I'd go for a BeoLab 7.4...

The Beolab 7.1/2/6 were designed a stereo speakers when your BV7 is not part of a surround setup. Since you have dedicated BeoLab 3 speakers you don't need the wide Beolab 7; but only the BeoLab 7.4 center speaker

Karel.

I'd also recommend the 7-4 center speaker. With the 7-32 soundbar, the center channel (when you're in SPEAKER 3 or 5 mode) would not be as clearly defined as the 7-4, and you might notice strange audio aberrations when sitting off-axis. This is what I'm experiencing with my setup.

Leo

Or you could use a single Beolab 3.  In one of my setups, I have a pair of BL 3's as the center.  I know...not recommended....but it works great for me.  

If you can get hold of a single BeoLab 3!

I've got a single Beolab 4 as a central speaker and front left / right Beolab 6000's, works a treat.

The BeoLab 7-4 is the ideal centre speaker for many reasons.

Firstly, it's capable of going really quite loud, which as the centre channel, is rather important. The centre speaker is the most important part of a surround sound setup and therefore is required to be the most capable.

Secondly, it's equipped with an acoustic lens, which is especially beneficial as a centre speaker which needs to fire the same sound into every area of the 5.1 setup (which is quite a large area to cover).

Thirdly, it's vertically aligned & symmetrical, which means movement around the room and changes in position still give the same sound no matter where you're sat (as opposed to 4000s on their side, or a 7-1, 7-2 or 7-6.

Lastly, it does seem to have a slight mid-band vocal presence boost which helps dialogue cut through in noisy scenes...

danezro wrote:

I've got a single Beolab 4 as a central speaker

Curious: From the center channel -is there both L and R signal or is it MONO? (i.e.) How would I set the switch on a single BL4000, or does it even matter?

Thx,

burantek wrote:

danezro wrote:

I've got a single Beolab 4 as a central speaker

Curious: From the center channel -is there both L and R signal or is it MONO? (i.e.) How would I set the switch on a single BL4000, or does it even matter?

Thx,

I always thought the BS3 would just send a mono output through the center ch port making a left/right switch erroneous.

My BL7.1 is part of a surround setup: two BL6000's in front, two BL4000's rear and a BL11 for the bass line.

With the BL7.1, you do notice the direction the speaker is pointed in. In other words, when I'm watching alone, I point the BV7 right to my seating position, to get the best sound. I imagine that's no problem with the BL7.4, thanks to the accoustig lens.

But. And that's a huge, big, extremely large BUT. Which looks do you like more? I mean, part of the B&O experience is what it all looks like. IMHO the BL7.4 looks o.k. on the BV7-55, looks acceptable on the BV7-40, but looks like an ugly monster on the BV7-32. While the BL7.1, again IMHO, makes a great combination with the BV7-32.

Either way, you're never going to buy a bad center speaker. The BL7.1 sounds wonderful and scares the sh*t  out of anyone when you tell 'em it's really sound from the telly, and not from the L/R-speakers and subwoofer 😕