BobbyDouglas Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 Haven't seen any center speaker deals for BF - nothing out there or am i missing something.. Looking to upgrade an older infinity Primus Center channel speaker. Was the smaller model when that series came out 10 years ago.
jerica388 Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 I know nothing about this, but I am interested in the answer too. My husband and I were at my BIL's house last night and he has a speaker in the entertainment center right below his tv that really sounded impressive when we were watching a movie and when they were watching football. My husband made an off-hand comment that he would like to have one. Well, I don't even know what the darned thing is. I don't dare ask my BIL because he is a blabber mouth, and I would like to get my husband one as a surprise. Based on what I have looked at today, I am assuming this is a soundbar. Sound right? When I saw this thread titled "Center Speaker" I thought maybe I would find my answer, lol. Thanks for any help!
bribri25 Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 I know just enough to be dangerous. I had a center speaker in our old house (bought 10 years ago). Our new house has the surround sound built in to the ceiling speakers, so I don't need one. The soundbar sounds/looks exactly like the center speakers that I was choosing from; just newer, less height, and more sleek. Hopefully someone has audio expertise and can help clarify.
BobbyDouglas Posted November 22, 2015 Author Posted November 22, 2015 Is this the same as a soundbar?No - a soundbar is usually just a single speaker with an optional additional subwoofer. Good for small/medium rooms. I already have upgraded front speakers, so I'm looking for something that matches the sound these fronts are putting out. I know nothing about this, but I am interested in the answer too. My husband and I were at my BIL's house last night and he has a speaker in the entertainment center right below his tv that really sounded impressive when we were watching a movie and when they were watching football. My husband made an off-hand comment that he would like to have one. Well, I don't even know what the darned thing is. I don't dare ask my BIL because he is a blabber mouth, and I would like to get my husband one as a surprise. Based on what I have looked at today, I am assuming this is a soundbar. Sound right? When I saw this thread titled "Center Speaker" I thought maybe I would find my answer, lol. Thanks for any help!You're thinking a sound bar. Just make sure the TV and Sound Bar match input/output.
mcwalker Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 Center channel speakers normally come with a full package of the surround sound system (i.e. 3 to 5 speakers plus a subwoofer, and sometimes a blu-ray player), in part because all of the speakers should have similar or balanced sound characteristics. If you are not looking to replace the rest of the speaker system, you are probably best off looking for another similar Infinity Primus center speaker. Amazon has them. You won't find this on a Black Friday deal.
mcwalker Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 As noted, a center channel speaker is not the same as a soundbar. A center channel speaker is paired with two separate side speakers (3.1) and possibly two rear channel speakers (5.1). The sound of such a system is almost always better than any soundbar because the mid-range speakers within these units are almost always larger than the speakers within a soundbar. A soundbar is a single long unit, but they always contain at least two speakers, and sometimes many more, but you can't see them unless you remove the grill. The speakers in soundbars are almost always much smaller than the speakers in a 3.1 or 5.1 system. 1
jerica388 Posted November 23, 2015 Posted November 23, 2015 Thanks for the scoop, folks! I don't feel quite as bewildered now.
BobbyDouglas Posted November 23, 2015 Author Posted November 23, 2015 Central channel and two front speakers were more like 1980s 5.1 started getting popular in the late 90s, which is what I have (a much order model) 7.1 became popular about 5 years ago Soundbars starting being a quality alternative about 3 years ago. It was a the first real "all-in-one" speaker solution that was super simple to plug in and immediately see the difference. You didn't need overpriced receivers or professional installation for quality sound. Sounds bars are still great. I use a very nice wireless Yamaha soundbar in another room. it works great.If you are not looking to replace the rest of the speaker system, you are probably best off looking for another similar Infinity Primus center speaker. Amazon has them. You won't find this on a Black Friday deal.It's all the same mesh color to me, not looking for the exactly style, but more so the sound quality of a louder speaker. I replaced bookshelf fronts with two primus 363 tower speakers, so the sound definitely has a boom. I feel like I can just tell the central channel is outdated, so I want to upgrade that piece.
bpr Posted November 23, 2015 Posted November 23, 2015 You can buy a center speaker separate from others. Just shop places like Amazon, Newegg, or Best Buy. I bought mine from Best Buy for $60 (Pioneer Andrew Jones SP-C22) and bought each of the matching ones separate. Great speakers for the price if you can get them on sale. Kind of bulky and not as pretty as most, but they are compared to $1000 speakers. I saw a nice 'slim' Polk speaker (TL1) on Amazon for $75. Shop around and read reviews and I'm sure you'll find something in your price range. Sound bars are ok, and most people who buy them are happy with them. But if you are looking for deep rich sound to really enjoy your music and movies with, it's best to invest in 5.1 or 7.1 surrounds. I'm not an audiophile, but I do enjoy cranking it up and not have the sound distorted. It depends on how much you like to hear 'everything' in movies and music. if music and movies are a casual thing, get a sound bar.Just MHO.
Pnambic Posted November 23, 2015 Posted November 23, 2015 (edited) Similar to cars, with speakers, there's no replacement for displacement. Speakers aren't magical. While we may be pretty foggy on climate science, we have the science of reproducing sound waves down pretty good. And bigger speakers *can* produce better sound than smaller speakers (assuming the same quality of components and all that. It's all about making sound waves. As mentioned above, speakers can definitely have distinctive sounds though. If you're upgrading one speaker in a multi-speaker setup, you will likely want to match the rest of your set. I started out with these massive Klipsch KG 5.2's I bought back in college. When I went to build the rest of the 5.1 setup (geez, 15 years ago?), I was sold on these really sweet sounding Paradigm surrounds and center. Trouble was, the Klipsches were so efficient and bight, I couldn't ever hear anything from the other speakers even after tuning the Klipsches down 6 dB and the others up 6dB (the most my receiver could do). Had to take the Paradigms back and swap them for some Klipsches that better matched my fronts. I did also want to add that I've seen some TV stand speakers recently that are more than just your garden variety sound bars. They're pretty darn big - designed to not just sit beneath and in front of your TV, but for the TV to actually sit on the speaker. They're often a good foot or more deep (as opposed to a couple inces for most sound bars) and will often include a subwoffer within. I can't remember what they're called precisely as I didn't pay all that much attention to it as it wouldn't really suit my needs at all, but your BIL might have had one of these if it was all that impressive. The thing to rememberr here is a Center channel speaker will need to be powered by something - generally a receiver. Sound bars and this other thing I mentioned are self-powered. Edited November 23, 2015 by Pnambic
Pnambic Posted November 23, 2015 Posted November 23, 2015 (edited) I'm generally not the biggest fan of Bose, but this is an example of what I was talking about.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N1SSX6Q/ref=gbps_img_s-3_4782_33c6051f?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2292984782&pf_rd_s=slot-3&pf_rd_t=701&pf_rd_i=gb_main&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0Y40S6KM3RCPWXTQFEKE If you're hanging your TV from the wall, then this may not work for you. But if you're placing it on a stand, this might work. Here's a deal on one from Klipsch:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3JW37G/ref=psdc_172563_t2_B00N1SSX6Q Again - I have not listened to either of these to provide an opinion, but they both have pretty good reviews. Edited November 23, 2015 by Pnambic
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