Looking for opinions on HT setup (4.1 matched or 5.1 unmatched?)

[omegacentrix]

Hi Guys/Gals,

I've got a bit of a dilemma. Here's the situation:

I have a pair of Sierras on order and a pair of HTM 200s in my HT. I'm probably/eventually going to get a Sierra center, but it may be a long while before I can find the $$ for that. I do have two other speakers (CSW MC300) I can use for rears, but they are timbre unmatched. I also have a decent Panasonic XR57 receiver that does a good job with digital processing.

The question is:

Should I use a LR Sierra setup with no center (relying on the receiver to mix the C signal with L/R) and use the HTMs as rears in a 4.1 system? Or should I use an HTM as a timbre matched center with rears that don't match too well but in a 5.1 system?

My current thoughts are that I should go for an all-ascend timbre matched HT system relying on the receiver to mix the center channel - it seems to do a decent job, and I'm sure the Sierras can handle the "phantom" center pretty well. Any thoughts, comments, or suggestions?

Dave

[Jacob C]

4.1 all the way IMO. I have been running 4.1 for years and rarely miss the center. My 170's especially do a great job of puting the image where it belongs. As long as you are sitting between the speakers you should be fine without a center.

[BradJudy]

Yeah, the Sierras in phantom center mode should be better than an HTM as a center.