I recently went out to buy a center channel to match up with my Thiel CS3.6's, and my first thought was to get something respectable, but not too heavy on the budget. After listening to a number of models, I liked the larger of the two NHT center channels (I forget the model name). I was about the plunk down my $400, when I asked if we could take the NHT into the other room and compare it to the (far more expensive) Thiel SCS3 (which is designed to be either sold in pairs as a main speaker, or separately for use as a center channel). I should have known that this would be a mistake (economically, that is!). I have never made a quicker decision on a piece of audio gear. Literally 15 seconds was all it took to convince me that the Thiel was worth the extra dough. The difference was incredible. The NHT sounded like a speaker, whereas the Thiel just seemed to pass along the musical content without really making its presence known. All in all, I continue to be very impressed with the SCS3, and although it is pricey, I would encourage those of you looking for a "non-crappy" sounding center channel speaker to check it out.
Hope this helps, Tom.
Hope this helps, Tom.