center channel upgrade question

[buckshot]

I have been upgrading my home theater set up in pieces (essentially what's on sale at frys) and have hit a problem. I now have balboa 30 front floor standing speakers from jbl, the side channels are the old front channels from my onkyo theater in a box, and the rear channels are polk audio R300 floor standing speakers. I am not a huge audiophile so this set up is pretty good for me. I got a 10'' 150W velodyne sub as well. the problem is my center channel is from that onkyo set and is sounding pretty thin. I turned up the level for that speaker to quick fix it. but am getting more annoyed with it. i'm looking for a good center channel to go along with what I have now. price does matter a lot. i'm hoping to get away with a sub $250 amount. I can hunt for deals but I need to know what to look for first.

any help is appreciated. thanks.

[Filterlab]

Even a basic KEF centre channel will be a huge leap in quality. Try any of the 'Q' series, they all sound very strong (with frequency response from 55hz up) and won't break the bank. Not sure of the US prices but they're around £150 over here. Also have a look at the B&W CC series, along the same price line and really good speakers.

Try speakers from these manufacturers if you can get them; Castle, KEF, Celestion, Tannoy, Monitor Audio, Ruark and ProAc. You should get something within your budget from any of those, although you may have to go to ebay for the Monitor Audio's and ProAc's.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by buckshot

i'm looking for a good center channel to go along with what I have now. price does matter a lot. i'm hoping to get away with a sub $250 amount. I can hunt for deals but I need to know what to look for first.

any help is appreciated. thanks.

See……………..
https://dmc-electronics.com/Main.asp

PSB Image 9C center speaker

PSB Image 8C center speaker

They are located in Garden Grove, if you’re close by.
David C. (the owner) is a good guy whose honesty is beyond reproach. He also provides excellent follow-up customer assistance in case you have any problems in the future.

[donricouga]

Try the Polk CSi3 or maybe a used CSi5.

[teemacone]

I recenlty purchased purchased the Energy RC-LCR, you may be able to find it online at a very good price and it sounds amazing after broken in a few hours.

[Gremal]

Doesn't JBL make a center that matches your L/R speakers? The most important thing is to maintain a cohesive soundstage across the front three channels.

[Zaphod]

This is the one I have and I love it! It is the Klipsch RC-64.

[clyon]

Those 'balboa 30' look just like JBL e60's, I have the e50's same but there 'book shelf' style. see my sig for my center speaker.


You don't want to miss match speakers, the sub is diffent & you can get a diffent brand.