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Do I need better center ch speaker-dialog unclear?

I currently have a PSB Image Series C9 center channel. I had though this was a decent enough speaker, but have grown increasingly frustrated. For example, today I was watching the new release of Chariots of Fire that has the DD 5.1 track. Maybe it is just the big echo-y ancient rooms they shot the film in, or maybe it wasn't miked well, but I cannot discern much of the dialog. There are many other movies I have had the same problem with.

Not being satisfied with the intelligibility of dialog in movies, I recently upgraded to a seperate 5-channel power amp, using my Sony DA4ES receiver as pre-amp. I do not use any soundfields or such, just straight DD or DTS. This helped the clarity vere minimally.

This not having helped all that much, I next upgraded the speaker cable to one of Paul Speltz' Anti-cables, which have received great reviews. This, again, may have helped just a tad, but I am still having the same problem with dialog.

I am now down to the point of nothing left, that I know of, other than to consider upgrading the center speaker.

So, does anybody have any other tips short of a new speaker?

If not, can anyone reccommend a significantly better center speaker that would integate at least decently with my Legacy Signature III front mains? I can't now afford to go with one of Legacy's centers.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
mtrot
drew_eckhardt
394 posts
 
Presumably, you've calibrated the center channel with a SPL meter?

You have placement problems. Your RPTV is a big, reflective object near the center channel. The wall behind it is a big, reflective object.

Try moving the center channel to a stack of cinder blocks a few feet in front of the RPTV, aimed up at the listener.

You may have other acoustic problems. A coffee table in front of your couch will give you an early reflection from the center channel, especially with it aimed at the listener. You might temporarily move the coffee table or aim the speaker higher. Some people sit far from their speakers in a typical living room; and anything beyond the distance needed for the drivers to integrate (6'?) is just letting the direct sound drop farther below the reverberant field which hurts things. Sitting against the back wall is going to give you problematic reflections (and a bass boost).
undertow
1,033 posts
 
Gotta tell you,, I have found many movies are not mixed that well all the time and the dialog is just killed by the other sounds sometimes even in a calibrated system.. However what I found that really seems to be the culprit in many cases is the match of the receiver or amp to the specific speakers used. I know its weird, but synergy comes into play with surround just as it does with 2 channel. I had an issue for a while with a very underpowered center it seemed. Well I pulled the speaker thinking it was just not efficient enough at lower volumes on movies as I don't listen to them at reference level, which most people do not, but then found I put it on a friends receiver and we were blown away how damn good the center sounded even with some questionable movies that were not always mixed that good. Otherwise you might have to get silly and try to do some type of room treatment or Center position, might have to build a shelf to get it up above the display and this will carry a more airy and clear dialog.
snipes
119 posts
 
+1 for Drew's comments regarding SPL equalization. You may have to bump up the output level on the center channel as I'm assuming you adjust the volume like most of us based on all the loud sound effects coming out your larger mains. Even if you did balance it, bump it up a couple db's to see if that helps. It'll cost you nothing. Considering your mains aren't matched to your center there definetly could be a difference in "loudness" between the two. If this is a decent center channel then I would doubt the problem is the speaker, maybe it's just too quite in relation to all the SFX the studios seem to love these days.
mtrot OP
804 posts
 
Thanks, I did bump up the center channel to +1 today.

As to the room, there is no coffee table, but rather an ottoman we prop our feet on. It would probably absorb sound, rather than reflect it.

I can't really put that center speaker in front of the TV, as that is the traffic path in the room.

I sit on a sofa about 9 feet from the front speakers, and the sofa is about 5 feet from the back wall. It really is a terrible room for audio, but it is all I have.

I am just going to have to optimize my equipment and cabling.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
The dynamic range and ambient sounds on movie soundtracks can be a challenge for voice on most consumer speakers. These soundtracks were originally mixed and mastered for high end high $$$ professional movie theatre sound systems(which have much bigger dynamic range). Unless they have been re-mastered (compressed) for consumers or you have professional gear then you will often run into trouble with audibility of speech.

Basically, mid range compression and mid/bass distortion in most consumer speakers will disguise low level vocals...

Unlike music, where voice can be easily compressed to make tracks uniformly loud and audible, the intonation and voice levels of actors in movies varies greatly, after all this is natural and a huge part of expressing emotion/acting....a movie sound track that is highly compressed will lose much of its impact.

This is most likely your problem - it is an all too common one.
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