Attention home theater shoppers: Think twice before buying a center channel speaker!
First things first--center channel speakers do one thing really well--they anchor dialog to the screen for listeners sitting over to the left or right sides of home theaters. So if your family or friends watch movies together, I'd definitely recommend using a center channel speaker.
But for one or two people sitting directly in front of their TV a center isn't necessary, and almost always sounds less good than the left and right speakers. Center speakers tend to sound boxy, so Denzel Washington sounds like he's in a box. Ditch the center and your A/V receiver will redirect the center channel sound over to the left and right speakers. They have the advantage of not being in front of a display, which unfortunately acts like a large reflector behind the center, which messes with the sound. You will of course, need to go in the receiver's speaker setup menu and "turn off" the center channel speaker output to implement the change.
Also, the typical horizontal woofer/tweeter/woofer center design is a flawed concept (three-way center speakers that centrally position the midrange driver under the tweeter are better). In any case, center speakers rarely tonally match the left/right speakers, upsetting the illusion of a seamless soundstage. Yes, the center's responsibilities loom large--on movies the center conveys almost all the dialog, a lot of effects, and some music. That's why all of that will likely sound better over the left/right front speakers. Oh, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to "rechannel" the money you saved by not buying a center speaker into better left/right speakers. That strategy would result in better overall sound.
Steve Guttenberg is a frequent contributor to magazines and Web sites including Home Entertainment, Playback, and Ultimate AV. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. 
or sound effects. ever watch a movie where dialog and music come through the
same speakers? "i can't hear what he's saying"...so you turn up the sound...then
bam! the music comes back on and it wakes up the kids...so you turn it back
down. and the cycle begins. leave the dialog on the center channel. I'm
surprised CNET posted this article.
Spending more on a matched, quality center and more time adjusting the receiver's parameters is the best solution. What's your next article, "Making a Subwoofer From Your Surrounds."?
NG difference in the quality of the sound. The most striking example is to simply flip to a 2 channel mix while wathcing a movie. Or better yet compare the Beatles LoVE standard CD with the DVD audio disc it comes with. It's night and day. It's like The Beatles are singing in the room live.
Quadrophonic sound, now that was an overrated technology!
I give the following remarks with the understanding that... 1. I do not have anywhere close to the ammount of audio knowledge as the Audiophiliac, and 2. The time and energy I have spent is not a fraction of amount that the Audiophiliac has put into his own life of audio. However with that being said, I feel I must say the following things in regards to this most recent post.
If I am to watch a film or listen to a surround sound soundtrack of some sort, that has been coded with a surround sound format, then for the optimal listening experience I should have the necessary equipment for that activity.
So if I am to experience an SACD/DVD-A/DTS/DD soundtrack, I must have a minimum of a 5.1 speaker setup with appropriate receiver/amplifier. And for a HD audio encoded track I may possibly even need two additional surround speakers, and maybe even an additional subwoofer or more, in order to create a nearly perfect sonic compression zone.
I am in the firm belief that to have as perfect of an audio experience as possible, the equipment must match the nature of the recording. If I want to listen to a stereo recorded track, then a proper stereo pre/pro and separate amplifier, with two full range speakers is the ideal setup for such an experience. However, to say that the same equipment is necessary for a completely different kind of audio experience, i.e. SURROUND SOUND, is totally absurd.
I understand how people may argue that the tonal qualities of a center channel may not match that of the other surround speakers, especially the front Left and Right. However I do think that a small difference in tonal quality should be acceptable for most listeners. And furthermore if the content is good enough, then the listener should not even realize that difference, but instead become one with the experience.
To compare apples with apples, I believe we are all responding, with taking into account, that most people reading this blog are already in the know or interested in audio that is not "HT in a box" quality, but considerably high quality equipment. If you have the capability, knowhow, and resources to get a tonally matched center channel, then by all means do so, to ensure audio perfection. If all you have though, is the matching center channel of the brand of speakers that you purchased, be happy with your experience that you have set yourself up with. At least you're listening to it the way the director/musicians/producers intended it. Get engulfed and "SURROUNDED" into your experience.
Happy Thanksgiving.
If you are a purist music listener then you probably have a separate stereo system for your CDs and (maybe) LPS, FM or satellite radio. You're NEVER going to get a natural sounding stereo image for music when there's a TV screen in between your front speakers. There will always be some glare caused by reflections off of the hard surface of the screen. Reproduction of depth and image placement will also be affected.
If you can't afford (or lack the available space) for separate music and home theater systems then you've already accepted the inherent compromises involved, so why degrade or diminish the full dynamic range and spread of home theater sound by disabling the center channel?
Also, some high-end designs offer a dedicated Center-channel speaker that closely matches the stereo left-right speakers, but these are few and far between and rather costly.
One other situation sprang to mind when thinking about this topic. Many TV channels still broadcast in stereo. Often, these stations sound kind of flat, compressed, or just plain dull compared to 5.1 surround on your HD channels. For these stereo-only stations, try setting your Home Theater Receiver to "5-channel-stereo". It MAY give you better clarity on dialog and a more dynamic sound, too. Instead of less-is-more, maybe sometimes more-is-more?
My question to all of you gurus: can I still use these once top-of-the-line speakers with or without additional speakers with a new a/v receiver yet to be purchased?
The ideal home theater sound would be for all 5 speakers to be very closely matched in tone and timbre. Failing that, you aim for the fronts and center channel to match.
Your best bet, therefore, is to start afresh and include a good subwoofer in your plan.
If you can't bear to part with your old speakers, then find a store that will let you try a couple of center-channel speakers at home and decide if one of them matches your old stereo speakers in tone.
Then again, if you truly ARE like me, you'll soon be disheartened to learn that your ears are not what they once were either. Dman middle aged rock and roll bands.......
Without a Center channel, you would have to rewind to listen to someone speak or have to keep adjusting the volumn.
This review... buy a better sound system if you don't think you need a center channel.
It's NOT. You are much better off with good quality front speakers and forgo the center.
Especially if your front speakers are spaced close together. That said, people need to do what sounds good to them. But I always think it's good to try different setups. After all you never know if there is a better setup then what you have? One thing is for sure. Too many bad speakers is much worse then a couple really good ones!
- by gdstjs January 1, 2009 12:14 AM PST
- I agree with Mr. Guttenberg. For those of you that are complaining that you do not hear good dialogue and do not get a good center image with the center channel turned off and redirected to the L/R speakers, something is wrong with your set-up, your ears, or your system.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(20 Comments)Turning off the center channel does not lessen the amount of sound that was meant to go to the center channel, it has all been redirected to the L/R channels. If you cannot hear the dialogue over the action then that is how it was mixed in the studio, it's not because you turned off the center channel and are no longer getting that signal.
I think Mr. Guttenberg's point of the article is mostly about the diminished sound quality that is inherent with the center speaker. Even a 'matched' center speaker sounds nothing like the L/R speakers because of the cabinet shape/size, the orientation of the drivers (even if the drivers are identical), and the placement of the center speaker which causes a huge tonal hump around the 200hz range (this is part of the cause for that boxy sound of Denzel's voice). When the L/R speakers are set-up properly they will make Denzel's voice sound more natural and will still sound centered in the TV.
I have the Studio line of JBL speakers. L/R: S312's, C: S-Center. Even though the center speaker is 'matched', there is no doubt that the L/R speakers sound much better than the center does. If you're really into sound quality, why muddy it up by using a speaker that puts out inferior sound.