adding center speaker to existing stereo system

aux - You are not wrong ----

but what a mess we get into. That's why I suggested a sound bar instead. Simple, and good enough for a listener who wants to watch movies occasionally. 

hi @tls49

My experience is that I used to work in making audio equipment for motion picture auditoriums, until Dolby Digital came out, and make my own loudspeakers, on top of being a hobbyist for decades.

I think that while having identical L, R and C speakers is an ideal, it is not the ONLY way to improve sound quality. Well matched speakers, especially with room correction can be a real benefit to dialogue. I know this from personal experience using very different speakers I have made, along with DSP. Would I compare this setup to Spielberg’s? Of course not. That was not the point I wanted to make to the OP.

My first post was not about whether to use identical speakers and amps, but was about how HRTF (head related transfer functions) affect our listening, and why a center channel can enhance the experience more than obvious compared to a phantom center. I really did not argue about how close a match speakers should be. That was all you.

I think the idea that you should ONLY add a matched center is unnecessarily puritanical, and my own listening tests have shown to me that adding a different center, when done right, is a big improvement over a phantom center. Have you done this experiment? I can tell you in my case the sound was absolutely seamless.

Best,

Erik

HI @tls49  You make a good argument, but it's not complete.

Turns out, a center channel can really be helpful. Have you ever noticed a change in tone when an instrument pans from left to center? It turns out that right in the center your head plays a part in cancelling some of the sound. Early recordings were actually 3 channel, and man, do they sound good. :) 

So, for movies and dialogue especially, a center channel will sound somewhat better than a L and R phantom. 

Best,


E

For simplicity, I really think you should consider a sound bar instead.