Center speaker for 683 fronts?

[metallicaband]

Hello all,

I've been using my 685 as my center for 2+ years now along with my 683 fronts. I've moved to a different apartment recently and I''m going to be sitting very close to my 50" 9G Kuro now (around 6-7 ft max). Since it's well known that the HTM61 sounds bad uplocse, it's out of the question and the current position for the 685 is really awkward at the moment when I'm sitting even closer to the TV now (I position it under the TV in-front of the entertainment unit above a custom wooden stand that would position the tweeter to the listening area, I don't like the idea of wall mounting such a heavy speaker above the Kuro :P).

So, if you've been using 683 fronts for a while in a HT setup, which center have you been using and what do you think of it? I'm interested to know how these blend with the 683s (specially when you're sitting close to 'em directly or even wide):

- HTM62
- CM Center
- CM Center 2 (hopefully not gonna have to spend this much).
- B&W XTC

I'm specially thinking about the XTC since size wise it'll fit well under my HDTV, would it be a bad decision to pair it with the 683s? Without being able to audition those speakers, which features I should be looking for in a center speaker whether it's B&W or a totally different brand so that it would hopefully have a higher percentage be a good match for my 683 fronts? (i.e xxx tweeter, 2/3 ways..etc)

Here's my current 5.1 setup if it would be of any help:
Kuro 50" 9G
B&W 683 fronts
B&W 685 center (other speaker haven't even been used yet)
B&W DM601 S3 rear speakers
HSU VTF 3 Mk 3 subwoofer
Yamaha 663 AVR

ps. I posted this in AVS B&W owner's thread too but didn't get much response about it, so hopefully I'll get more feedback here.

[stuofsci02]

I used to have 683s for a couple of years and I also had the CMC for about 4 months and had the HTM61 for a couple of years. I thought the CMC sounded better then the HTM61 so I agree to stay away from the HTM61.

The CMC however is a MTM (mid-tweet-mid) speaker and so it will still not sound ideal as it will have some lobing and combing interference leading to poor of axis performance (unless you stand it upright which if you could do you would just use the 685 I assume).

I would look for something that has the midrange and tweeter on a vertical axis and if it has woofers these should be on a slightly different horizontal axis then the mid/tweeter. This is the best center speaker design IMO.

Of your list this leaves only the CMC2 that meets these recommendations.. I would also add to your list a used HTM4s from the 800 series. YOu can get these used for $900-$1000. This is the best center I have ever used. There is also an HTM3s, but it is pretty big..

Cheers

Stuart

[metallicaband]

Thanks a lot for your input, I wish the CMC2 was a bit cheaper, but I'll definitely try to look for it and the HTM4s in the used market (I live far away from the US so shipping is going to cost me a lot too).

Any more suggestions/opinions are welcome.

[brushrop03]

Is the HTM61 really that bad? I just got the 683s and been meaning to try out the center. That's so disappointing :-(

[dukester]

Is the HTM61 really that bad? I just got the 683s and been meaning to try out the center. That's so disappointing :-(

If you are meticulous about timbre matching the mains, yes. I had one for a few mos before i traded mine after numerous attempts to match via tone/vol lvl (i upgraded front 3 altogether). Sadly the best spkr in the 600 series has the poorest ctr ch match. IMO, short of what Stuart recommends, seems you already have the best combination in the 685...just have to work through the placement issue.

[brushrop03]

Wow. So just get the 685 as my center then?

Will it sound ok laying on its side (horizontal)?

[stuofsci02]

Wow. So just get the 685 as my center then?

Will it sound ok laying on its side (horizontal)?

No, you will need to keep it vertical for best result..

[metallicaband]

What do you guys think of using a B&W Nautilus HTM-1 as a center speaker? It comes in black ash which matches the 683s well

It's an old speaker, but there's a used one on auction for 1300$ at the moment which seems to be in good condition, not worth it?

http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Downloads/Product/Archive/ENG_FP10711_Nautilus-HTM1_info_sheet.pdf

It looks good on paper as a center speaker to me to go along with the 683s :P.

[stuofsci02]

I suggest to pull the trigger if it is in good condition. This is the predecessor to the HTM3s I mentioned above.. Was a match for the N804.

It is a big speaker though..

[emig5m]

What do you guys think of using a B&W Nautilus HTM-1 as a center speaker? It comes in black ash which matches the 683s well

It's an old speaker, but there's a used one on auction for 1300$ at the moment which seems to be in good condition, not worth it?

http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Downloads/Product/Archive/ENG_FP10711_Nautilus-HTM1_info_sheet.pdf

It looks good on paper as a center speaker to me to go along with the 683s :P.

The first time I heard B&W was with the N801 and HTM1 up front. I had almost bought a used HTM1 to go with my 683's as well but decided to go all the way and get the 800 series big brother to the 683 - the 804S with its matching HTM3S center (awesome center!!) Of course it was around eight years ago when I heard the HTM1 but damned that is still one of the best systems I ever heard (dedicated and acoustically treated room).

I say go for it! But the build quality of it might seem out of place with the 683, heh.

[metallicaband]

But the build quality of it might seem out of place with the 683, heh.

Yeah that's one of the reasons that are holding me back at the moment, I really hope to upgrade to an all 800 series B&W system someday when I move to a house (I live in an apartment at the moment).

The center + shipping could easily cost me 1700-2000$ (I live far away from the US -in Bahrain-), that + This article really makes me want to think of a good solution to properly place the 685 as a center speaker and maybe I could get the same results as using the HTM-1 without spending so much money (I could change my entire entertainment unit, get an Emotiva poweramp and still spend less lol :P), the other 685 speaker will be used as a rear speaker for 6.1 if I got a poweramp.

[Hammie]

If you use a BTech BT77 wall mount, I would trust the speaker above the TV. I used them on some Polk RTi bookshelves that were similar size and weight to the 686, which of course is slightly smaller than the 685.

[stuofsci02]

Yeah that's one of the reasons that are holding me back at the moment, I really hope to upgrade to an all 800 series B&W system someday when I move to a house (I live in an apartment at the moment).

The center + shipping could easily cost me 1700-2000$ (I live far away from the US -in Bahrain-), that + This article really makes me want to think of a good solution to properly place the 685 as a center speaker and maybe I could get the same results as using the HTM-1 without spending so much money (I could change my entire entertainment unit, get an Emotiva poweramp and still spend less lol :P), the other 685 speaker will be used as a rear speaker for 6.1 if I got a poweramp.

There is an obvious advantage to using 3 identical speakers, and this should be the solution where it is feasible. I am sure you have already picked up on this, but the last speaker tested was either an HTM1 or HTM3S. So if you did go the HTM1 route you would not be making a huge compromise.