Center speakers, should I get one?

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cxz001

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 17, 2007
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http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SS-CN5000-Center-Channel-Speaker/dp/B000OGA81Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1309235692&sr=1-1

I'm looking into that. My current setup is the following:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OL3QTW"]Amazon.com: Sony SA-W2500 Performance Line 100 Watt Subwoofer: Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21la83x3ZcL.@@AMEPARAM@@21la83x3ZcL[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038W0IZO"]Amazon.com: Sony STR-DH510 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver: Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21sdI0fyV6L.@@AMEPARAM@@21sdI0fyV6L[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OG6I6A"]Amazon.com: Sony SS-B3000 Bookshelf Speakers with 8-Inch Woofer (Pair, Black): Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410nZ6jqYQL.@@AMEPARAM@@410nZ6jqYQL[/ame]
and I have a Striker 7.1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001

What will this center speaker do for me in terms of music, movies, games? Is it worth 60$? Or should I use $60 to buy a pair of speakers as rear speakers to do surround?

Thanks.
 
Rear speakers.

Center channel is beyond awesome for movies but I think a center would be much less cool if you didn't have rears.
 
Center channels are for the viewers sitting off to the side. If you're basically sitting in the middle sweet spot, you don't need one. Nothing wrong with getting one but if you're only using a receiver to power your system, a center channel speaker will mean less power to the others.
 
so center speakers make the surround speakers suck because it sucked power from them?
 
If you have speakers that are too big for your receiver (underpowered receiver) then that can be a problem. But a properly matched system has no issue with this. If it were the case, then no one would have center speakers. In most surround sound movies, the center speakers are used mostly for dialog. Many people think dialog is an important part of the movie (much more important than having a rain sound effect or explosion originate from over your shoulders). If your ultimate goal is to get 5 surround speakers, then I guess it doesn't matter too much what you get first. If you are mainly watching movies, I'd go center first if you can't afford to buy the whole set at once. And make sure your speakers match (are the same brand and series) for optimal results (timbre matching).
 
oh nice, i've always had a problem with the sound effects overpowering the dialogue, so you think this center speaker will address that issue?
 
If you are listening to a surround source on just stereo speakers, with no downmixing, then yeah, most of the dialog is probably being cut. If you properly downmix the surround source (which most capable receivers can do, and something like ffdshow in software can also do, or your soundcard driver), then this shouldn't be an issue. The center channel audio information should be mixed and set to your stereo speakers, in theory. If that isn't happening, then adding a center speaker should help.
 
MacLeod said:
Center channels are for the viewers sitting off to the side. If you're basically sitting in the middle sweet spot, you don't need one. Nothing wrong with getting one but if you're only using a receiver to power your system, a center channel speaker will mean less power to the others.
Click to expand...

Umm what? :confused:

Never heard this before.

Dialogue comes out of the center channel and some consider it the most important speaker in a home theater.
 
I'm not an audiophile, but I've been dabbling with surround sound systems for a while now. I've change my configuration around, but I've always had 5 speakers. The two single biggest upgrades that I have ever made were:

1. Upgrading the Center Channel
2. Adding a subwoofer

My latest addition was going from 5.1 to 7.1, and has probably been the least notable upgrade I've ever done.

I would highly recommend adding a center-- a good one!
 
If you have two good left and right speakers up front and your seating if directly in front of the screen, you probably don't need a center speaker. I center speaker is basically designed for when you people sitting to the left or right of screen. The dialogue would not appear to be coming from the screen in this situation unless there is a center speaker to "anchor" the dialogue to the screen.

If dialogue is getting "drowned out" by music or effects (without a center channel speaker) this means the speakers just aren't very good or the soundtrack has a bad mix (very common with many movies). Remember that movie soundtracks are mixed for use in theaters, not for the home. Alot of receivers or dvd/bluray players will pump up the dialogue automatically.
 
valve1138 said:
Umm what? :confused:

Never heard this before.

Dialogue comes out of the center channel and some consider it the most important speaker in a home theater.
Click to expand...

its the most important speaker when you have 5/6/7 speakers. ie, you can get a much better quality center, and then skimp a little on the other speakers.

what hes referring to a phantom center channel setup. if you dont have a center channel the dialog is split between the two front speakers. this works beatifully for budget systems, the only drawback is people sitting off to the side. you need to sit right in the middle of the F LR for a phantom center channel to work properly.
 
I highly prefer a good center to rears. The dialogue just isn't the same without it, to the point where it impacts enjoyment of movies for me.

FWIW I have very good speakers running off of a Marants SR5005 and I still feel this way.
 
Yea I do notice the dialogue is drowned out by sound effects, to the point that I raise the volume too high that the sound effects then becomes too much.

Is my speakers bad? Sony SS 3000, semi floors.

Should I go with a Sony center or Polk?
 
cxz001 said:
Yea I do notice the dialogue is drowned out by sound effects, to the point that I raise the volume too high that the sound effects then becomes too much.

Is my speakers bad? Sony SS 3000, semi floors.

Should I go with a Sony center or Polk?
Click to expand...

They're not "bad" for what they are, an entry level inexpensive speaker. They're not great by any stretch of the imagination, but there's not much choice in that price range and they're certainly better than a lot of Bose crap and such.

If you plan on keeping the Sony speakers, you should stick with the Sony center. The Polk is probably the better speaker, but it won't sonically match your current Sony's. It's important for the speakers to blend together in the front so one doesn't stick out, and sticking to the same brand and model helps.

If you're replacing the Sony's with something else, get whatever brand matches.
 
computerpro3 said:
I highly prefer a good center to rears. The dialogue just isn't the same without it, to the point where it impacts enjoyment of movies for me.

FWIW I have very good speakers running off of a Marants SR5005 and I still feel this way.
Click to expand...

Mmhmm, exactly.

cxz001 said:
Yea I do notice the dialogue is drowned out by sound effects, to the point that I raise the volume too high that the sound effects then becomes too much.

Is my speakers bad? Sony SS 3000, semi floors.

Should I go with a Sony center or Polk?
Click to expand...

This is exactly why you need a center channel speaker.
 
The most price-effective decision would be to get a center channel that matches your fronts.

If you want to spend a bit more I would suggest new front speakers. Look at bookshelf in the $100 each range. They will be more detailed and the sound effects would not muddy out the dialogue. I would suggest NHT superzero 2s ($100 each) and a Dayton SUB-120 subwoofer ($129). It would make a killer detailed system. The NHT have great resale value.

For the record I have an NHT classic system without a center driven by an THX Ultra-2 rated onkyo receiver. I am a believer in quality over quantity when it comes to speakers
 
Do you watch your movies in groups of 3 or more? If so, get a center speaker.

Do you have a good receiver and/or mixer settings so you can control voice volume, dynamic range compression, etc.? If not, get a center speaker.

I use a center speaker because I often end up sitting to the side for movies and because I don't have proper mixer settings.

My dad has two good front speakers and a proper receiver. His movies sound great, and I actually prefer that setup. But I get what best suits my usage, so that's what you need to do.
 
I have heard some ppl prefer to have their LCR setup the same speakers (for obvious reasons). I am with the crowd that whatever is going to be your centre speaker, make sure its a good one if you do a lot of movie watching. Also, get a good sub. I would treat getting the rears either last, or not putting that much of an investment in it. Of course, if you have the money, then by all means.

Like someone said already, perhaps upgrading your current setup from Sony to something else. Be warned, it can become a very expensive hobby.
 
xrintrahx said:
If you have speakers that are too big for your receiver (underpowered receiver) then that can be a problem. But a properly matched system has no issue with this. If it were the case, then no one would have center speakers. In most surround sound movies, the center speakers are used mostly for dialog. Many people think dialog is an important part of the movie (much more important than having a rain sound effect or explosion originate from over your shoulders). If your ultimate goal is to get 5 surround speakers, then I guess it doesn't matter too much what you get first. If you are mainly watching movies, I'd go center first if you can't afford to buy the whole set at once. And make sure your speakers match (are the same brand and series) for optimal results (timbre matching).
Click to expand...

+1, if movies are your main thing (or very important, anyway).
 
Demon10000 said:
I'm not an audiophile, but I've been dabbling with surround sound systems for a while now. I've change my configuration around, but I've always had 5 speakers. The two single biggest upgrades that I have ever made were:

1. Upgrading the Center Channel
2. Adding a subwoofer

My latest addition was going from 5.1 to 7.1, and has probably been the least notable upgrade I've ever done.

I would highly recommend adding a center-- a good one!
Click to expand...

I agree whole heartedly. Get a good center and a good subwoofer, and this is coming from a guy who is normally a 2-channel stereo guy (I guess I'm an audiophile with expensive speakers and 2-channel amps).

I wanted to finally upgrade my home theater and the two biggest improvements where getting a good center channel and a subwoofer. In fact a good subwoofer will help all your speakers, if your receiver can do subwoofer/bass management. My rear speakers are cheap Boston Acoustics (temporarily until I get some Ascend rear speakers) but they sound really good since my subwoofer takes over at 100hz, so they sound really full. I have expensive main speakers, but they still crossover at 80hz so my subwoofer takes over. I could get by with lesser L/R speakers, if I were on a budget, and still have good sound since I have a decent subwoofer.

The 3rd big improvement was getting a receiver with room correction technology like Audyssey which can EQ both your speakers AND subwoofer, and flatten the response in your room. Huge improvement. I've got the Audyssey Multi-EQ XT on my Denon and I was impressed with it, and I usually don't like EQing stuff, at least on my 2-channel systems as I tend to be a purist, but for home theater/surround sound, it made a nice difference

OK, maybe 4th improvement was getting a 3 dollar piece of concrete and placing my subwoofer on it. I have wood floors and I'd get crazy bass harmonics as the wood floor wasn't reflecting the bass frequencies, instead absorbing it and radiating it out in an uncontrolled manner, vibrating things and producing very sloppy boomy bass. Placing the subwoofer on the concrete slab improved the sound dramatically. I was shocked at how much better it sounded, like a new subwoofer, tightening up the bass and making it more punchy sound, as well as getting rid of unwanted vibrations since the wood floor wasn't absorbing all the sound.

Any way, if I were building a HT from scratch, I'd first get a good center, a good subwoofer (as much as can afford, like something from HSU, Rythmik, Epik, SVS, Elemental Designs or if on a real budget, a BIC subwoofer) and a receiver with bass management, something like MCACC, YPAO, or Audyssey. Receivers with Audyssey Multi-EQ and higher (XT 32, Pro) will do subwoofer EQing. The lower version Audyssey EQ 2 won't EQ a subwoofer.
 
Basically it comes down to if this is an HTPC or not. If it's connected to your TV and is meant for media consumption then yes you need a freaking center speaker. Why are we having this discussion again? If it's simply a desktop then it's not entirely needed.
 
surround without a center sounds worse than surround without rears. really though, a stereo config is going to sound better than a surround config missing half the speakers. my 2 cents is wait until you have all of them to make the switch to surround.
 
Procyon12 said:
its the most important speaker when you have 5/6/7 speakers. ie, you can get a much better quality center, and then skimp a little on the other speakers.

what hes referring to a phantom center channel setup. if you dont have a center channel the dialog is split between the two front speakers. this works beatifully for budget systems, the only drawback is people sitting off to the side. you need to sit right in the middle of the F LR for a phantom center channel to work properly.
Click to expand...

Exactly. When you're sitting in the middle of your front speakers, the center image will be right in he middle because both left and right speakers are putting out the same frequencies and are the same distance to your ears, your brain will hear the image dead center.

So if you're entertaining people over at your home theater then he's you'll want one so everybody will get s good center image.

For your desktop where you'll be the only one there and you'll be sitting dead center so you wont need one. Use the money you would've spent on the center and use it for better L and R.
 
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