Upgrade Center Speaker - VM1

[anthony1973]

I have 3 VM1s at the front of my system. The amp is a Pioneer 2011. I don't want to change the 2 front Vm1s because of the WAF. The center is going in a cabinet so from an asthetic point of view, this matters less. I am keen to get a good tonal match with the VM1s and am therefore drawn to other B&W speakers. The present center is poorish and I can now understand why everyone says the center is the most important speaker. Would a second hand CDM CNT match tonally? Are there any other B&W (or other brand) of speakers that would also match?

Thanks

Anthony

[Crustyloafer]

The difficulty lies in that when you upgrade your centre speaker the front left and right speakers will not match perfectly with whatever you get. the CDM CNT is a good centre channel and would be a resonable tonal match for the VM1s but would be of such such high performance compared to the VM1s the whole front soundstage will still not balance well. I agree that the centre speaker is very important but it is of similar or equal importance that the fronts a very good match for the centre in order to be able to create a coherent and seamless front soundstage. This is one of the reasons why I made aure that my front three speakers are the ones that are spcifically designed to work together.

I would consider changing the front three speakers for something better that is still aesthetically pleasing. The B&W FPM series would be well worth auditioning as well as the PMC Wafers if you are looking for a big improvement.