Reasonable flat centre speaker

[beanbag]

The wife has finally allowed me to "deploy" (as she put it), my B&W 684 speakers in the lounge, which also means I can now add the 686 rear surrounds but I'm a bit stuck with the centre speaker.

The B&W HT62 is rather large and while it sounds fantastic, I can't exactly hang it over the fireplace with the TV.

So, I'm looking for a good quality (but reasonable budget) centre speaker that comes as a flat panel so it can sit flush like the TV.

Can anyone recommend anything? (Ideally second hand!)

[Gingerbread Man]

Not knowing much, but shouldn't the front three speakers ideally match each other. So changing the middle might throw it out? You can bury some in the wall, but being a chimney breast, probably not an option.

[VEX]

You should at least try to match brands across speakers. Ideally maintaining model ranges.

However depending on the size and frequency range of the b&w's you're planning for the lefts and rights you might be ok using just them.

V.

[angusfaldo]

You could try a Kef T series flat panel centre:

http://kef.com/html/gb/showroom/home_theatre_speak...

If you're fussed about matched sets then there is a full 5.1 range. Most modern amps have a set-up facility to balance all the speakers in the system and my unmatched speakers do an ok job with a Kef in the middle.

[paralla]

I wasn't allowed to "deploy" my floor standing speakers in our new flat.

We walked into Sevenoaks and my partner immediately said "we want the smallest speakers you have", the guy looked at me knowingly, we shared a moment, he felt my misery.

We compromised on white Kef T series which are only about 1" thick. The ceiling is 4.5m high and its a pretty big room and these have no trouble filling it. Obviously not as good as large conventional speakers but I think they are much better than the majority of compact sub/sat systems. I'm happy with them and would recommend them.

I have the centre channel mounted to the same wall bracket as the TV so it's always pointing in the same direction as the telly.

[kryten22uk]

I have the Kef T series too. Same combo as above photos, but black. Very happy with them, audibly and visually.

[Autopilot]

I have a set of KEF floor standers for my front and surround channels. As the TV is above a fireplace, I had the same issue in that my centre speaker, like the OP's, is huge and just not usable in this position.

I opted for a KEF T301C to put above the TV. Credit where credit is due, while being significantly smaller than the other speakers in the system, it really performs well and you'd be hard pushed to tell it's only a small speaker doing the work. I ran the system in Phantom mode for a while and in my opinion, introducing even a smaller speaker as a dedicated centre is a vast improvement so worth a punt.

I do however already have KEF's, so seemed a logical choice. Before I bought the KEF flat speaker, I did look at other brands and was only put off the B&W FPM's due to how odd they may sound compared to the KEF's and the price tag. When I get home, I'll pot a link to the other stuff I looked at, as it would all match up with your system better than the KEF.

[beanbag]

Busy with work so excuse me not replying. I've looked at the KEF T series and thought of using the T301C centre below our wall-mounted TV and it looks suitable but I am worried about when I have the stove fired up below it. I'm wondering if it might soften the driver adhesive to the point of damaging it?

I really don't want to replace my 684 surround set-up. I would lose out financially quite a bit in Spain as there's very little market for high-end speakers around here and I absolutely love the sound. (I've been trying to sell my Roksan Attessa for some time now with absolutely zero interest, and as I'm based in Spain, buyers from the UK are very wary so I've go nowhere. It's also very risky to ship due to the delicate nature of the transport mechanism, but I digress!)

There must be a way to match the KEF to the B&W's through my amp? I have a Yamaha RX-V1900 which is also fantastic and I've no plans to replace it but it's very configurable....

P.S. I've had the same discussions with my wife regarding the "size". However we've agreed that once I get my "Man-room", when we eventually find our new home, they have to be relocated there. A good compromise I thought.

[paralla]

TV's above fireplaces always look too high to me (and mostly too big). Move the TV.

A B&W M1 might work but whatever you decide on might melt, they don't specify max temp ratings for speakers.

Edited by paralla on Monday 19th October 16:22

[Thorny]

paralla said:

TV's above fireplaces always look too high to me (and mostly too big). Move the TV.

A B&W M1 might work but whatever you decide on might melt, they don't specify max temp ratings for speakers.

Edited by paralla on Monday 19th October 16:22

I was going to recommend M1 as well, I had a similar situation and went for the 600 series one but not sure that would really help the space issue.

[beanbag]

Thorny said:

paralla said:

TV's above fireplaces always look too high to me (and mostly too big). Move the TV.

A B&W M1 might work but whatever you decide on might melt, they don't specify max temp ratings for speakers.

Edited by paralla on Monday 19th October 16:22

I was going to recommend M1 as well, I had a similar situation and went for the 600 series one but not sure that would really help the space issue.

I had a look at this and it's really not an option aesthetically. Also moving the TV is also not an option. There's isn't another place to hang a 55" TV, plus the fireplace has been built with all the cabling built in and insulated. Really not an option.

Back to the speakers, they would stick out too much. I really just want something that is flush with the TV, so no more than 6-8 inches really.

Regarding the matching of the speakers; Is this really an issue? If they are set-up correctly, would they not sound ok? For music I just use the two fronts anyway so it's only for TV and Movies....(mainly for TV as it makes voices a lot clearer)

[paralla]

The auto calibration system in your amplifier (YAPO) will try and match the different speakers for you. You will only know how effective it's been after you try it. It adjusts the delays, levels and uses a parametric equaliser to try and match the speakers for you.

Info on it can be found here.

http://simplehomecinema.com/2014/10/09/yamaha-ypao...

My old floor standing L+R, massive centre and dipole rears went on Ebay and sold for almost nothing but my new system looks better and its all matched.

Something has to give, size, cost, aesthetics or positioning. You can rarely have it all.

Edited by paralla on Wednesday 21st October 13:51

[beanbag]

paralla said:

The auto calibration system in your amplifier (YAPO) will try and match the different speakers for you. You will only know how effective it's been after you try it. It adjusts the delays, levels and uses a parametric equaliser to try and match the speakers for you.

Info on it can be found here.

http://simplehomecinema.com/2014/10/09/yamaha-ypao...

My old floor standing L+R, massive centre and dipole rears went on Ebay and sold for almost nothing but my new system looks better and its all matched.

Something has to give, size, cost, aesthetics or positioning. You can rarely have it all.

Edited by paralla on Wednesday 21st October 13:51

Yup, I've used the YAPO calibration for the current set-up. My dogs hate it.

My set-up isn't perfect with one rear hidden away behind the couch, and another really too close, but the calibration has done a great job of setting everything up very well.

I think I'm just going to take a dive and buy the T301c from KEF. Worst case, I can just flog it on.....