Poor centre speaker sound

[S.Jacob]

Hi,

I have an Onkyo PRSC886 processor connected to a Marantz MMC 7055 power amp through balanced interconnects, but despite keeping the centre out put to the maximum, the volume tends to be low especially with Sky. I managed to get one of those small signal boosters which I have connected to the unbalanced output of the centre channel. Although it sounds much louder, the sound gets a bit harsh at high volumes. I was wondering if there is a similar gadget I could use for the balanced connection?! Thanks.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Firstly, we need to know what speakers you have.

It might be worth checking that all of the drivers in the centre speaker are working properly.

Do you run an auto setup and then just leave it, trusting the end result to a circuit that has no idea what your speakers are supposed to sound like? Or do you make adjustments afterwards? If so, what?

Whatever the issue is (unless it is a fault), should be able to be sorted without adding any 'gadget' to boost anything.

Oh, and your centre level really shouldn't be set to maximum. Nothing should.

 

[S.Jacob]

Thanks for that. The centre speaker is a KEF reference model which needs to be driven hard. I use the Marantz power amp for centre and surround duties only as I have separate power amp for the front channels. All drivers in the centre speaker are working correctly.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

A fairly common issue (I think). I personnally recon Sky is partly responsible finding the balance on bluray usually better. Ofcourse maximum anything sounds a bit wrong unless all your other channels are also very high. I think a little more info would help others to suggest remedies. A cheap meter may help to see whats going on? Good look anyway.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Thanks for that. The centre speaker is a KEF reference model which needs to be driven hard. I use the Marantz power amp for centre and surround duties only as I have separate power amp for the front channels. All drivers in the centre speaker are working correctly.

What are the front speakers?

The centre will be a 4ohm load, but it will be fairly efficient regarding sensitivity. I'd suggest starting again and re-calibrating the whole system - I can't see the centre needing to be any more than about 5dB hot in comparison to the front pair, unless they're ultra sensitive, which is unlikely.

 

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