Raising centre channel level - good idea?

[Godfather]

I sometimes find movie dialogue hard to make out and so have increased the centre channel level to 1-2 dB higher than the other channels. Does anyone else do this?

[eddiea]

I had the same prob, cured it by tilting my centre a few degrees so the speakers were pointing directly at my head when in the listening position.

[William Shin]

I do the same thing.
But also you can consider to upgrade a centre speaker, e.g. B&W LCR600 to improve sound.

I do this too, but I used the test tones to set it. Mine's +3dB above the left and right fronts. It's not that dialogue is unclear, it's just that it's too quiet for my liking. I think it's a side effect of the dynamic range of 5.1 soundtracks, as there's a huge volume difference between quiet conversations and big explosions.

Increasing the Centre Channel a few db won´t hurt. Might also be worth switching on the Dynamic Range Compression if you are constantly turning the volume level up & down. Most amps/receivers have a few settings for this, Low, Mid, High etc.

Originally posted by Nemesis Twin
Might also be worth switching on the Dynamic Range Compression if you are constantly turning the volume level up & down. Most amps/receivers have a few settings for this, Low, Mid, High etc.

Yeah but then you miss out on quite a bit if you set it to anything other than max. I think turning the centre channel up a little is the best compromise. For me anyway

Originally posted by Squirrel God
Yeah but then you miss out on quite a bit if you set it to anything other than max. I think turning the centre channel up a little is the best compromise. For me anyway

Its not that you lose any details but you will lose the impact of explosions etc. For example when you a have a quiet moment then a sudden burst of loudness. With the DRC on you wont get this as the dynamic range is decreased (depending on the setting).

Personally I leave the DRC off but it is does have its uses if you have neighbours that don´t like being blown out of their chairs by your AV system.

[Johndm]

My Mission centre is set +3, as it fires directly into my knees!
Might also try aiming it up a few degrees, but that means putting it in the bottom of TV stand.

Also thinking of maybe two centres, one below the screen, and one above to 'centre' the centre if you know what I mean!
But that means going back to an external amp to power them.

Already use a external amp for twin rear centres with my VA555ES, and the Sony volume controls the external amps output level.

Guess I could run two centre 8ohm speakers in parallel direct from the Sony?

Originally posted by Johndm

Also thinking of maybe two centres, one below the screen, and one above to 'centre' the centre if you know what I mean!

You can also have problems running two centre channels with regards to one cancelling the other out at certain frequencies. You´d be better off repositioning and tweaking your current centre speaker.

[Johndm]

Originally posted by Nemesis Twin
You can also have problems running two centre channels with regards to one cancelling the other out at certain frequencies. You´d be better off repositioning and tweaking your current centre speaker.

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Advice heeded, will try the angle job.

Now need ANOTHER excuse to pop into Sevenoaks this morning

Originally posted by Nemesis Twin
Its not that you lose any details but you will lose the impact of explosions etc. For example when you a have a quiet moment then a sudden burst of loudness. With the DRC on you wont get this as the dynamic range is decreased (depending on the setting).

Yes that's what I was referring to

Originally posted by Johndm
My Mission centre is set +3, as it fires directly into my knees!
Might also try aiming it up a few degrees, but that means putting it in the bottom of TV stand.

Why isn't your centre speaker on the top of your TV?

[Johndm]

Originally posted by Squirrel God
Why isn't your centre speaker on the top of your TV?

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Its in TV cabinet about 10" from bottom of the screen.

Just looking at TV, and top is angled down a few degrees!
Think its gonna go on top for a test.....bugger the shopping!

[Godfather]

I think part of my problem is that my centre is on top of my RPTV meaning that it's 5 and a half feet off the ground and a couple of feet above ear level. I've angled it down a bit but the positioning isn't perfect.

Yeah, guess it does depend on the size of your TV. My set is a 28" CRT and my sofa is quite high, so the centre is only slightly above ear level.

However, I notice that placing speakers higher than ear level results in more treble, whereas if they're below ear level, it results in more of a bassy sound. I'd say that out of the two options, the former is more preferable for dialogue.