B&W Nautilus 804 - center speaker - SACD 5.1 and Hometheater
I want to 'upgrade' my center speaker for large living room system with Nautilus 804 front main, 18" Dayton sub driven by ED LT1300 and (for now) AR rear (have Infinity RS225, Reference 2, Dayton on hand to try).
Centers are AR CS25HO, recently (lower profile, to put under TV) replaced with Polk Monitor XT35 and Signature S35 (nice low profile, fit under TV). But now giving into the need to raise the TV to allow use of a BETTER center speaker (SACD made the need for a good center speaker clear to me).
Price is ALWAYS a concern (and used is certainly considered) and I would like to stay under $300.
Would a CC6 be an upgrade and good match? LCR6? LCR600? HTM62?
The "Nautilus" line of centers appear cost prohibitive, even used (and very bulky, with stupid tweeter on top, but may have to accept bulky disadvantage to some extend, just not putting a 15" high center under the TV).
There is a Center 2 (but already over $300, not sure how high it will sell) on auction right now.
I have not looked into other brand yet, but may find better bang for buck outside B&W, and not sure anymore how important 'sound matching' is; in the past tried to use center that uses same tweeter/mid range drivers as front main speakers.
Showing 12 responses by kraftwerkturbo
@erik_squires The cheapo Gold go for TWICE my budget, sadly. How about Monolith by Monoprice THX-365C (3 way) or SVS Prime (3 way)?
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Emotiva Airmotiv C2+ used under $400. Any good? 3 way (5 speaker). |
@soix Difference S2 (black poly bass drivers?0 vs 'no S' (yellow driver cone, like my 804)? Found 600 SERIES HTM61 with yellow for under just over 400 shipped.
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@erik_squires "Better crossover points" what makes a crossover point 'better'? I can imagine 'right' (for the speaker/driver) and 'wrong'. But a 'good' one for one speaker may be the totally 'bad' for the next speaker. And for very obvious reason "no" crossover point would be best (high pass residing in receiver, cutting low frequency off for the sub). Some argue the human voice range should fall withing on path. But there are 4 way speakers that could be used to proof the point wrong.
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B&W HTM61 vs HTM61 S2: Both seem to use the yellow honeycomb mid driver (similar to my 804). Tweeter similar looking (?). Both are 3 way. S2 has 2 bass drivers vs normal with only 1. Will check lowest used market price but S2 seems to be quite a bit more expansive. Worth the extra money (think 30% more for example)?
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HTM61 'normal': SpecificationsType: 3 way, 3 driver center channel loudspeaker Frequency Response: 30Hz to 50kHz Recommended Amplifier: 30 to 150W Crossover Frequency: 350, 4000Hz Impedance: 8Ω Sensitivity: 90dB Bass: 1 x 165mm kevlar cone Midrange: 1 x 150mm kevlar cone Tweeter: 1 x 25mm aluminium dome Enclosure: bass reflex Finish: black ash, light oak, red cherry Dimensions: 198 x 545 x 339mm Weight: 15.4kg
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HTM61 S2: 3-way vented-box system 1x ø25mm (1 in) aluminium dome high-frequency 1x ø100mm (4 in) woven Kevlar® cone FST™ midrange 2x ø165mm (6.5 in) aluminium cone bass -6dB at 42Hz and 50 kHz 50Hz - 22 kHz ±3dB on reference axis Within 2dB of reference response Horizontal: over 20º arc Vertical: over 60º arc 88dB spl (2.83V, 1m) 2nd and 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m) <1% 95Hz - 22 kHz <0.5% 180Hz - 20 kHz 8V (minimum 3.0V) 400Hz, 4kHz 30W - 150W into 8Ω on unclipped programme 0.1V Height: 218mm (8.6 in) Width: 590mm (23.2 in) Depth: 304mm (12 in) cabinet, grille and terminals 17.2kg (37.8 lb)
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Update: I ordered a new SVS Prime Center and a used B&W HTM61 S2 (both about same price). Will run them both in my system to determine which one to keep. System is an VERY large volume room (2 stories high, open on 2 sides to several room), serves as TV/Movie (5.1) watching, stereo audio, SACD 5.1 audio. Any predicitions?
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So, received the B&W HTM61 S2 and the SVS Prime. Both cost roughly the same (used B&W in very good shape, original box and packaging, etc, SVS brand new). Hooked up to my 5.1 and did some back/forth switching and listening. Then turned the sub off to focus more on the centers. Very obvious differences between the 2: - SVS very 'sharp' highs - SVS mids sound a bit 'compressed' - B&W has more bass - B&W overall sounds more 'harmonious', vocals have more weight and sound more natural. Important note (and I am not how much this effects the above): the SVS have only a few hours of burn in time. I will keep them running a bit longer on the 'small room' system, then redo the comarison (the B&W is used, so should be fully burnt in). If I had to pick one right now, hands down the B&W |