Is it a big NO NO to upgrade only center speaker?

[ay221]

I currently have the Infinity Primus C25
http://www.ultimateelectronics.com/s...ProductID=5938

But may upgrade to something like a Klipsch brand 6 1/2 " woofers.
http://www.ultimateelectronics.com/s...ProductID=5938

Or something really beefy if I search better. But must the front speakers be replaced too?

[yellowblanket]

most of the sound and dialog are coming from your center. In most of my set up i mostly ranked this in order of importance Center, subwoofer, surround, and last will be left and right.

[Brandon B]

The downside is when dialog or sound pan side to side, if your front 3 aren't matched well, you'll hear the character of the sound change as it pans across.

Your decision if that is a big no no, but it seems ot me if it's temporary and you're itching to upgrade each piece ASAP as you go, why not?

BB

[ay221]

Yeah. I will wait a bit and do all three. Maybe in the summer cause I just bought a new projector, new bd player, and new receiver. I have to stop.

[The Guardian]

I wouldn't say it's a big no-no.. but you still want them to roughly match.

I don't think the Klipsch will match with what you have, it's a quite distinct sound. If you really want them, save up and buy all three at the same time.

On the other hand, usually upgrading within the same or similar brands isn't as noticeable and you can spread those out.

[johnnymech]

Originally Posted by yellowblanket

In most of my set up i mostly ranked this in order of importance Center, subwoofer, surround, and last will be left and right.

I agree with this completely. A good subwoofer adds to the sound like no surround speaker can, I've found.

[ClaytonMG]

I'd say you want your center and fronts to match as much as possible. Then your surrounds should match and then subwoofer (just because it doesn't have to match the tone of the other speakers).

[Rustmonsteru]

Don't you want all your speakers matched for timbre?

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by Rustmonsteru

Don't you want all your speakers matched for timbre?

You do, but it's more nessisary for the front 3 channels to match and the back 2-4 to match than it is for all of them to match... Did that make sense? So the front 3 should all sound alike, and the back 2-4 should all sound alike, and if the back match the front it's an added bonus (at least that's how I look at it)

[The Guardian]

I agree with that Clayton... and it makes sense, not many people use the same speakers for fronts and rears.

Your Fronts are more important than the subwoofer I would say though. If I'm not mistaken that's where most of a typical movie's soundtrack is, along with some voice and sound effects. Also the last thing you want is to spend thousands on a great sub, and have cheapie fronts and you're stuck with a frequency gap between the top end of the sub and the bottom effective end of the fronts....

Jonnymech is partly right, a good subwoofer adds a lot to the sound... but you have to have good enough sound for it to add to first...

[ClaytonMG]

Your fronts are more important because you want them to match the overall timbre of the other speakers (mainly the center). With the sub, it's non-directional low frequency channel. Obviously you don't want some little 6" sub being the only thing creating bass, but you should focus on the main speakers more. So, in short, I don't think you should only upgrade your center channel. I recommend if you're going with Klipsch, go with one of their "matched" setups. I went with the Synergy 1 and 2 series (except the sub because it didn't go low enough and my room is carpeted concrete so the downfiring is pointless for me). They match very very well. It also helps to have a reciever with a great auto set up to really get the speakers matching.

[Kayne314]

I don't know if you "should" upgrade your center speaker only, but I did. I bought a set of Klipsch reference series surround speakers, and after upgrading to the 42" TV I now have, I found that the small center channel speaker just wasn't giving me the width I needed. Although the small center speaker I had sounded great, the center channel just felt to confined in comparison to the larger screen.

I upgraded to the Klipsch RC52 and that solved my problem. I made sure to stay with the same quality and brand of speaker, so I don't notice anything that doesn't match sound-wise in my setup. In fact, I am extremely happy with my results. I may change out more speakers as I can afford it, but at this point I don't have a reason.

They say something like 60% of all your audio comes from the center channel. For me, it was a worth while investment.

Your mileage may vary.

[WickyWoo]

You should only do it if other upgrades will follow in the future. THey're right you should upgrade all 3 fronts at the same time

[JYD59]

Guys, I'm not here to brag, but I have 5 Thiel MCS1's and a Thiel SS2 subwoofer and damn if my HT doesn't sound fine. But no matter what your budget is, you really should match all 5 main speakers up identically. The audio soundtracks on BD are so magnificent that you will notice a big difference in quality from your pans and ambient backgrounds. And if you can't match up all 5 model-wise, at least keep it in the family brand-wise.

[cawgijoe]

Ideally you want the front three speakers to be from the same manufacturer so that they match tonally....or in the vernacular.....are 'timbre matched".

Having said that, my current system sounds great and is well matched....

I have Thiel CS1.6's up front, an Infinity center channel (with metal drivers), an Atlantic Technology sub, and Mirage Omnipolar speakers for the rear channels.

It sounds great. The one weak spot as far as I'm concerned is the center channel....I want to upgrade to a Thiel one of these days, but surprisingly the Infinity with the metal drivers does closely match the Thiels and I don't hear any issues when sound pans across the front.

I originally had Infinity's up front but sold them when I got the Thiel's.

[gearyt]

Originally Posted by ay221

Yeah. I will wait a bit and do all three. Maybe in the summer cause I just bought a new projector, new bd player, and new receiver. I have to stop.

But why ??? Sandie Claws is alive and well !!

All of the above are based upon movie only, if music is your bag, fronts are important

[Matt X]

Originally Posted by ay221

I currently have the Infinity Primus C25
http://www.ultimateelectronics.com/s...ProductID=5938

But may upgrade to something like a Klipsch brand 6 1/2 " woofers.
http://www.ultimateelectronics.com/s...ProductID=5938

Or something really beefy if I search better. But must the front speakers be replaced too?

I'm actually looking to do something very similar - I have Infinity Overture 1's for fronts w/a CC3 as a center - but I would like an all-Klipsch setup eventually. I would say it's not a big no no if your intention is to follow up in the future w/matching klipsch fronts (matching w/ same tweeter I mean) - I've always advocated spending as much as you can on the speakers you want for the long term: meaning I think it's a waste of $$$ to spend your budget on a cheaper (but matching) complete set, rather than spending most of/all of the budget on PART of a set, but the speakers you DO buy are much higher quality - then build from there when budget allows.