Does a center channel have to match the front spke

All good answers. I agree with both points of view on this subject. That's only because of all of the variables involved, content,equipment,room and so on and so on. A mix of speakers can work well, my father in-law has a mix all the way around and it's all entry level stuff and actually sounds pretty good. I've also heard many systems that are mixed that are awful. But for me I will always use matched speakers, it sounds more balanced and even across the whole sound field, not just the front sound stage. Go out and demo and see what you can come up with.

Thanks for all the help. All excellent points.

I just got a pair of the new Sony AR1s. They don't make a matching center channel (and apparently have no plans to do so), so I am currently using a Dali mentor vokal center channel which I plan on upgrading (to possibly a dynaudio confidence center). Truth be told, I am currently using a different amplifier and speaker cable to my center channel as my Sonys. Most of my music listening is in 2 channel and I don't do a lot of critical multichannel listening, but I do listen to 5.1 for concert DVDs, and I would say that while not a perfect match, the center channel did not detract at all from my listening enjoyment. For movies, the mismatch doesn't bother me at all.

In the perfect world, all speakers should be exactly the same. This is rarely practical, so usually the surrounds are different and very often the center as well.

I would get a center that is designed to match your fronts... yes, you can get close with a different brand (you can also go very wrong with a different brand...). I used to use a Linn center with my Thiel fronts and thought it sounded good. That was until I got a matching Thiel center and only after that did I realize how much I had given up by not matching my fronts...

My new Salk Soundscape that replaces a Kef 204c center channel arrived lost week. The midrange driver of the Salk matches my Eidolons. I am quite pleased with the upgrade, but it was not night and day as was going from Revel to Kef.