Just wondering what other people's thoughts are about centre speakers.
I have run a home cinema for over 10 years and always got better results with no centre speaker (setting the amp to mix centre channel information to front left & right speakers).
At one time, I had 5 x Tannoy Saturn 8s - all exactly the same and no matter how I positioned the centre, it always sounded different to the other speakers, presumably due to their proximity to the room corners. I found the difference very obvious - if a sound moved sideways across the screen, the quality would change as it passed the centre. The difference in tone was also very obvious when playing the white noise my amp puts out when setting speaker levels.
I was much happier with the centre switched off but others say the centre is important to lock the dialogue to the screen. I have always used a projector, so maybe that makes a difference ?
Other advantages of not having one are:
I have run a home cinema for over 10 years and always got better results with no centre speaker (setting the amp to mix centre channel information to front left & right speakers).
At one time, I had 5 x Tannoy Saturn 8s - all exactly the same and no matter how I positioned the centre, it always sounded different to the other speakers, presumably due to their proximity to the room corners. I found the difference very obvious - if a sound moved sideways across the screen, the quality would change as it passed the centre. The difference in tone was also very obvious when playing the white noise my amp puts out when setting speaker levels.
I was much happier with the centre switched off but others say the centre is important to lock the dialogue to the screen. I have always used a projector, so maybe that makes a difference ?
Other advantages of not having one are:
- More money to spend on the other speakers - potentially better sound quality.
- No restriction on speaker choice - not all have available matching centres.
- Better domestic acceptability.
- No problems positioning the speaker above or below the screen when you really want it in the middle.