Yesterday, I had some Pinoydvd friends come over -- Stickfighter, Ninjababez, Dts-hd3d and Nerveblocker --, along with Hansen, the golden ears manager of AV Driver, to test the new center speaker.
In preparation, I did an Audyssey Pro calibration for the setups with the small center speaker (Electra 1008 Be) and the big FS center (Electra 1028 Be), and saved these in my computer. Audyssey Pro allows me to re-load the calibration in about 10 minutes.
We first listened to the new big FS center and then the small center. We used a standard reference concert, with a powerful tenor and soprano. I also made sure that the voices were coming from the center speaker because if you actually check, for most concerts, the voices come from the fronts, not the center.
Within a few seconds of hearing the small center (after listening to the big FS), it was immediately apparent to everyone that the small speaker was much better. Big shock. It was more complete and, ironically, bigger sounding. More natural and detailed. Less muffled. Pinpoint imaging. Beautiful soundstage without any gaps. How did this happen with this tiny speaker?