2. speakers
  3. 1248704553

Center Channel Frequency Response

I have to go with one system for all -- don't have the luxury of one system for movies and another for music. I found this response in an old thread:
A center channel speaker that is expressly designed for HT will have a restricted and taylored frequency response which makes speech more easily intelegible. However, such a speaker is not good for multichannel music, where the center (and surrounds) should be the same as the left and right fronts.

First question: Is the underlying premise correct? Are HT soundtracks and multichannel music formats mixed differently with respect to the frequency range of the center channel?

Second question: If the answer to the first question is "yes," why would a more restricted frequency range on the center channel make dialog clearer? Seems to me a clear midrange is a clear midrange. Am I missing something?

Thanks,
Lou
lhf63

Showing 1 response by dcrugby

dcrugby
96 posts
 
if you don't have to worry about more people than, say, you and a significant other watching television, i would suggest you try going without a center channel and just sitting in the sweet spot when you can.

people like them for off-axis listening, of course, but i've never liked center channel speakers when i could sit within a couple of feet of the center.

that being said, if you do need one, i agree that it should be as close to full range as you can get. i've heard systems where the center speaker wasn't in the same frequency response league as the L+R speakers and it sounded bad to me. and i would think that even 80 wouldn't be a great low end. i had a center that went to 50 and it didn't seem to be enough to me. tons (too much, if you ask me) of sound is sent to the center channel normally and you'll miss it.
More to discover