Klipsch R-34-C Reference Series Quad 3-1/2" Center-Channel Speaker Black - $249 + Shipping

https://www.adorama.com/kprp450cw...flaid62905

The rp-450c is def a beast of a center channel for that price range. I was planning on wall mounting the r-34c under my projector screen. Was trying to keep it all as slim as possible to compliment my in wall speakers. Also the rp-450c is 150 watts rms and my receiver is only 100 watts rms/channel so would def require me to upgrade my receiver to get the full benefits which is not in my cards right now.

Trust me, don;t look at the max RMS, it really will not apply unless you want to go def and senile! The 450c is so sensitive that at only 20-50 watts it will be crazy loud! I am running two of them along with high end forte Iv's and all other klipsch ... If I put the receiver past 30% volume it's insanly loud! So no, you will not need a new receiver at all.

I would not recommened this center channel, it just can't reproduce voices properly with the tiny drivers on it. If you have space get the rp-450C special that pops up from time to time for $299. It's an incredible center at that price point!

Thanks for that advice! I might rethink things now to see if I can fit the 450c into the space. It's a beginner/budget build so I planned on pairing the R-34c with in wall 6.5' 2 way Sonance VP65's that were gifted for free and are in perfect working condition. Receiver is a Yamaha TSR-700 (Costco version of the RX-V6a). My fear now is that the 450c might overpower my L/R in walls. Or I just get the 450c, calibrate as best as possible to make them work together, and then later down the road upgrade my L/R to better complimenting towers??

100% agree. These are soundbar sized drivers.

It might get loud, but it probably doesn't go deep enough to reproduce male voices very well.

Well, ,I learned the hard way along time ago, buy the best quality at a great price up front and you will SAVE $$ becuase you will not need to upgrade again. The 450C is a buy it and forget it center, best I have heard at this price point and can go up against $1,000 plus centers I have had/heard. So, do yourself a favor and buy it, once thye are gone you will not see this qulaity for $299!. you will be able to bring down the level on the 450 easier then raising the levels of your in wall,s. will it work? yeah, you can make it work but those in walls are not going to do much, but you know that. Keep in mind the center does 80+% of your main Dialogue and no matter what you will immediatly get the huge benefits of that. Then when you can, you only need to upgrade your mains.. then your done. Iwould strongly recommend a good sub, but buy it once and be done w/ that becuase subs are a $$$ trap as well if constantly upgrading! Too bad your not around me I have brand new 8000's I need to sell but have not gotten around to. Hope that helped.... We all started somewhere with are HT set ups....

Thanks again for all the advice. I went ahead and ordered the 450c after doing a bit more research on it thanks to your suggestion. Sounds like it will def be a better long term decision. Even though it is a lot deeper than the r-34c, it may not be that big of a deal since it will be flanked by dual 12 inch woofers which will stick out from the wall even further. Will just put it on a floating shelf or stand.

My r-34c actually just got delivered this morning so I hooked it up in order to give it a quick test... It does have great richness and clarity but I think you guys are 100% right in that you can still tell the sound is originating from 'tiny' speakers. Best way I can describe it is that it sounds like an extremely high end portable bluetooth speaker... like the best bluetooth speaker you've ever heard, but still sounds like a portable bluetooth speaker in which the sound lacks any 'weight' to it. I turn my sub onto an extremely low gain setting and of course it fills in the sound and would overall be absolutely acceptable to any average person however now I realize what depth of sound I'd be leaving on the table by settling for such small drivers. I got 14 days to return so will compare side by side to the 450c once it arrives however I don't doubt one bit the larger drivers on the 450c will shine compared to what I'm hearing now. I normally don't buy electronics just to test/return however I really wanted to confirm everything with my own ears and not surprisingly, you guys were absolutely correct. I appreciate your patience with us noobies and your willingness to share knowledge.

your right, they are like Sound bar drivers and they can't do male voices very well at all...I think they only go down to 80hz or so which is too high for any proper male, etc dialogue... Rp-450c takes care of all those issues, yes it's huge, but well worth it!

Good for you as you have the right approach. Wait till you compare A to B the two centers, be prepared to me amazed at the difference! Your description of the r-34c is spot on, I thought you summed it up perfectly when you said it sounds like a "high end portable bluetooth speaker". Can you imagaine only spending $50 more and getting aprox a 100% better center with the 450C?, that's what you call Value!