What are some good speakers and speaker brands?

New center channel speaker with older front channels?

• I recently bought a yamaha receiver so I could use my pair of Hitachi SS83A speakers (From 1980). I'd like to buy a center channel speaker, but I doubt I can match the brand and age. Should I not bother trying to buy a center speaker? Are there some good brands that I could mix with these older speakers without distortion? I'm only trying to spend around $150 or less. But I'm not used to this and don't want to risk it sounding terrible. I don't really know what the big deal is about mixing brands of speakers...

• Answer:

  The concern when buying a center channel speaker to go with your fronts is NOT distortion - it's tonality. You want the speakers to sound the same in terms of their tonal characteristics. This is most easily achieved when speakers are of the same brand as they will sound similar as the sound pans across the front of your room, as the action pans across the screen. The center speaker is crucial - most will say it is the most important speaker in a surround system, and I concur with this opinion. The center channel anchors the dialog and on screen action where it belongs. Without it, sounds that are meant to come from the screen will come from your left and right speakers. If you can't find a speaker the same brand as your fronts, it's OK. Most stores let you take it home to try it for a few days, or at least have a return policy. Take it home and try to find one that matches tonally with your fronts. Also, I would spend more than $150 on a center channel speaker. If you can't, then save up and wait. It will be worth it to get a nice one, instead of just getting one to have it.