[floresjc]

I haven't heard many people pipe up about the Salk center channel offerings, be it the HTC, Song Center, or the HT2 variant of the HTC to match that line. I have the Rocket "Bigfoot" (RSC200) and it does a pretty good job, but I'm quite interested to hear about how people like the Salk centers compared to what they've heard. At least in my case, the speaker is advertised as going down to 44hz, which is kind of crazy for a center, but it does have 6.5" drivers in it. I don't think the Salk offerings go that low, but I think most people cross them over at 60hz or so anyway.

[noshortcuts]

I absolutely LOVE my SongCenter.
Dialog - at all volumes - is clear. Music is superb. The center is every bit the great speaker that the towers are. If there is better, I haven't heard it.

[oldmp3]

+1.  Uses the same drivers as the SongTower. 

Jim recently made a custom plinth/stand for my SongCenter: http://www.audiocircle.com/systems/index.php?systemid=1109.

What other manufacturer would do that?

[haw1144]

+1 on loving my Salk SongCenter also. They use the same drivers as the SongTowers... so whenever a sound pans around... it sounds pretty much the same across all the speakers.

Although I didn't get a custom stand made for my SongCenter, Jim made me some stands for my SongSurrounds too... gotta love it!

[intamin22]

Just curious, for those who upgraded, how much of a difference did it make for movies? I want to pick up the song center to match, but I have trouble justifying the price of a new center when 80% (just a guess) of the sound is dialogue. I'm happy with my center, but if the upgrade in quality seems worth it, then I'll gladly purchase a new center. Plus, having the matching veneer would be nice.

[floresjc]

intamin -

Thats kind of why I put this feeler out. The Bigfoot is a very capable center channel and I haven't been all that unhappy with it. That said, I would prefer all three of the front speakers to blend well, work in concert so to speak. Seeing as some 2/3 of the movie is played through the center and most of the rest through the fronts, it seems like you'd have to have all match tonally if you'd ever want to reap the benefits of the new mains in a home theater setting. Plus, matching is never a bad thing (with the wife and all).

[funkmonkey]

Seeing as some 2/3 of the movie is played through the center and most of the rest through the fronts, it seems like you'd have to have all match tonally if you'd ever want to reap the benefits of the new mains in a home theater setting. Plus, matching is never a bad thing (with the wife and all).

Good point(s).  I have a Veracity HTC.  The clarity is really amazing.  My set-up with HT3s + HTC works great for movies, but I do not have a sub.  Something worth noting if you are switching from a 2 channel to a 3 channel system is that (like mentioned above) 2/3 of the movie is played through the center channel, including the very low information.  If you are adding a center I would recommend adding a sub-woofer at the same time.  Because of the way that information is processed, and/or down mixed in my system much of the center oriented low frequency stuff is simply lost.  It would normally go to a sub for 5.1, or to the mains in a 2.0 set-up.  But, since there isn't ever a 3.0 mix, both the surround and sub info is just gone.  Setting the HTC to "large" helps a bit, but really doesn't seem to make that much of a difference.  Depending on your processor, you may be able to channel the low freq info from the center to the mains for a better 3.0 integration but I cannot.  Don't get me wrong here, as is my set-up sounds better than anything else that I have ever owned, and it is only half complete.

What I am trying to say is that for movies, my Salk HTC does an outstanding job, but I know that I am missing some of the experience without a sub to fill in the bottom end.

The HT3s however reach deep enough that I do not miss having a sub, if listening to a movie in stereo.

Hope that makes sense.

Cheers,
Funk

[mchuckp]

If one decided to get a SongSurround I and use it as a center channel, would it affect the sound at all by laying it on it's side like a typicaly center channel?  I assume not.

Anyone using one of these as a center?  You happy?  Wish you would have gotten the SongCenter instead?

[satfrat]

I've stated a few times now that when I auditioned Bill@LakeGeorge's maple HT-3's and HTC center, it's the first time I actually liked a center channel for music playback. Jim Salk does an awesome job of sonically matching his centers for a given set of loudspeakers. And it's this sonic matching that's what makes for a good sounding 3 speaker front end. You just can't take any center no matter how good it sounds and expect it to sonically match up with any set of loudspeakers.  Actually I liked the HTC in concert with the HT-3 better than the HT-3's by themselves which I still have a hard time believing. But Bill does have an increbilbly good sounding surround system.   Any center that can sound that good for music when sonically blending with the HT-3's will do just fine for home theater.



Cheers,
Robin

[DMurphy]

If one decided to get a SongSurround I and use it as a center channel, would it affect the sound at all by laying it on it's side like a typicaly center channel?  I assume not.

Anyone using one of these as a center?  You happy?  Wish you would have gotten the SongCenter instead?

Hi   Actually--it would.  The horizontal dispersion would no longer be nearly as smooth.  As you move to the left or right, the relative distance of the tweeter to the woofer will change at the listening position, which will change the arrival times of the two drivers, and hence there phase relationships.   A deep suckout at the crossover frequency will occur if you move in either direction.  I'm not sure it would make much difference if you were dead on center, however. 

[Big Red Machine]

Had a bigfoot, actually the first with the revised crossover.  Dump it and move on.  Apples to oranges.  You will be amazed how bad the bigfoot really is once you get a new center.  Trust me.

[floresjc]

I'll be taking your advice Big Red.   

[zybar]

Had a bigfoot, actually the first with the revised crossover.  Dump it and move on.  Apples to oranges.  You will be amazed how bad the bigfoot really is once you get a new center.  Trust me.

Good advice! 

I am lucky enough in that I don't use any of Jim's center channels, I just use a third SongTower as the center channel.   

George

[noshortcuts]

Hi   Actually--it would.  The horizontal dispersion would no longer be nearly as smooth.  As you move to the left or right, the relative distance of the tweeter to the woofer will change at the listening position, which will change the arrival times of the two drivers, and hence there phase relationships.   A deep suckout at the crossover frequency will occur if you move in either direction.  I'm not sure it would make much difference if you were dead on center, however. 

Dennis, this dispersion issue must be the reason Jim recommends placing the front channels (STs) with the tweeters on the inside? My Towers are closer together than recommended (even though in a fairly large room) and I've wondered if it would make sense to reverse them with the tweeters on the outside. Might this make enough sense to try?

[DMurphy]

Hi   Actually--it would.  The horizontal dispersion would no longer be nearly as smooth.  As you move to the left or right, the relative distance of the tweeter to the woofer will change at the listening position, which will change the arrival times of the two drivers, and hence there phase relationships.   A deep suckout at the crossover frequency will occur if you move in either direction.  I'm not sure it would make much difference if you were dead on center, however. 

Dennis, this dispersion issue must be the reason Jim recommends placing the front channels (STs) with the tweeters on the inside? My Towers are closer together than recommended (even though in a fairly large room) and I've wondered if it would make sense to reverse them with the tweeters on the outside. Might this make enough sense to try?

Hi   That's really a different issue.  The tweeters are offset to even out baffle diffraction effects.  The tweeter placement has nothing to do with horizontal dispersion.  And when you move off axis horizontally, the relative distance of the tweeter and woofers changes very little (though vertical movements will cause a major change in the response).  The conventional wisdom is to place the tweets on the inside, but I've never seen a rigorous justification for that.  It may be total bull.  Just try it both ways and go with what you like.  Or flip a coin. 

[noshortcuts]

Hi   That's really a different issue.  The tweeters are offset to even out baffle diffraction effects.  The tweeter placement has nothing to do with horizontal dispersion.  And when you move off axis horizontally, the relative distance of the tweeter and woofers changes very little (though vertical movements will cause a major change in the response).  The conventional wisdom is to place the tweets on the inside, but I've never seen a rigorous justification for that.  It may be total bull.  Just try it both ways and go with what you like.  Or flip a coin. 

All right. That straightens me out. Thanks for the help.

[Nuance]

Since we're on the topic of center channels, I'd like ping the forum members for advice, including Jim and Dennis.

As you all know, I own a pair of SongTower RT's.  Well, I hope to purchase the center channel this summer, so I need to decide if getting the ribbon version is necessary, or if I'd notice no difference by going with the dome.

For aesthetics purposes I'd love to have the front three match, but my wife said the grill will be left on most of the time anyway.  I am also a huge advocate of timbre matching, so that's another thing to think about.  I don't want any tonality or pitch difference between the front three, but another $700 or so isn't peanuts for me. 

So, what do you all think?  What should I do, and what would YOU do?

[zybar]

Since we're on the topic of center channels, I'd like ping the forum members for advice, including Jim and Dennis.

As you all know, I own a pair of SongTower RT's.  Well, I hope to purchase the center channel this summer, so I need to decide if getting the ribbon version is necessary, or if I'd notice no difference by going with the dome.

For aesthetics purposes I'd love to have the front three match, but my wife said the grill will be left on most of the time anyway.  I am also a huge advocate of timbre matching, so that's another thing to think about.  I don't want any tonality or pitch difference between the front three, but another $700 or so isn't peanuts for me. 

So, what do you all think?  What should I do, and what would YOU do?

Save your money and get the dome.  Just simply having to go with a horizontal center (even with the super job done by Dennis and Jim) at a different height from the L/R channels is much more "damaging" than going with the dome over the ribbon.

I'll buy the beers if you can reliably pick out the dome vs. ribbon center in your HT setup.

George

[satfrat]

Since we're on the topic of center channels, I'd like ping the forum members for advice, including Jim and Dennis.

As you all know, I own a pair of SongTower RT's.  Well, I hope to purchase the center channel this summer, so I need to decide if getting the ribbon version is necessary, or if I'd notice no difference by going with the dome.

For aesthetics purposes I'd love to have the front three match, but my wife said the grill will be left on most of the time anyway.  I am also a huge advocate of timbre matching, so that's another thing to think about.  I don't want any tonality or pitch difference between the front three, but another $700 or so isn't peanuts for me. 

So, what do you all think?  What should I do, and what would YOU do?

Save your money and get the dome.  Just simply having to go with a horizontal center (even with the super job done by Dennis and Jim) at a different height from the L/R channels is much more "damaging" than going with the dome over the ribbon.

I'll buy the beers if you can reliably pick out the dome vs. ribbon center in your HT setup.

George

If you're simply using the center channel for HT, I'd totally agree with George. On other hand if you're planning on listening to HD multichannel music on your system as George does with his 3 inline SongTowers , I'd ask Jim Salk on his opinion. It never hurts to get advice from the head man.

Cheers,
Robin

[zybar]

If you're simply using the center channel for HT, I'd totally agree with George. On other hand if you're planning on listening to HD multichannel music on your system as George does with his 3 inline SongTowers , I'd ask Jim Salk on his opinion. It never hurts to get advice from the head man.

Cheers,
Robin

I thought I remember one or both of them suggesting to get the dome tweeter, but I can't be 100% positive.

George