Low center channel volume boosted with small preamp
I just wanted to let you know how I'm using this Technolink TC-780LC Stereo Line Level Amp / Booster on Amazon for $50 that I just bought. I had adjusted my receiver and Blu-ray player so that the center channel is all the way up in volume and the front and right speakers are adjusted down, but I've still always had trouble hearing the dialog in movies. When I would turn up the volume for dialog, then explosions or other loud scenes would be too loud coming from the right and left speakers. I have a Panasonic Blu-ray player with individual channel outputs - 1 RCA cable for the center channel, 1 for the right, 1 for the left, etc. I don't have an HDMI input on my older receiver. Many Blu-ray players do not have this feature, so if you don't, then this won't work for you. Now, I have the center channel from the Blu-ray player going to this little preamp, and the output of the preamp going to the 6-channel direct inputs on my Harman/Kardon receiver. The other channels are connected from the outputs of the Blu-ray player directly to the 6-channel direct inputs on the receiver. Now, I am able to turn up and adjust the center channel volume and still keep the volume low enough on the receiver so that the left and right speakers aren't too loud during action scenes.