Bose Center Channel Speaker Question

[dbailey7]

I have an Older Bose Acoustimass 10 Series II speaker system (which is great for me) I Just got a newer sont str-dg810 Reciver that has 6.1 surround sound, my bose only has 5 sat double cubes. on the bose all st's plug into the subwoofer, my question is, i was wanting to buy a Bose center channel speaker, (there are many on ebay 1 for the austicmas and the vsc-10 I think)could I hook a new center up to the sub woofer inplace of the dusl cube sat speaker and move that sat speaker to the Surround back position on the reciver itself would that work or is there a different way i should do it? I was just wanting to take advantage of the 6.1 the reciver offers. I am a newbie so forgive any ignorance on my part :-) any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

D

[Beta Man]

eeerrrr... I think because of the way Bose makes you connect to the bass-module/ subwoofer thing, it limits it. Connecting any way other than their dedicated input/outputs will be sending the wrong signal to the speaker.

Not positive what you have connected to what.....

I would connect the Front L/R and Center to the 'bass module' and connect all of the surrounds directly to that bass module..... as long as the fronts are connected to the same device, and the Rears/surrounds are connected to the same device, you can adjust the output level on the receiver (such as turning the surround levels way down or up to make it level out with the output power of the bass module) you should be alright....

someone with this system who knows what you can and can't connect to the bass module can probably help you more.


welcome to the site by the way!

[BStecke]

You'll want to be careful with the Acoustimass stuff off of a different receiver as well, since, if I remember right, the Acoustimass stuff is 4 ohm, where most receivers are only rated for 8 ohm.

[richteer]

Originally Posted by dbailey7

I have an Older Bose Acoustimass 10 Series II speaker system (which is great for me) I Just got a newer sont str-dg810 Reciver that has 6.1 surround sound, my bose only has 5 sat double cubes. on the bose all st's plug into the subwoofer, my question is, i was wanting to buy a Bose center channel speaker, (there are many on ebay 1 for the austicmas and the vsc-10 I think)could I hook a new center up to the sub woofer inplace of the dusl cube sat speaker and move that sat speaker to the Surround back position on the reciver itself would that work or is there a different way i should do it? I was just wanting to take advantage of the 6.1 the reciver offers. I am a newbie so forgive any ignorance on my part :-) any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

D

Do yourself a favour and forget about buying any more Bose stuff. Fpr the same money you can buy some thing that sounds much better.

[BStecke]

Originally Posted by richteer

Do yourself a favour and forget about buying any more Bose stuff. Fpr the same money you can buy some thing that sounds much better.

That too

[dobyblue]

If you're going to replace the center channel, do yourself a favour and go with a center channel from a speaker company that takes an interest in the performance of their product....Bose does not.

You could get a great center channel from Axiom for US$255 (CDN$252)

This is one of the most important speakers in your system. As you move forward now that you've upgraded your receiver you should seriously think about getting a better sound from your system.

The Bose may be "great for you" right now, but once you hear a speaker from a decent manufacturer you'll begin to know what you've been missing; realism.



If your budget can't manage $255, let us know and we'll get you some additional recommendations.

[MacDaddyOJack]

Just to add to Doby's comment, the center channel has to reproduce approx. 90% of a movies soundtrack. Everything from voices to on-screen effects and explosions. Those little paper Bose speakers simply can't do it, plus they stop responding far short of the lower human voice range. That Axiom he recommended will do well and there are plenty of others that will do far better than the Bose you have now.

[btf1980]

Originally Posted by richteer

Do yourself a favour and forget about buying any more Bose stuff. Fpr the same money you can buy some thing that sounds much better.

You guys are slipping. It took 3 replies to start the Bose stinks mantra. I expected it to be the first reply.

[moviefan]

Originally Posted by richteer

Do yourself a favour and forget about buying any more Bose stuff. Fpr the same money you can buy some thing that sounds much better.

Right on! Those Bose speakers are only 4 ohm and won't match up with anything.
My daughter has the STR-DG810, and the Boston Acoustics MCS100 5.1 speaker package (about $350 thru Amazon.com). It has a nice center speaker, 4 sats, and a nice auto power-on sub complete w/cable.
For a few more bucks, the MCS130 has larger L&R front speakers.

[Brian Cash]

dont go with bose anymore read the link in my signature it opened my eyes

[dbailey7]

Right on guys, I hear you :-) what woould you recommend under 200 if thats possible for a center channel speaker and Coul I and How would I use it in conjusction with the bose system i have now? as It will be sometime before i can replace all speakers :-)

[moviefan]

Originally Posted by dbailey7

Right on guys, I hear you :-) what woould you recommend under 200 if thats possible for a center channel speaker and Coul I and How would I use it in conjusction with the bose system i have now? as It will be sometime before i can replace all speakers :-)

And please proofread your posts!
That's assuming you DO know how to spell!

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by dbailey7

Right on guys, I hear you :-) what woould you recommend under 200 if thats possible for a center channel speaker and Coul I and How would I use it in conjusction with the bose system i have now? as It will be sometime before i can replace all speakers :-)

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Mon...6400221&sr=1-6

Polk CS2 is $159 on Amazon, sold by J&R (like $20 shipping)

That's within your budget and has a good frequency response.

Don't attach your center Bose on the "bass module" - attach your new Polk to the center output on the Sony.

Set center to "SMALL" in your speaker configuration and away you go

[pbparham]

I think this is how it might work...

I think older acoustimass base modules allowed for a 6th channel, being a mid-rear. There was an extra spot on the harness coming out of the base module, allowing you to plug in another cube to take advantage of 6.1 surround. If you have this setup, you can simply add a rear cube and be done. I know Bose has since decided to stay at 5.1 because they feel their direct/reflecting technology does what a 6.1 or 7.1 setup does, without the additional speakers.

If not, or if you want to use another type of center channel(including the Bose flat center channel speaker) you could add a center channel directly from the receiver and move the existing center channel wire feeding the base module to the mid-rear spot on your receiver. Bose uses the same speakers for all channels, so it wouldn't be a big deal to flop them around. Just remember that you have to use the base module to feed your cubes, so getting another cube speaker to be your 6th slot will only work if there is a vacant spot on the base module.

[allstar780]

MY question to you is this....


Who uses 6.1? yuck. 5.1 or 7.1, not the retarded middle child :P

[dbailey7]

Pbparham, So I checked my bose sub and it does not appear to have a spot for an additional speaker, but if i understand you correctly You are saying that I could add a center and run it direct to the center on the reciver and take the center wires coming from the bose and move them from the center spot on the reciver to the surround back spot and would the bose center raider mentioned earlier be a good canidate as I already have bose? I have seen som Acoustimass center channels for sell on ebay but i was told they MUST be hooked to the bose sub.

[dobyblue]

I can't emphasise this more, stay away from any more Bose purchases, please!

From this point on, make it your goal to add more realism to your home theater. That will not happen if you continue to support Bose.

[WickyWoo]

I would disagree - moving forward is the best thing and this cannot always be done all in one shot.

Starting at the centre or front speakers is a great idea.

That's what I'm doing on my current upgrade. Saving up for some Monitor 40s (I have a lot of stereo PCM concert discs) to pair with the Polk CS, and mount the existing L&R for 7.1 when I upgrade my reciever next year

[pbparham]

Originally Posted by dbailey7

Pbparham, So I checked my bose sub and it does not appear to have a spot for an additional speaker, but if i understand you correctly You are saying that I could add a center and run it direct to the center on the reciver and take the center wires coming from the bose and move them from the center spot on the reciver to the surround back spot and would the bose center raider mentioned earlier be a good canidate as I already have bose? I have seen som Acoustimass center channels for sell on ebay but i was told they MUST be hooked to the bose sub.

First, don't look at the bose base module itself, look at the wire harness coming out of the base module. If you have an older setup, on the end of the harness that leaves the base module there should be a spot where you insert your speaker wires into a clip or some sort, probably with screws. This was done to allow people with pre-wired houses to interface the bose base module with existing wires. You might have an empty slot on that harness for a 6th speaker-middle rear.

If not, another option is to re-arrange your wires and use the existing center channel speaker as a rear center. I'm not sure how well this will work, but I really don't think it will be problematic. The only thing the acoustimass base module does is power the speakers, and shouldn't care what the actual source is. You could then use any stand alone center speaker and run that directly from your now vacant center channel output on the receiver. Your 5.1 setup would utilize the front right and left, rear right and left, and rear center. Your front center would be the new speaker you purchase. If you use any acoustimass speaker, it must run through the base module.

Again, not sure how well this will work, but then again this is like cooking a new recipe but not going to the store and only using the ingredients you have in your kitchen...results might vary a bit.

[LeoneFan]

I believe the Bose are 6 ohms.