200SE vs 340C for Center

[KPFury]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I searched and couldnt find an exact answer... So I'm currently using 2 340SEs from LR, and a Rocket UFW-10 sub. I'm looking to add a center speaker (will be using setup for 90% HT), do I need to go w/ the 340C, or will a 200SE suffice? I like that the 200SE is smaller (altho the 340 would still fit under my TV on the stand) and the fact it's $150 less...

[chas]

With 340 mains I would definitely go with the 340 center.

[Gov]

What Chas said ^^

[DougMac]

I'm looking to add a center speaker (will be using setup for 90% HT

I've read that 70% of the audio content in movies is from the center channel. I think you'll be happier with 340's across the front. I think Ascend does a great job with timbre matching in its series of speakers, but with all the care they take it's hard to get around the difference in driver sizes and basic speaker design (ported vs sealed).

What are you using for surrounds? How big is your listening space? Can you place your surrounds in an optimum position?

I've got 340s across the front, 170s as side surrounds and 200s as back. It's an amazing sounding set of speakers. I've listened to the 200s as mains and they are great. You could also use them as side surrounds with no problem in a medium sized room. I went with the 170's as sides because they weren't that much more and I had the room in my dedicated HT.

Doug

[KPFury]

My setup is weak. I have a 50" plasma that sits 10' in front of me when I'm sitting on the couch, the back of which is right up against the wall in the back.

As a temporary solution I was going to use two of my Logitech Z-560 speakers as the surrounds (for a 5.1 setup) until I can upgrade these to maybe the 200SEs later on.

Since my living room is small, i think even the 170s would be overkill as the surround speakers would be literally be > 1 feet from either side of the couch blasting into my ear haha. What do you guys think?

[Gov]

My setup is weak. I have a 50" plasma that sits 10' in front of me when I'm sitting on the couch, the back of which is right up against the wall in the back.

As a temporary solution I was going to use two of my Logitech Z-560 speakers as the surrounds (for a 5.1 setup) until I can upgrade these to maybe the 200SEs later on.

Since my living room is small, i think even the 170s would be overkill as the surround speakers would be literally be > 1 feet from either side of the couch blasting into my ear haha. What do you guys think?

Get the 340SE for a center and 200SE's for surrounds

[KPFury]

My current problem is when I have a movie in, the voices are very low but when an action sequence comes on the explosions are very loud, so I need to keep adjusting the volume up and down between action sequences. Will having a center channel alleviate this problem so that that the voices come primarily from the center channel and the explosions and whatnot come from the LR channels? I'm only using the two 340SEs right now (setup as "large" on my Panny XR-55)

[Down]

My current problem is when I have a movie in, the voices are very low but when an action sequence comes on the explosions are very loud, so I need to keep adjusting the volume up and down between action sequences. Will having a center channel alleviate this problem so that that the voices come primarily from the center channel and the explosions and whatnot come from the LR channels? I'm only using the two 340SEs right now (setup as "large" on my Panny XR-55)

I've just recently added a 340SE center to my 170SE mains. IME, while adding the center didn't alleviate this problem, it makes "fixable" with added flexibility. When I have a movie that's doing the low voice thing, I just boost the center up a db or 2 and voila, problem (mainly) solved.

[P Seastrand]

My current problem is when I have a movie in, the voices are very low but when an action sequence comes on the explosions are very loud, so I need to keep adjusting the volume up and down between action sequences. Will having a center channel alleviate this problem so that that the voices come primarily from the center channel and the explosions and whatnot come from the LR channels? I'm only using the two 340SEs right now (setup as "large" on my Panny XR-55)

My experience is a quality center speaker will virtually make this problem go away. It certainly did in my case.

[Down]

My experience is a quality center speaker will virtually make this problem go away. It certainly did in my case.
There's only so much it can do when the audio track was mixed poorly.

[azanon]

My current problem is when I have a movie in, the voices are very low but when an action sequence comes on the explosions are very loud, so I need to keep adjusting the volume up and down between action sequences. Will having a center channel alleviate this problem so that that the voices come primarily from the center channel and the explosions and whatnot come from the LR channels? I'm only using the two 340SEs right now (setup as "large" on my Panny XR-55)

Sounds like Dolby Digital! You can "fix" that by adjusting the dynamic range control on your receiver. Virtually all receivers have this adjustment. Default is usually "full" which means you'll experience exactly what you're describing.

I HAVE a center channel, and I can tell you on "full", for me to hear all dialogue clearly, the loud parts of the movie are going to be very loud - in the 85db+ range. Granted, I have mild hearing loss.

Personally, I hate compressed dolby digital though because it defeats the main purpose of high fidelity tracks.

Dolby digital "full" dynamic range is not meant for someone who likes low or even moderate volume movie listening.

I assume the same applies to DTS, but I cant recall offhand.

[DougMac]

My current problem is when I have a movie in, the voices are very low but when an action sequence comes on the explosions are very loud, so I need to keep adjusting the volume up and down between action sequences.
Please don't be offended, but have you checked speaker phase?

If you have a phantom center and your speakers are out of phase, you'll get just the results you describe.

Doug

[KPFury]

Nope, not offended :) I haven't checked the speaker phase - how exactly do I that? I really don't think it's the frequencies or whatever coming from the speakers that are cancelling each other out that's making the vocals low...

Fyi, I am unable/unwilling to move either of the speakers simply because of the limited space, so whatever adjustments I make will have to be done regarding the settings on the receiver.

I have both LR speakers set to "large", how do I adjust the dynamic control, and what exactly is that? Sorry for asking so many newb q's, TIA!

Also, fyi I experienced this watching Transformers on Bluray, so I don't think it's the source material either...

[DougMac]

I haven't checked the speaker phase - how exactly do I that? ...
I have both LR speakers set to "large", how do I adjust the dynamic control, and what exactly is that? Sorry for asking so many newb q's, TIA!


Checking phase:
Are you using speaker cable that is somehow coded? Some cable has a stripe along one conductor, for instance. Just make sure that the red output on the back of your receiver matches the speaker. I usually do stripe to red outputs and inputs. You can also flip the connectors on the back of one speaker and listen for a difference. Be sure to turn off your receiver when changing out the speaker wires to prevent damage.

Since you're using a sub, you can experiment on your speaker settings on the receiver (what are you using?) I'm not familiar with your sub. Check to see what your crossover is set to. Start with 80hz. Set your 340's to "small", then back to "large" see what sounds better. Do the same experiment with the crossover set to 60hz, then try 100hz (I know, this sounds like heresy).

I actually found the best sound with my 340's and SVS sub with a counter-intuitive setting. I dialed down the bass in my receiver to -2db. This cleared up a little bump that was causing a resonance problem. Of course, all this varies by room. YMMV.

Doug

[KPFury]

Thanks Doug. I haven't crossed any wires, using banana plugs and all positive connectors are red, etc. and consistent throughout.

I havent hooked up the sub yet either, so I'm only running the two 340SEs in large. The voice volume isn't THAT small, it's just the explosions are that much louder where I have to turn the volume down significantly.

[ebh]

Thanks Doug. I haven't crossed any wires, using banana plugs and all positive connectors are red, etc. and consistent throughout.

I havent hooked up the sub yet either, so I'm only running the two 340SEs in large. The voice volume isn't THAT small, it's just the explosions are that much louder where I have to turn the volume down significantly.

I think this is typical with most movie mixes. I find the volume of effects to sometimes be super loud in my 7.1 system (though not in an uncomfortable way, except for my upstairs neighbor). Also, it is also possible that since you are running your 340SEs large and therefore sending all frequencies to it, your XR55 can't keep up with the power requirements and is adding distortion in the loud passages, which can sound louder/harsher than if the speakers were playing cleanly. Though, the 340s are pretty efficient and the Panny does supposedly double the power available when playing in 2 channel. Just a thought.

[davef]

I havent hooked up the sub yet either, so I'm only running the two 340SEs in large. The voice volume isn't THAT small, it's just the explosions are that much louder where I have to turn the volume down significantly.

This is quite common on many soundtracks. The mastering engineers often get a little carried away with the dynamic range. Azanon is correct in his above post, if the dynamics bother you, you should enable dynamic range control, which will limit the dynamic range - dialogue will sound the same but explosions etc. will be reduced.

Also, adding a dedicated center channel will absolutely help, especially since you can turn the center volume up louder to suit your preference.