2. home-theater
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Matching the center channel to the fronts

OK, I know it is ideal to match the center channel to the fronts, but I am constrained by the fact that my TV stand will only accomodate a center channel that is approximately 19 1/4" wide. This severely limits my choices when it comes to the fronts which I am thinking about purchasing. With each brand, I would have to drop down a class to get a center channel which fits.

So the question is: should I just drop down a class in the fronts as well, in order to get timbre matched speakers (i.e. get the Focal Chorus instead of the Cobalt with Chorus center or the Dynaudio Audience 42C with the 72 instead of the Focus 200 and audience 42C)?

Or should I go with the higher grade fronts, especially since I plan to use it 70% music and 30% HT (and I do more critical listening with music as opposed to movie soundtracks).
rs691919

Showing 2 responses by markphd

markphd
667 posts
 
If you have your front speakers set up properly, you really wouldn't need a centre channel at all. The stereo imaging would place the people and their voices where they should be.

If you do eliminate the centre speaker though, you will have to tell your processor to go to phantom mode. If you just disconnected the centre speaker without going to phantom mode, the processor is still going to send all the L+R signal to the center output. With no centre speaker attached, the voices will then disappear for the most part. The instructions for the particular processor should tell you how to do this.
markphd
667 posts
 
Javachip said:

"That said, I am not so sure about the idea of watching a movie in "phantom center" mode with no center channel speaker. Around 80% of the soundtrack (especially the dialog) is directed to the center channel speaker. Having that speaker close to the video screen ensures that dialog will emanate from the actors' mouths, not from somewhere else."

If stereo speakers are located properly for imaging, the voices are going to come from the actor's mouths, not somewhere else. That's what stereo imaging is. If you can't place your speakers properly because of space limitations, then it would be better to keep some speaker in the centre. I would also agree with the rest of the post.
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