Cerwin Vega VE-5C Center Channel Speaker Review

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(More customer reviews)You have the big front/lefts, you have the big 15" subwoofer that rattles the street, you have the 25 different surrounds all mounted on your wall, you have the 1000watt+ HT receiver tuned just perfectly. You think you got it all figured out... until you skimp on the center channel. Now your left scratching your head wondering why the voices are low, action scenes are insanely blaring, and theres just an overall unevenness in all your movies.
If you find yourself turning up the movie/show during dialog and then turning it down during action, It's time to get a real center, dump the satellite speakers that pretends it can accurately reproduce movie soundtrack and voice dialog, most of them fail.
Insert 70 dollar Cerwin Vega ve-5c. This speaker brought out the sounds in movies I knew were getting drowned out by the incompetence of a satellite speaker. Although the center doesn't handle bass, for giggles I set it to large and watched some intense action scenes from star trek/transformers/saving private ryan, and the amount of clean, snappy bass that this 1 speaker produced was quite impressive. It has great excursion and can seriously move some air when cranked up.
Oh yeah, thats another thing - this baby is loud, but thats a Cerwin Vega trademark. While some audiophiles always ding Cerwin Vega for being "too loud/bassy" I find this to be perfect because it allows more flexibility in tuning. This speaker eats up anything you throw at it at beyond deafening sound levels, and it does it with authority. I would really recommend this center for the price... 70 dollars is nothing, and you get outstanding value.

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Cerwin Vega VE-5C Center Channel Speaker VE-5C Component Speakers

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JBL ES25CBK 3-Way, Dual 5 1/4" Center Channel Speaker - Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a full JBL surround as far as speakers, and I've always just used the TV as center. I bought a Harman Kardon receiver last October and the processing delay no longer allowed for that set-up. I borrowed my roommates JVC center speaker to do the job and it sounded decent. It's a nice speaker, but it just didn't blend or match. I did some research and went to the local Fry's and listened to a few and settled on this JBL, came home and ordered it for 1/3 the price off Amazon.
I didn't realize what I was in for till it arrived and I opened it up. Like everything else, it's bigger once you get it home and where it's going to go. I hooked it up and WOW!! The voices got so much more full and rich with their range and filled the room much much better. Add to this, I can no longer sit and close my eyes and pick out where each front speaker is and which one the sound is coming from. It all blends into a seamless wall of sound like it should! I guess I didn't realize how important the center channel was and am very very happy with this one.
If you're looking for a full range and powerful center speaker with excellent sound/detail reproduction, this one will definitely do the job. However, I must express the importance of matching up with your existing speakers for a seamless sound. Not necessarily by brand, but by ability and size. This would be way too much speaker if you just have a couple little satellites or tiny bookshelf speakers for your front. If you have full range speakers for your front channel's, this will compliment extremely well.
I also just want to add how well the directional reproduction in the room is with center and with the JBL Balcony Series that I'm running for the side channels. They were definitely a great addition as well and pair up with the crisp highs this center puts out to really give the room a true 3D sound quality. I've put in and cranked up a couple concert DVD's and watched a few live concerts on the Palladia Channel HD (digital sound feed) at close to full volume, and I must say that it sounds so good that I really feel like I'm at the concert!! (Even waking up with the foggy-head and ear-ringing till noon the next day).
I consider myself an audiophile. I've owned Carver and Bang & Olufsen through the years. (I justified a set of B&O ear buds for $200 without blinking an eye.) I personally will say that this is an awesome center, and for it's price point and sound quality it earns high marks for it's performance within my set-up. I'd say it's totally worth the $400 that Fry's wanted for it, and that the $160 I got it for on Amazon was a steal!!

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The JBL ES25C is a 3-way center channel speaker that uses dual 5 1/4" drivers for excellent audio performance. These speakers come in both cherry and black. JBL is a leader in both home and professional speaker design and they all that technology to make these speakers the best speakers to listen to either your home theater or favorite music. You will get outstanding high frequencies which enable you to hear all that the music or movie has to offer.

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