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Center Channel Dilemma


rivercat

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I've been browsing this site quite a bit lately but need some specific advice/opinion on a center channel set up.

 

I am helping my dad look into some upgrades/additions to the home theater system. He currently has the original La Scala's that are in perfect condition and sound great. Last year He got a new receiver, a Yamaha Aventage RX-A1060 to power the system. He has an old, middle of the road Kenwood 5.1 system (not sure of model) sitting around collecting dust so we took the center channel from this and hooked it up to his current system. It does the job and is better than not having a center channel at all, but as you can imagine, doesn't even begin to keep up with the La Scala's.

To give you an idea of what it's being used for, this is setup is used 50% to watch sports, mainly football, about 30% to watch movies and about 20% to listen to music. I'm anticipating that more music will be played on this in the near future though. In the future, this system may or may not be expanded upon further. He may be adding rear reference speakers and a sub to go full 5.1, but right now we both feel that a pair of La Scala's along with a solid center channel will be more than sufficient for its current use.

I understand that if money was not in the equation, we should be looking at some of the nicest center channel's that Klipsch offers to pair with the La Scala's. Unfortunately that's not in the plan/budget. We are looking at the RC-62 II center channel and the RP-250C. They are both on sale right now and are very similar in price. By looking at these two speakers, I understand that the system won't be hitting its full potential, but I think it will be a good compromise between upgrading from the old Kenwood and breaking the bank with a higher end model.

 

The question is, Is there a substantial difference between the two? Is the RC-62 clearly better and a no-brainer in this situation, or will the difference be negligible?

 

The reason this is even an issue is that the TV is in a built in entertainment center that isn't going anywhere, and within that the tv is on an oak riser to get it to eye level. The RC-62 is just a little bit too big to fit under this riser, while the RP250 will fit just fine. The price in this instance isn't a big deal, they're both in the same price range, but I see that the RC-62 is a good amount more expensive at regular price.

If we went with the RC-62, the options are to put it on top of the entertainment center, (which is roughly 5' high so I'm not sure if the angle would make a difference when we're sitting just 10' in front of the tv on a couch), or we could actually use the RC-62 itself as a tv riser instead of trying to fit it under the oak riser we currently have (The question within a question, Is it ok to place the tv directly onto one of these center channel's and use it as a riser? Wasn't sure if you get vibration up into the TV or mess with the speaker at all if this was done.).  Neither one is a deal breaker, but the RP-250C will fit in the current set up with any problems, so that is a major perk.

 

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to make sure there is a full understanding of the setup and what it's being used for, the fitment issues are kind of unique and are the basis for this whole issue.

 

 

 

Edited by rivercat
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The speakers are magnetically shielded, so you don't really need to worry about the speakers messing up the TV.  The concern I'd have is how heavy the TV is juxtaposed to the weight of the speaker.  For example, my 47" Sony sits on top of my RC-7, but I wouldn't have dreamed of putting it on top of the RC-3.

 

As for the better center channel.  The RC-62 seems to be the favorite still.  I haven't heard the RP-250C, but if I use the principles that I used in choosing a center channel, I'd still go for the 62.  It's a solid front ported 6" driver center channel speaker that puts out some serious oomph.

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Having no center is still better than having the wrong one.  Reference centers are going to stick out like a sore thumb it is not going to blend.  Since you are compromising I would at the very least look for an Academy or a KG 2.2 or KG 2.5 which are not perfect matches but far better than a reference series center.  They can be had for reasonable prices on the used market.

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I don't know that I would ever say an academy or kg is a better speaker than a reference center

 

of your two choice you listed, get the 62ii. I've owned them both it's a way better center. 

 

Another lascala should be found but sounds sounds like that may never be an option. Perhaps a pic of his setup up front would provide us with some ideas that you may not have had. 

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Although not surround sound in the technical term I have a Klipsch R-10B sound bar that includes an 8 inch wireless sub. I've got to say this thing is amazing for what it is. I believe the bar itself houses 2 each 2.5 inch drivers and 2 Tractrix horns. I've recently added a 70 inch to the downstairs cave and just ordered another from Klipsch, this time the bigger brother 20b with 10 inch ssub and four 3 inch driver and two Tractrix horns. Should ne here next week and I bet this one will truly rock. If you have any interest order now as they are both on sale for $349 and $399 with free ship, down substantially from normal. 

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One other possible option is the RP450-CA. If we went this route, the tv would have to sit directly on the speaker. This speaker is on sale by quite a bit as well but is still a good amount more than the RC-62. Does everyone think that the RP450 would be a better match to the La Scala's and worth the price difference from the RC-62?

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So after a little more research, it looks like the RP-450C would be a solid option. Is the only difference between the 450-C and the 450CA the real wood vs the polymer and the fact that the CA is designed for the Atmos platform?

If so, the CA seems unnecessary for our setup.

 

With that being said, I have the same question as before, what is everyone's thoughts between the RC-62 ll and the RP-450C when paired with 2 La Scala's? 

Is one going to match the La Scala's better than the other? If the 450 is a better match, would it be a substantial difference? Enough of a difference for the extra $200?

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Your dad has room on top of the entertainment center to fit almost whatever center he wants, a larger one would have a better chance of keeping up with the Lascala's and help hide that hideous banner :lol: I have not heard any reference centers except for Derrick's RC64  it was great between his RF7II's but I have no idea how it would sound with Lascala's.  I have heard a KLF C-7 between Lascala's  at Michael Colter's and it sounded really good . I will throw out 1 center that I know sounds great between Lascala's  and that I used for years before switching to another Lascala as a center , its the only non Klipsch speaker I've owned in the last 10 years(Besides Subs) and that's a Boston VR12 Center ,they can be had used for around $200 . Just some personal expreriences that hopefully help when contemplating your situation.

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Just got everything set up and calibrated through the Yamaha receiver. We just turned on some football to get an idea of what it sounds like and the first impression is that it sounds great. Haven't tried any movies or anything yet, but from what we've heard we're happy with this speaker. I knew the center channel we were using was not a good match for the setup, but even so, I wasn't expecting such a dramatic difference. We put it on top of the entertainment center to get it centered between the La Scalas.

IMG_1660.JPG

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I'm really trying to decide whether I should chance waiting til after Christmas to buy one myself. I have a 100 gc to amazon and a 100 visa gc i got for my bday. If the sale will still be going on, im sure I will be getting more gift cards that i can use instead of cash.. Just hope I don't miss out if the sale ends too early. We are doing Christmas Friday night as a family, so that is still only the 23rd..  I think it will still be going on by then

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3 minutes ago, RoboKlipsch said:

Any chance you could move the right channel speaker over more so that the distance from the sides of the TV are equal for both channels...then center the center over the TV?  It will anchor the sound to the proper positions much better if you have the space.  

He's abosulely right .

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On December 21, 2016 at 2:02 PM, RoboKlipsch said:

Any chance you could move the right channel speaker over more so that the distance from the sides of the TV are equal for both channels...then center the center over the TV?  It will anchor the sound to the proper positions much better if you have the space.  

In theory, yes. But not practical in this set up. What you're saying makes perfect sense, but there is probably a foot and a half to maybe two feet of space to the right of the right speaker, but then there is a fireplace in the corner of the room there at a 45 degree angle. The built in entertainment center is not the greatest setup to say the least, but it's also not going anywhere, so this is the only way to set this all up in this room. 

As you can see I did center the center channel between the la Scala's to get that as even as possible, so it's not ideal in the fact that it's not directly above or below the tv but it seems to work as is. 

To be honest, the majority of the use here is going to be for watching football and the occasional movie. When my dad uses it for music, he uses it as 2 channel anyway, so the placement in relation to the tv is irrelevant.

 

Thanks everyone for the help and insight on this, I've always had an interest in all things stereo equipment, but of course this has me on a new kick that my wife is less than thrilled about right now. Now I'm on a mission to fix my dads old receiver that he had on this setup and hook it up to a record player and the new R15's I couldn't turn down a few weeks ago when they were half off. Now to find the room to put this at my place...

 

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