Argon Audio Forus Center Speaker, Walnut (Each)

The Argon Audio Forus Center in Walnut is a passive center speaker in a wood-effect cabinet, taking on the middle channel with dialogue and voices in a surround system.

Unlike front and surround speakers, a center is hard to hide – it sits right in the field of view, under the screen. That's exactly why it comes in Walnut: if you don't want your living room to turn into a wall of electronics, this speaker looks more like a piece of furniture than cinema tech.

Why the Forus Center?

Because a flat bar just 13.9 centimetres tall fits under almost any TV without intruding into the picture – yet still brings 43 centimetres of width for two full-size 4-inch woofers. The silk dome sits centrally between them and takes over from 3000 Hz. This design is why film voices don't end up with that typical nasal quality small centers tend to produce.

What you get

Speech intelligibility, to put it unromantically. The center gets the channel carrying half the plot from the AV receiver and reproduces it right from the screen – stable for everyone on the sofa, not just the person in the middle. The frequency range runs from 70 to 20,000 Hz; below that, the subwoofer takes over in the set. A magnetic front cover and rubber feet are included.

Who is the Forus Center suited for – and who isn't it for?

Honestly: if you only listen to music in stereo, you can save your money – in two-channel operation the center simply stays silent. It's also useless without an AV receiver, since it's passive and needs its own amplifier channel. But if you take films and series seriously and don't want to keep reaching for the volume dial because dialogue gets lost, this solves exactly that problem.

Our verdict

In Walnut, the Forus Center is the variant for living rooms where home cinema shouldn't be the first thing guests notice. It does what a center has to do, and visually keeps quiet about it. Whether it matches your existing front speakers and which receiver drives it properly – we're happy to tell you: HD Zürisee, Wädenswil, 044 680 22 00, WhatsApp 076 534 22 00 (text only, no calls) or shop@hdzuerisee.ch.

Technical data

• Type: Passive 2-way center speaker, bass reflex
• Bass reflex port: rear
• Tweeter: 0.75″ soft dome (silk, neodymium drive)
• Woofers: 2 × 4″ paper cone
• Frequency range: 70–20,000 Hz
• Impedance: 4 Ω
• Sensitivity: 86 dB
• Crossover frequency: 3000 Hz
• Connection: Single-wire, gold-plated
• Cabinet: MDF, painted front, magnetic front grille
• Finish: Walnut effect (also available in Black, White)
• Dimensions (W×H×D): 43 × 13.9 × 16.1 cm
• Weight: 4.3 kg
• Included: magnetic front cover, rubber feet

Frequently asked questions

Is the Walnut finish of the Forus Center real wood?

It's a walnut-effect foil over the MDF cabinet, not solid wood or veneer. The advantage: the surface is robust against scratches, dust and sunlight – practical for a speaker that stands out in the open on a sideboard and gets dusted regularly.

Does the center need to match the colour of the front speakers?

Not sonically, but visually, yes rather. Because the center usually sits out in the open under the TV, it stands out more than the fronts at the sides. If you have a Forus 55 in Walnut, the matching tone gives a calm overall look. It's not essential, though.

How much space does the Forus Center need on the sideboard?

Reckon on 43 centimetres of width and 16.1 centimetres of depth, plus a few centimetres behind the cabinet for the bass reflex port and the cable. At 13.9 centimetres tall and 4.3 kilograms, it sits without any trouble on any normal shelf.

Can I combine the Forus Center with speakers from other brands?

Technically yes, every AV receiver balances level and distance. Sonically it blends best with other Forus models, because cone material and tweeter match. With unfamiliar front speakers, it's worth checking their tweeter type – we're happy to advise you on that.

Why buy the Forus Center in Walnut from HD Zürisee?

Because we think of home cinema as a whole, not as individual parts. We work through colour choice, channel assignment and placement with you, and tell you honestly if a different combination would work better. Our specialist team has been at it since the nineties and stays reachable after the purchase too.

Goes well with

Everything comes together with matching floorstanding speakers in Walnut, the rest of the speaker range, the necessary cable to the receiver or a browse through Argon Audio.