Sony SS-CN490 Center Channels

Sony SS-CN490 Center Channels 

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-8 of 8  
[Nov 03, 2000]
Dennis
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great sound and range

Weakness:

None

I purchased this center channel for use with my home theater system. This speaker is great and not overpowering, works great in a home theater setup. It has a very good range of high and lows. The design of the casing is very sharp and look great sitting on any TV.

For the price this is the best center channel on the market.

Similar Products Used:

None

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 10, 2000]
Carlyle
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Apparently seamless soundfield movement
No magnetic interference

Weakness:

Bass reflex design compromises on low frequency accuracy.

I have just replaced my Optimus center channel speaker which was very good with the CN490 as I upgraded my receiver. The CN490 has excellent imaging and blends extremely well with my existing JVC speakers.
As a one only floor model special at BestBuy, this speaker was a real bargain.

Similar Products Used:

Optimus Pro CS3, Sony SS-CN62

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 18, 2000]
Chris
Casual Listener

Strength:

not sure yet

Weakness:

quality... so far

I really really really want to like this speaker. My entire system from TV to rear speakers are sony. I think it has the potential to be a good speaker if it were working propperly. It seems that right out of the box, the left 5" woofer sounds blown. With any frequency that requires movement to the 5" woofer the left woofer has static. The left one will not move freely back and forth when there is no power to the speaker. The right one is ok. So if you happen to get one that works its probably a good speaker, but who wants to have to keep taking a speaker back to the store time after time until you find one that works? Quality???? Come on Sony! If I wanted over priced crap I would have bought Boes in the first place.

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
3
[Sep 17, 2001]
Steve
Audiophile

Strength:

Really good sound for the price.

Weakness:

Size. It's fairly large for a center channel.

Looking for a decent, entry level center channel speaker for my first attempt at a 5.1 system, it looked like I was in the $200 range for anything decent. Ended up buying my receiver at Best Buy, something I don't normally do, but they had an offer I couldn't refuse. Anyway, while I was there, I looked at their selection, and found the Sony, which I had recommended to me. It was really hard to test it out in their "listening room", but it looked like a good deal, so I took it home under their 30 day return policy.

Ends up being a great center channel speaker. Handles a full 150W, has dual 5" drivers and a tweeter, great specs for the price, and really, really good sound. I am very impressed.

Of course, there is better, but not for the price. If you want a good center channel, pick up one of these before Sony figures out what they've done, and raises the price.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsh, Boston Acoustics, Definitive.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[May 04, 2001]
tony
Audiophile

over the past few weeks i have replaced my rear satellites and my center channel. they were all KLH, also my 1st surround sound speakers. to me, they sounded great, until i bought my Sony set. The rear and center channels are very distinct, and so far i have had no problems with overpowering any of them. They may not be the best, but the quality of my surround sound setup has definately gone up. Not to mention they are more attractive, which doesnt usually count for much, but its a plus.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jun 06, 2001]
John Acheson
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Full clear sound, dual 5" woofers give clear full sound

Weakness:

Its big, kinda deep.....but who really cares

This is an great center channel. I found it on a clearance rack at Sears for really cheap, wasn't even looking for a center at the time. The sony center goes with my sony ss-mb100h sony surrounds. The sound also make a nice match to my yamaha ns-a200xt tower speakers. Overall this center is AWSOME for the price I paid.

Similar Products Used:

Fischer center

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 21, 2001]
Jarod Wilkins
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Looks great. Sounds great.

Weakness:

None

This is a great speaker for the money. Fits into any home theater system.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Aug 04, 2000]
Peter Richards
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Very good imaging. A nice match for the Sony MF515 speaker.

Weakness:

None so far

I've just added this center channel speaker to my home theater set-up that includes front and rear Sony SS-MF515 speakers (see my review of them if you are interested).

This is a replacement for the Infinity Model CC-1 center channel that I had been using. The Infinity, by the way, is an excellent speaker. I switched to the Sony CN490 because it is a better acoustic match for the 515's. The soundfield is now seamless from left to right. I realize that Sony speakers have not in the past been considered a necessarily good choice. I've had JBL, AR, Dahlquist, KLH and Altec Lansing (all of them good in some way).

However, in my opinion, I believe I've gotten the best results for home theater by matching the sonics of all the speakers.

The CN490 is very clean and smooth in the mid-range. It can handle up to 150 watts of power through its two 12 cm woofers and 1 balanced dome 2.5 cm tweeter. I have it sitting directly on top of my 36" Wega and there is no magnetic interference with the picture. At a sale price of $99 at Best Buy, I couldn't resist!

Similar Products Used:

Infinity CC-1

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-8 of 8  

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