Recommend best way to compare new speaker to known speakers?


Happy 2022 to all.  This post is seeking ideas/recommended best way to compare a new center channel speaker—Arendal 1723 THX Center—to several speakers already here.  Arendal shipment arrives tomorrow and includes one of their subwoofers.  If the center is what I hope, buying two of the identical (except for badging) 1723 THX Monitor for main L + R is a possibility.

I want to compare the new speaker to the following to get confidence in its intended use, plus confidence in whether to buy two more: 

  • my existing "theater" Center, 
  • my existing theater L / R, plus 
  • two or three other speaker models that I have or can readily “borrow”  (most of these are in use in 70s vintage systems)  

Actually, I’m stressing over a competent way to get the best out of this listening / evaluating during the trial period.  I will only have a single of the new speaker and it is rated 4 ohms but all others for comparison are rated 8 ohms.  If I were trying a pair, I might test them that way but there is something pure about 1-on-1 comparisons.  I wouldn’t want to mislead myself or do anything problematic during hookups and testing!  (I can't remember ever hooking up mixed rated impedance speakers at same time)

I know my testing should use familiar music in a mono source (or combined into a single channel).  I have the mono Buffalo Springfield CDs for one if nothing better comes to mind, but have plenty of streaming and local options now that I think.

It may be easier to do all the comparisons on one of my other systems.  No matter exactly how I do this, some of the speakers will be heard on systems that I normally don’t hear them on.  So I may try some approach that doesn’t overwhelm this 66 year-old body.  There are interesting ideas and discussions here so your ideas and recommendations are sure to be helpful.

Thank you.  Best Regards,

Warren

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@hz79hc Warren, your "testing" plan strikes me as fraught with stress and forcing you to make tons of conjecture. 

For starters, it would help if you posted your system in the member system section. It's not clear if you're talking about using 4ohm vs. 8ohm taps on your amp for the two center channel speakers or what.

If you want to listen to one speaker only and conclude if you should buy another pair for L+R mains...man, that's a stretch! Center channel will play mostly dialogue when fed a 5 or 7 channel signal. Fronts will play most musical content and front effects. For 2 channel music, stereo imaging, soundstaging and even dynamics will be very difficult to judge by listening to one speaker. 

Test what you're demoing IN ITS INTENDED USE. Test the center hooked up as a center vs. the other center using a good example of content (e.g. streamed film, SACD, etc.). If you want to try that speaker for L+R, then get a PAIR to test.

Also, if you want to compare borrowed vintage L&R speakers vs. your current PAIR of L&R, that's fine, but just complicating things. Keep it simple, bro. It's already complicated enough. Cheers,

Spencer