who makes a decent center channel speaker?

I have all Vandersteen and there big center vcc5 is the best I have herd. I love it! the vcc1 is ok soud reproduction is smooth and accurate but is lacking in the low range.

Ok that being said your center is only as good as it matches your sides so go with the best matching center you can for your sides. The center is the most important speaker 70% of your sound will be form it.

Interesting thread. I do think that with an A/V system like the Anthem D2 it is easy to get past the urge to stick with the same manufacturer.

Unclejeff: Interesting thread. I do think that with an A/V system like the Anthem D2 it is easy to get past the urge to stick with the same manufacturer.

If you had to, ARC or Audyssey will compensate greatly but not entirely. Also, since there are limited resources in the products using these softwares, you have to consider whether you want to use them for an avoidable issue or conserve them for the unavoidable ones. ;-)

Kal

I am not discounting the importance of convenience and esthetics but one should know the trade-offs before choosing.

Sadly, these trade-offs are nearly always in the top three for most speakers designs out there.

The number one trade-off, being COST - small light weight cheap drivers (small motor small voice coil) with an aesthetically pleasing look being the principal approach, as it gets two birds with one stone.

The reality is that ugly speakers with cheap cabinets and expensive drivers do not sell to "audiophiles" as well as those speakers designed the other way round!!!

It is rarely about the performance. It is most often about the look. It is the same with sports cars...

Car manufacturers are not at fault if they build what customers really want rather than what they "claim" they want. It is the same for speakers...

Do you really think all those weird fanciful shapes are necessary? Like the aerofoil and go faster stripes on a car...

B&W knows a thing or two about industrial graphic design, so do many many speaker manufacturers....

Kal, they can't clone a speaker but the unit should get someone by for a while. I didn't have an extra couple grand to buy another pair of coincidents and they didn't have a center on the market yet. Speaker City made me a reasonable unit. Same drivers, similar crossover specs, totally different cabinet.