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Will Kef 202/2c center match Wilson Sophia mains?

Here is my question. I am looking to upgrade my center channel which is currently a Thiel SCS3. My ideal situation would be to replace it with the Wilson WATCH center in order to sonically match the best with my Wilson Sophia mains. The problem is that the center is 14" high and I am very constrained on the height of the new center speaker choice.

Currenly I have 8" height clearance and I could potentially move my plasma about 1 1/2" heigher to give me a maxumum of 9 1/2" height for the new center speaker. With these constraints in mind I have been looking at my options. It seems that the Kef reference 202/2c would meet my requirements nicely. I would love hear your thoughts on this speaker or any other suggestions. I am looking to improve the clarity of center channel and remove some the "thickness" in sound I get from the Thiel.

Here's a little more about my system:
Wilson Sohpia's powered by VTL ST-150, with VTL TL-5.5 preamp and HT bypass.
Center is Thiel SCS3, with Thiel CS 1.6 surrounds powered by Rotel RSX-1055 receiver.
musictime

Showing 6 responses by musictime

musictime OP
12 posts
 
Islandmandan,

I have also looked at the Dynaudio Contour S CX, as this would fit my paramaters as well. Any thoughts on the differences between the Kef and the Dynaudio?

MusicTime
musictime OP
12 posts
 
Dbphd,

Thats very useful information. Thanks. I suspect that the 202/2c would be closer in sonic signature to the 104.2s than the 200C? Obviously, the dynamics are one of the huge strong points of the Sophias and matching that would be great.

MusicTime
musictime OP
12 posts
 
db,

Yes you are correct. That was my mistake.

I would say that the duty of my center channel will mostly be for the home theater setup. The vast majority of my music collection is still 2 channel. However, I would stilllike the center to fit in better with the Sophias.

MusicTime
musictime OP
12 posts
 
Statman,

I would love to buy the Wilson center, but does the version 1 have a shorter height than the current version? The height restrictions is my biggest problem. I see someone here on audiogon has one up for sale but no height specs were given...

Musictime
musictime OP
12 posts
 
Statman,

Thanks for your input. My system has gone some upgrading since I posted those pictures a couple of years ago. I moved the 50 inch plasma (which is shown in pictures) to another room and put in a Pioneer Elite 60 inch plasma in its space. It looks wonderful mounted on the cabinet but it leaves me even less room for the center channel than is shown in those pictures. A dedicated stand in front of the cabinet just will not work as this is my living room and my kids are 7 and 5 years old. I still need to consider the whole family...

That bring me back to the original problem. I have lived with the Thiel center for last 6 years and yes the timbre match, and micro dynamics are not close to the same as the Wilsons, but I have been relatively happy. I can accept a compromise when necessary, but I still would like to get closer to a seemless "front stage" as possible.

Any other suggestions or comments are welcome.

MusicTime
musictime OP
12 posts
 
Ultimately, I have decided to wait on the upgrade for the center for now and see how things play out. Maybe one day I'll have room for the Wilson. Thanks for the comments
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