center speaker should have sounded better when connected to your friends receiver? According to some of your earlier posts, it did not. So what magic is going to occur to suddenly make it sound better when you connect it to your "new" receiver. If the speaker didn't sound better when placed in some other system, then what makes you think replacing some other aspect of your system is going to make the "problem center speaker" sound better. This makes no sense. As I've said previously, this problem is most likely going to follow you along this upgrade path. Applying your logic, why stop at receivers? If a better receiver doesn't cure the problem, buy seperates. If that doesn't do the trick, buy even more expensive seperates! And when that doesn't work????? But you go right ahead. You've got all the answers, genius.

Like the man said... "A fool and his money are easily parted". Cheers!

Q

[Wireworm5]

Thats the DE- 975 that I have which I still use in another room with Cerwin Vegas. When I first had the Sony hooked to my Paradigm Monitor 7s the 7s didn't sound any better than the Vegas. So that's when I took the chance on a Yamaha not knowing if it would make any difference. Well let me tell you, those Paradigms came to life and then I knew why they cost more than the Vegas. So if your PSB's are like my Paradigms the Sony can't drive them sufficiently to get the best out of them. This may not solve your center problem. But with a better receiver like the Yamaha you can also equalize the center and this may solve your problem.
I will be curious to know if you get the same results after ditching the Sony. Let me know.

[LEAFS264]

Thanks wireworm5, thats the kind of respone i was expecting from a site like this. People with REAL experience talking about different equipment and how it has made a difference(good or bad) to the rest of their systems. Not like the post above yours. Which was written by an "genius" in his own mind. I have no more time for audiophile snobs.Who try to make the rest of us feel stupid for asking questions. This will be my last post on this site.

[Quagmire]

"...Sony can't drive them sufficiently to get the best out of them. This may not solve your center problem."

He's deaf when it comes to hearing this point, even from someone who is advocating a receiver upgrade.

"But with a better receiver like the Yamaha you can also equalize the center and this may solve your problem."

Why would you expect him to equalize his center? He won't even acknowledge the suggestion that making adjustments and calibrations to his current receiver has any practical value toward correcting the problem. Why should it have any value with his new receiver? No. In his mind, replacing the receiver IS the cure.

Please understand; I'm not being critical of you or your advice. We are all entitled to our opinions. You made a change in receivers which from your perspective, produced a notable improvement to your system. I've no problem with that. And from my perspective, it is never a mistake to invest in good quality amplification. But even his receiver upgrade is not going to absolve him from the need to properly calibrate and setup his new receiver. All good equipment can be made to sound bad if poorly setup.

This has been a strange thread, and I've formulated a theory as to why... I don't think our friend here knows how to properly setup and/or calibrate his system. I think perhaps that is why he refuses to even broach the subject and responds so angrily when pressed on the matter. I think he is embarrased to admit this, even though there is no need to be. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that this is the real motivation behind all of his vitriol. There... that's my one act of kindness for the day. At least I hope this is the case because otherwise...?

Q