Thanks for the reply`s.
2/3 channel home cinema
Hello.
I am twisting my mind, and cant fint a answer on the internett, and i dont trust salesman from a hifi store.
If i have a stereo set up. What is the benefit of adding a center speaker when i see movies. And i dont wanna go for side and back speakers
I am twisting my mind, and cant fint a answer on the internett, and i dont trust salesman from a hifi store.
If i have a stereo set up. What is the benefit of adding a center speaker when i see movies. And i dont wanna go for side and back speakers
4 responses Add your response
amg has some good points. The audio for all movies are mixed for a minimum 5 channel system. For movie dialogue, the sounds are mixed so that they are output primarily to the center channel speaker. The left/right will produce ambient reverberation of the voices. In other words, voices sourced from center will slightly echo out of the left/right. This gives you an element of depth - like how somebody sounds talking in a small room or like a bathroom. This adds to the reality of the movie. The surround speakers (in addition to providing special surround effects) will further produce environment reverberations. If you don't want them, they are not really necessary, but will add some element of movie experience. Of course, you can watch a movie with just 2 speakers (left/right), but the sound will not be as "solid" sounding and may even have some slight echo effects on the voices. Music score is mostly output on the left/right main speakers and may reverberate some to the surround speakers. All speakers can be used for special effects, such as explosions, car crashes, doors opening to the left, motorcycles riding from left to right, etc. etc. |
OP: I’ve worked in motion picture auditorium sound and have experimented with this, as well as done quite a bit of reading. You can use a "phantom" channel, but, a center may sound better. The reasons is related to your head and how it affects sounds from different locations. (Look up HRTF). I actually used to advocate for never using a center at home until I tried it. :) With music and stereo speakers, pay close attention to instruments and how they sound as they are hard to the sides and in the center. Ever notice they sound more vibrant on the sides, and more laid back in the center? Having an actual center source fixes this which really can help dialogue intelligibility and transparency. Also, the Neo6 music modes are pretty damn outstanding in filling in the center of even very good 2 way systems for the same reason. I think more music lovers should try this. This may be related to why 3 channels were often used in classical recordings way back when. Another reason is the center channel improves off-axis localization. If you really only listen in front of the TV this may not matter. I’d say it’s a moderate improvement though, not a must have. You may want to look at the sales at PartsConnexion. They routinely have several center channel speakers on discount. https://www.partsconnexion.com/eblast/2018/may-jn/ss053118.html Best, E |
@heidrun It is a much better case to include as much system information so that the respondents can offer you opinion with more accuracy. Again what is your budget? What is your goal? A centre speaker takes the speech load from the side speakers when playing movies, for instance. It adds focus to that part of the speech score, while other speakers are available to take the music score and special effects. 1. I am assuming that a Sub-Woofer may be a plausible inclusion. This will fill in the lower notes and give you the visceral feeling in lieu of a full 5.1/7.2 etc system. There are some excellent Subs out there 2. There are some excellent soundbar/sub combinations (Yamaha/Samsung) that will lift your roof off. There are very cheap ($$$ wise) amplifier/speaker combinations that can be considered as a typical 5.1 surround layout. Remember that a good surround sound system and sound as good as a stereo system Without bags of gold to purchase 2 systems (1) for Stereo only and, (2) for star wars big effects, you are going to need to plan your equipment requirement carefully and moving through the second hand "bins" and forcing a bargain there. Good luck. AMG |
