How good is your centre speaker?

[admin_exported]

This question has been troubling me for a while.

I have Quad 22L2 for the front pair coupled with a Quad L Centre. Now the Centre is not an L2 but I believe that because it is still a Quad L it is still voiced the same so the issue is not a mis-match.

My question is that if I have the dialogue coming out of the centre it sounds OK, but if I have the dialogue coming out the fronts, it sounds better. Now, I am assuming that this is beacuse I am hearing dialogue from two speakers not just one.

So how does your Centre sound, does it seem a little 'enclosed', would it be better if you had two centres spaced a little way apart???

 

[Big Chris]

I think you've answered your own question.

Yeah, dialogue from the front pair will sound wider and fuller than from a single source. You may have found the next step in surround enjoyment, a pair of centre speakers.

 

[roger06]

Are you SURE it sounds better? Not just different?

If I put my amp in phantom mode (which I had to do for a while until I got a longer cable for my centre...) it puts the dialogue in the fronts.

It sounds more 'surroundy' (great word eh?) and it initially sounds better as there's more of it. But after a while I was totally fed up with it as it wasn't clear enough and was too detached from the screen.

With the centre speaker hooked up things are far better - the dialogue is clear and separated and so much better.

I don't know whether mine is properly matched though - I have a Dynaudio something-or-other centre that's about £250 in between a pair of Dynaudio Audience 52SEs at £950.

 

[Messiah]

I have also toyed with the idea of buying another pair of MA RS1's so that I can use 1 for a centre (and 1 spare) instead of the dedicated centre. (When I have the funds I will be demoing this set up.)

You see I have to believe that 3 identical speakers across the front will give the best tonal balance (such as a Sub-Sat system uses the same speakers all round). I used to run Mission 752F with the Mission 75c and it definitely sounded different!

However, until I test it I cannot say for sure......

 

[Sorreltiger]

I must say, I'm a bit puzzled. ÿThe ideal is surely to create a believable and integrated soundstage across the front three speakers, with the dialogue clearly located. ÿI have Quad 12L2s and Quad L-ite centre and I couldn't be happier. ÿThe centre (not as good, I would imagine as an L or L2) does a lot of work and never sounds unnatural, strained or intrusive. ÿThe bass units are slightly smaller, of course, but very similar. ÿSpeech is crystal clear. ÿI can't help wondering whether your problem isn't one of amplification, set-up or positioning as you shouldn't really need two centre speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

ive got the quad center and it can sound enclosed somtimes, a little while ago i thought i had some crackling noise from my center but wasnt too sure as its was infrequent and quite, so i borrowd a 12l from the old man and it was loads better as a center more natural dialog and the synergie was ace. There a lot of talk about the using same make of speaker in a surround set up but really the only way speakers will sound the same is if the are the same and i mean identicle. Three 12l's across the front brill shame you cant buy them on their own :-(

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder on the effect you are seaching for?

Having a Monitor Audio RS8 av set up, I look at setting the centre speaker to produce a natural dialogue on voices. So I roll off the bass frequencies so the mid range comes through Crystal clear.

The fronts do the duties of widening the sound stage along with directionality, (again with bass rolled off just a little) with the sub dealing with the heavy work.

Clarity, speed, balance and impact are what I set up my system for on both films and music and a good sized centre is essential as it does a high proportion of this work. IMHO

Cannot see the benefits of the main dialogue not coming from one specific source myself.

 

[Anonymous]

I point i was trying to make was if you want speakers to sound the same they have to be the same, not just the same make or the same range! so to get great synergie across the front channels on your home theater you need three identical speakers. 12L's sound differnt to 11L's and the quad center is differnt again. although i appretiate that most people couldnt for instance have three floor standers in there system blah blah blah

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your replies. I think the main issue is that dialogue coming out of a single source sounds almost 'mono', because of course that's what it is. I agree Gareth that a centre exactly the same as the Left or Right speaker would do the job perfectly and really the Quads should be pretty close anyway as the drivers (I assume) would be the same. If the world were perfect and my wallet was full I would buy two L2 Centres and put them side by side to see what sort of a front soundstage this would create. But the wallet isn't full.

Anyway, it IS crystal clear, so that in itself is a blessing.....

 

[Anonymous]

The drivers are the same but they are in a differnt box so they will sound differnt! my quad center sounds quite differnt to my 12ls! the annoying thing is it sounds small ive try'd differing crossover points and moving the speaker around to no avail :-(

 

[Anonymous]

If you or anyone only watches centrally, then you don't need a centre speaker. It really comes into its own when sitting off-axis, and in such case it is best to have as good a centre speaker as possible. I have Dali Ikon 6 front pair and a Vokal 2 centre, which is excellent, but I often watch purely in stereo these days, as my AV kit only has optical in, and I swap my PS3 between ultimate quality sound through my DAC, and 5.1 through my AV amp. ÿ

 

[D.J.KRIME]

Personally I find TV/Movies sound rather odd if listened to in stereo with no centre speaker and if I went for Gareth's option of using the same speaker as my left and right I would not be able to see my TV as a KEF iQ9 is a big ******

In their design a center speaker is designed to sound differnt to the others in your suround system to help with a natural dispersion of the sound.

 

[Sorreltiger]

I don't want to come across as smug, but I honestly don't have a problem with my 12L2s and Quad L-ite centre, even though I was concerned about a possible mismatch caused by my upgrade from the standard L-ite package when I went 7.1. ÿThis thread made me listen all the more attentively and could have been a source of discontent! Of course, the position of the centre underneath the TV isn't perfect - ideally, the sound should come from the screen itself. ÿWith this in mind - and the advice to angle the centre speaker towards the listener - I invested in two chunky rubber door stops, which act as wedges and point the speaker towards ear-level. ÿSurprisingly, the pale grey colour blends well with the silver speaker and the aesthetic effect is excellent. ÿMore importantly, the acoustic effect is also worthwhile. ÿI know it's a Heath Robinson solution, but it works for me! ÿIn conclusion, my overall experience is that the height, angle and position front to back of the centre speaker have a huge effect and it's worth experimenting in order to achieve a good result.

 

[Anonymous]

i find that i have to turn up my centre speaker for movies but normal tv its fine (when i say turn up i mean turn higher than the audyssey auto set up has it) Otherwise i just struggle to make out vocals any time there is a bit of action / louder sounds from the fronts.

Im gonna invest in a sound meter thingy so i can see what levels the audyssey sets them at.