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If you are moving from a sound bar on your TV to say Sierra Luna's how much difference does adding the center channel make over just a left right system? Do you really hear the dialog that much better with a center speaker added?
Thanks for any input
Yes. At least, that's my experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by i7Audio
I went for a long time with just L/R speakers. It was fine. Phantom center was OK. But it wasn't good enough to keep me from wanting better. So I slowly added more speakers. First subs, then a move from 2.1 sound to 5.1 sound with three Sierra 2s (before the EX came out) L/C/R and Sierra 1s (surround). And the big improvement here was the center speaker. Completely unexpected by me; I thought the move to surround would make a bigger impact. And sometimes it does, but when there's dialog, the center is great to have.
Eventually my wife started asking about center channel improvements so not long after Dave introduced the Duo I bought one (didn't have room for the Horizon sadly). Holy cats! This was considerably better than the Sierra-2 as center.
So to answer your question directly: Yes.
In short, a center channel makes a big difference when watching movies as dialog can make up a bulk of the content. I had a 2.1 (L/R speakers + subwoofer) setup for years and recently did a speaker shuffle and moved speakers to create a 3.1 setup. My wife noticed how much cleaner and more intelligible the dialog was during movies, particularly during action scenes. It also helps with some video games as well if you're a gamer, depending on the audio mix, which also plays a factor as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by i7Audio
In the end, we both liked the 2.1 setup, but my wife preferred 3.1 (with a center channel). It all comes down to budget and also speaker placement/positioning to get the best results.
As long as you don't have a big screen tv 70+, you don't need a center. It's highly overrated. Plus, you free up power in your AVR for more added dynamic in your mains and surrounds. Your mains are your most important speakers not your center.
I think that's a big fat "it depends", depending on seating, distance and usage. I do believe a center channel can be the most important speaker if home theater is the main use. It keeps dialogue anchored to the screen, especially for those sitting off axis. It can help with cleaning up dialogue too, having a speaker dedicated just for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by MDinno
In a smaller room, sitting mostly on axis then the benefit of a center becomes less noticeable. I've noticed, even on axis, dialogue seems more anchored with the center active than in phantom mode. Could I live without my center? Absolutely. The Sierra towers have fantastic imaging, but I do prefer having a dedicated center.
I think the center is the most important channel in a home theatre. A properly designed 3-way or co-axial center with good horizontal dispersion is worth it's weight in gold. The 2-way Ascend bookshelf speakers with RAAL ribbons will fit this as well if you don't need the 70-20xr ribbon output capability.
I have a large-ish room and wouldn't wanna go without. I was using one of my Sierra 2s as a center for quite a while and was very happy with it, but wanted the Horizon because... well... I love big speakers and do turn it up loud sometimes. Plus I wanted the S2s for surround duty. So with my last stimulus check I went ahead and pulled the trigger. I'd already had the towers for a while by then. Having the Horizon and towers up front with plenty of power makes me feel like my system almost bullet proof now. Almost, lol. No speaker is immune to foolish abuse. I still have limits set.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shazb0t
Plus the Horizon is so perfectly matched with the towers.