Get great sound at a budget price

By DON LINDICH

March 30, 2008 at 10:45PM

Q I would like a recommendation for a center speaker to go with four Insignia NS-B2111 speakers from Best Buy. I use a pair for fronts and a pair for surrounds and need a center channel to finish the system.

JIM SANDERS, SHOREVIEW

A The only way to build a perfectly matched home-theater surround system with the Insignias is to buy a third pair for $88 and use one of them as a center channel. Unfortunately, the Insignias are large bookshelf speakers, which means one of them would be overpowering sitting on top of your TV. They also aren't magnetically shielded, so if you have a tube TV, the magnets in the speaker will cause color blotches to appear on the screen.

I recently found a good center-channel solution with Insignias. The Speaker Co. (www.thespeakercompany. com) is a direct-sales company promising "quality speakers for half the price" to compete with big-box stores. Its RC1 center channel is only $50 and a gem at the price, featuring clear, clean vocal reproduction, open sound, and the proper form factor and magnetic shielding for use near a TV. If you have Insignias and want a center channel, give the RC1 a try.

A better choice for budget-conscious readers who haven't invested in speakers yet is to bypass the Insignias and build a perfectly matched surround system with speakers from the Speaker Co. Shipping on all speakers is free, and if you are not satisfied with your purchase, the company will refund your money and pay for return shipping.

I recently reviewed some of the company's speakers and have posted my findings on my website (www.soundadviceblog.com), including pictures. The test system used a pair of P6 bookshelf speakers ($90 for both) for fronts, P5 bookshelf speakers ($70 a pair) for surrounds and an RC1 center channel ($50), totaling $210. A 250-watt powered subwoofer is available for $150 for a total system price of $360, about the same price as a quality pair of bookshelf speakers from a high-end brand.

The performance of the P6 pair compares favorably with the Insignias. The Insignias have a warmer tone that some might find more pleasing, at the cost of accuracy. The P6 has a noticeably fuller midrange and more detail, which make it well suited for movie soundtracks.

The smaller P5s are easy to place as surround speakers, and combined with the RC1 center channel, the system creates seamless, room-filling sound for a satisfying home-theater experience. It won't knock your socks off, but it sounds good and will satisfy its intended customers.

One huge difference between the products is warranty. The Speaker Co. offers five years parts and labor, Insignia only 90 days.

Please note that when I recommend budget products such as these, you have to take the recommendation in context. These are quality products and good values, but if you want premium, high-end sound, you have to spend much more and consider speakers from high-end companies such as Axiom, Acculine, Monitor Audio, Ohm and Paradigm.

Submit questions and read past columns at www.soundadviceblog.com.

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DON LINDICH