Review on Enhance Your Surround Sound Experience with Polk Audio Signature Series S35 Center Channel Speaker (6 Drivers), Featuring Power Port Technology and Detachable Magnetic Grille by Justin Malkowski

I'm not a music lover, but I would say I have good hearing (several times in state and regional choirs, further at the university in the art choir). I have a good ear for naming people who speak cartoons (assuming I've seen them in other films), including ones that seem obscure to my wife. I enjoy all types of music, although currently I use my stereo for home theater rather than music. This is just to give you an idea of my hearing and preferences as these things determine what speakers a person likes. However, what motivated me to buy this speaker was that I ran out of room for my favorite center speaker. I have a Yamaha RX-A1030 receiver (110 watts per channel), a Yamaha NS-C444 center speaker (250 watts max. / 100 watts nominal; 55 Hz - 35 kHz) and two Yamaha NS-777 towers (250 watts max.) / 100W nominal; 30Hz - 35kHz) for my main speakers. I use the surround sound built into our house for full surround sound. I LOVE my front setup that goes so low I can physically feel the explosions and never feel the need for a subwoofer. But we installed a fireplace and there really isn't any place for our TV other than above the fireplace (wish there was one). This resulted in a little over 4 inches of clearance between the top of the mantel and the bottom of my TV for my center speaker. So my favorite center NS-C444 had to be removed. I replaced it with a Yamaha NS-C210 (120W). max / 40W nominal; 65 Hz - 45 kHz), but it wasn't the same (though still better than the phantom center). We recently swapped out our TV and it gave me an extra 1.5 inch of real estate, so I checked to see if there was a better middle. In trying to match the new center as closely as possible to my towers, the Polk S35 (20-150 watts/ch; 53Hz-40kHz) came closest. And it was also the cheapest option, since the towers could be replaced with the appropriate set. I think I still prefer my NS-C444, but the Polk S35 comes second and is MUCH better than the NS-C210. The base is much more present, which makes the voices fuller and more precise for me. I've watched a few movies on my modified system and the S35 even goes well with my turrets (so far), much better than the ND-S210 despite being from the same manufacturer. I liked the S35 so much that I ordered two refurbished S60 towers (20-300 watts/ch; 26Hz-40kHz; $315+tax/speakers) from Polk to get the right sound up front (the refurbished price was too good to skip). ), since I plan to put the projector in the basement and need a second set of speakers anyway (this is now the future home for my 3 matching Yamahas). I can't say enough good things about this central speaker. Obviously, if there was enough space, I would have preferred a center with larger woofers. But the six 3" woofers have roughly the same surface area as the two 5" woofers in my NS-C444, which is probably why they are so comparable. So if, like me, you only have room for a short center speaker, I can heartily recommend the Polk S35. To try to quantify my recommendation, I ordered not only S60 towers, but also an S30 center (used - like new at Revain for $130 plus tax) and two S20 bookshelf speakers (rebuilt by Polk for $160). plus taxes per pair) for my home gym. In other words, I liked the S35 so much that I bought 5 more speakers for $847 (including tax). Enough said.