What is best center speaker?

George...I run my HT system "full" and use a sub. The sub adds to the sound instead of replacing it.

Ksales: I agree that this "shouldn't" be happening, but we don't know all of the variables involved. The system could be severely out of calibration with the center being relied upon to provide the majority of information, the room may be VERY large, so more power is required to achieve the required spl's, etc...

Having said that, i have a hard time figuring out how people "blow" speakers, especially woofers. I have POUNDED very generic drivers with GOBS of power and never had problems with them. My Brother had built some 5 1/4" two ways using generic car stereo speakers that cost him about $40 total. He drove these with 200 wpc and throttled them on a daily basis playing "metal" and hard rock at very high SPL's. He did this for months and months and never had a problem.

In both cases ( his and mine ), we are talking nothing less than sheer physical and electrical abuse. If a commercially built product can't take what i would consider "normal" use, it is either built using parts that are below a "very generic" level, the designer has NO idea what they are doing or a combo of the two. Sean
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How 'bout phantom mode?

Best center channel speaker is no center channel speaker. I base my answer on almost 8 years HT experience first with laserdisk, then with DVD. I've used my system every which way, no center channel, with a center channel, for movies and surround music. Differences without center channel range from none to far superior depending on the source.

IMHO

Thanks all for you input. I have bought a Wilson watch center. This is a good match with the Piega speakers and I can push the watch past any place I would want to go.