Bass extension

nasal quality of high end, unrealistic voice reproduction

After reading previous reviews of this speaker , I had Great Expectations but this proved to be "the worst of times " and turned my home into a Bleak House(apologies to mister Dickens). I have previously listened to a cc6 B&W speaker in my great room system which was great except for lacking bass extension. I ordered the AR and placed between 2 small B&W bookshelve speakers the unnatural voice quality became apparent. I tried the high and mid range adjustment to roll off a bit with no change. I was particularly depressed with what I felt was a nasal quality of the upper frequencies. I would strongly suggest system matching and try before you buy. In any event, don't place this center anywhere near B&W's 'cause it simply can't hang.

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Klipsh,B&W

excellent voice detail, just enough bass to add accurate
staging of dialogue.

What an excellent center channel speaker. Came from netmarket,well packaged,for 299. Stages very will with
the AR-7s and adc-810s in the rear. Unlike smaller
center channel speakers, has more warmth, detail and
a very accurate display of the actors voices. Able to do
fine adjustments with its mid and high toggles, which
further add to a great listening experience. If you have
the room for a larger cc speaker, please give this
speaker your consideration.

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infinity cc1

HUGE SOUND. WITH OLDER VCR.,LASER AND OLD MOVIES, TV IN GENERAL THIS MAKES EVERY KIND OF AUDIO IN A HT STAND OUT.I JUST PURCHASED THE BLUES BROTHERS ON DVD, WITH EXTRA FOOTAGE NOT IN PREVIOUS OFFERINGS. THERE IS A CUT BY JOHN LEE HOOKER OF BOOM BOOM BOOM THAT IS STUNNING ON THIS SPEAKER. MY WIFE MUST HAVE PLAYED IT 20 TIMES. WE LENT THE TAPE TO A FRIEND WHO HAS A BIG TIME HT. HE HAS ALL BMW SPEAKERS. SPENT A $1000.00 FOR HIS CENTER SPEAKER AND HAS ALL THE HIGH END FRONTS AND REARS.NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THIS AR .ON DVD THE THREE TENIORS PAVAROTTI ET AL, YOU JUST CAN NOT BELIEVE IT, PICKS UP NOTES I DID NOT HEAR BEFORE.THE DOWN FIRING WOOFER MAKES THIS SPEAKER HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE EVERY THING ELSE

I DID NOT FIND ANY THING, SOME PEOPLE DON,T LIKE THE SIZE AND WEIGHT, I DO,BECAUSE IT REPRESENTS A LOT OF HIGH QUALITY SPEAKERS AND A SOLID CABINET

I JUST CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS SPEAKER. I HAVE A HIGH DEFINATION TOSHIBA TV WITH SURROND SOUND, 25 WATT AMP AND 6 1/2 SPEAKERS. LISTEN TO THE TV WITH THE BUILT INS AND THEN TURN ON THE AUDIO SYSTEM AND PUT THE AR'S
ON LINE TELLS IT ALL.IT WILL TAKE SO MUCH WATTAGE AND NOT DISTORT, IT ADDS DEPTH TO VOICES THAT OTHER CENTERS DO NOT.CENTER SPEAKERS CARRY A LOT OF THE LOAD AND MOST OF THE HUMAN TALK WITH THE RANGE OF THE HUMAN VOICE YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS SPEAKER TO BELIEVE YOUR EARS.I NO LONGER LISTEN TO THE TV WITH ITS SPEAKERS AND THEY ARE GOOD FOR A TV SYSTEM.BUY THIS ND YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY

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PANASONIC, SONY HI LINE

Clean, clear sound, high quality/good looking enclosure, goes down to 45Hz, 4 db sensitivity.

Grill is hard to remove...haven't succeeded yet because I'm afraid to pry. Does it even come off?

I auditioned several centers before deciding on this one, which I was pleasantly surprised with on my birthday. I must say that it is head and shoulders above the other centers I've tried, save the Infinity 36c and the Klipsch (sw-5?) which are close 2nds IMHO.

I highly recommend this center channel, and think that you will find it loud and clear enough for any home theater. The enclosure houses 3 different driver types, and provides an outstanding frequency range. Movie dialogue comes out accurate, realistic and crisp. I was instantly pleased when I plugged it in, and it only got better with some minor tweaking.

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JBL, Bose, Infinity, Polk, Klipsch.

Great sound and pretty good bass too!

Large

This center channel speaker is GREAT! I've never heard one that comes close to reproducing sound quality with the clarity and accuracy of this one. If you want a great quality speaker then get this! If you don't want to spend the $$, then don't fuss when you hear one at your friend's house and it blows yours away. Only the size is a problem, but, well worth it.
p.s. I did need to break mine in for 3 weeks before it sounded as good as it does now. (usally for 5 hrs a day)

Very good vocals, high & low end clairity excell, super (real) SPL rating.

Can't Find Demo's Locally !!

The more I listen to it, the better it really gets. I am revisting my DVD library and discovering a lot of lost (center) sound information and enjoyment. This one speaker brings a lot of life to the average center channel experience, especially when I read the information there can be 60~85% on a decent mastered 5.1 Dolby Digital DVD recording. I never knew center channel information could have that much low bass to offer as this speaker proved right up front with the 6.5" slot loaded "mini sub", it has fabulous 45hz~300hz to report. A lot of others roll off an octave or more above. The vocals and higher notes were crisp and very clear with no slurring or hang over, the sound preasure level (93db) was astonishing and a well matched compliment to the the AR S50's in my speaker grouping. I demo'd all the local Bose, JBL's, Yamaha's, Cambridge, Polks, centers speakers and was only some what impressed. Lastly I read the reviews posted here,(like I did on my AR S50's purchase) once again I ventered out, found, bought and owned sonic delight at its very best. To bad it is so hard to find anywhere local that has this fine speaker even as a demo. The AR 2C would definately wake you up to the real potential of a center channels intended purpose, even my modest JVC 888 VBK receiver attests to this ear found fact!!

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Pinnacle 4"x4x1" center channel. Nice but not enough UMMMPH

Great center channel speaker

Just have to remark to those folks that can't remove the
speaker grill. Just press on the flexable grill cloth, to
reach the plastic frame. grasp same to remove. I own this
and ar-7 speakers and this works every time. Yes, they
could have included a pull tab but-

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cc-1 Infinity

Strong, clear sound at all all volumes and frequencies. Handles anything my system can throw at it.

Way cooler than any of my other speakers :)

I purchased this product a year ago when I was first starting to build a semi-serious home theater. It's my second favorite purchase as of yet (My favorite being my CRT projector). I've "matched" it with some pretty cheapy speakers all around (I'm a college student on a tight budget). The AR2C is the crown jewel of my audio system.

It's substantial - physically and acoustically. The sound from it is full and rich. I chose the AR2C because of it's price and frequency range. Other center channel speakers I listened too sounded too hollow and high. The down-firing woofer fills out the lows nicely, providing a much fuller and more realistic sound than other center channel speakers I had listened to.

It's size and weight would make it difficult to place if you're using a smaller television. Since I don't have a TV, placement wasn't an issue. The Corras rolling endtable from Ikea is my current stand, and it's almost exactly as wide as the speaker, placing it approximately 22.5" off the ground.

Nothing I listened to in it's price range impressed me more. I would definately buy it again.

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JBL, Polk, Bose

This is the finest center channel available for the money. This speaker shares the same midrange and tweeter driver configuration that's in the AR1's (so they are perfectly voice-matched), but also includes a 6 1/2" down-firing woofer for deeper bass extension and cleaner midrange. This speaker also features -1.5db attenuators for the mids and highs to "match" them as closely as possible with other manufacturer's speakers.
This center channel also features the best cabinet I've seen. It's MDF construction mates perfectly with the AR1's, and the finish is identical (not plastic like the AR4C or discontinued CS25HO). I'm not exaggerating when I say that this speaker weighs at least 30 pounds (like I said, a perfect mate for the AR1's at 90 pounds each).

One thing I must say, however, is that this speaker is very large for a center channel, so if you're tight on space you might have a problem. However, size aside, if you've got a high power receiver and you're a Dolby Digital or DTS nut, I highly recommend coupling this center channel with a pair of AR1's. You won't be disappointed.

My system consists of:

Harman Kardon AVR75 receiver
JVC XV501-BK DVD/CD player
AR1 front speakers
AR2C center channel
AR 308HO surround speakers

Excellent bass and overall quality

size and price(?)

This centre channel made a huge difference in the overall sound quality of my home theater consisting of AR 315HO speakers(now reformed and renamed as AR 1). I did have a 5 driver 3 way speaker by Acoustic Profiles but AR2C made such a difference especially in the bass. Also, I had to reduce the centre level by 4db as this is a very efficient speaker. Overall, I am very satisfied. It sure is a large speker to put on a TV. I also noticed that it is larger than the specifications published in the manual and the web. It is quite heavy but overall a very well made speaker. Highly recommended

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various Centre channel speakers