In article ,
Howard Ferstler wrote:

MINe 109 wrote:

In article ,
Howard Ferstler wrote:

The conclusion: you can sometimes get away with installing a
different brand and cheaper center speaker in combination
with some upscale L and R jobs and get good, or even
excellent results. In a way, that makes such things into a
crap shoot.

Thanks.

Maybe I could get away with other used Linn speakers of a similar age,
such as the little bookshelf model, as they used basically the same
tweeter. There was a center speaker available contemporaneous with the
Kaber, but I don't know if the tweeter was the same. It would be
shielded, though.

I don't think my Radio Shack LX4s will work...

I know that people think I overwork the pink-noise angle,
but it can come in handy when working with center speakers
and working with surround systems.

Of course, you can use pink noise to set up the levels
(left, center, right, and surround) by ear, but you can also
use it to determine if the center speaker is acoustically
compatible with the left and right mains. If it is not, it
will certainly sound different from each main speaker with
pink noise input, and it will actually be difficult to set
up the levels between the center and mains, as well. The
more alike sounding the three speakers are, the easier it
will be to get the Dolby reference levels matched.

With my new center, going from left to center to right with
a pink-noise test disc (or with the processor's on-board
random-noise signal generator) results in all three systems
sounding just about identical. In all of my speaker
reviewing work I have never heard three front speakers sound
so much alike with pink noise.

My next thought involves an already inexpensive Polk center available
even cheaper at Fry's. I think I have a pink noise source on a
Stereophile test cd.

Stephen