fronts and center matching

[Hostility]

i believe i read here a long time ago that matching the fronts is key. now before i continue i will tell you what i have, i own the Polk audio RTI10's and the matching center (but lower model), now what i find is that when i go into futureshop (im limited to buying there, it sucks), but anyways, i go into there theater room, and i find the $699 or around there energy center channel is just soo amazing. maybe its the room, maybe its both, but it def. makes me want to buy that center. but i just bought these fronts last year so i dont really want to change them out. so my question is, can you match fronts and center? or would it just sound not right from having 2 different brands up front? thanks

 

[mnatiq]

i believe i read here a long time ago that matching the fronts is key. now before i continue i will tell you what i have, i own the Polk audio RTI10's and the matching center (but lower model), now what i find is that when i go into futureshop (im limited to buying there, it sucks), but anyways, i go into there theater room, and i find the $699 or around there energy center channel is just soo amazing. maybe its the room, maybe its both, but it def. makes me want to buy that center. but i just bought these fronts last year so i dont really want to change them out. so my question is, can you match fronts and center? or would it just sound not right from having 2 different brands up front? thanks

for a while a was using polk towers with a harman kardon center, its the center thats in the harman kardon 5.1 package at futureshop but its the older model from last year, it worked but did not sound rite. i then recently bought the csia4 from futureshop and was much better but still was not the matching center for my polk towers. according to a lot of people on this site it really does matter that u get a matching center. so after the csia4 i ordered the cs2 which matches my towers. after that i can say that i does matter, my HT never sounded sooo good.

 

[skers_54]

If you don't match the center to the L and R, the timbre of the sound will change as it moves across the front soundstage. This is very distracting. Ideally, one should use the same speaker for the center as is used for the left and right channels. IMO, it is better to not use a center than use a poorly matched one.

 

[FirstReflection]

I actually advocate using no center speaker at all and simply running a "phantom" center speaker when you are not able to use sonically identical speakers across the front.

There is little that I hate more in this home theater hobby than a pan across the front soundstage that changes timbre and voice as it moves from speaker to speaker. I would far rather use only a stereo front L/R pair than use anything less than a sonically identical center speaker.

I say that the front L/R speakers are the most important because you CAN run your setup without a physical center speaker. With good front L/R speakers, you can create a very convincing illusion of there being a center speaker in between them.

The center speaker is all about anchoring dialogue to the center of the screen when there are people sitting way off to one side or the other. Unfortunately, it also often acts as a "crutch" to make up for front L/R speakers that have poor imaging and thus, cannot create a convincing illusion of a center speaker in between them.

I would not begin an upgrade path by purchasing a center speaker that outperforms my existing L/R speakers. If you want to improve your sound, begin by upgrading your front L/R pair. Add one - or better yet, two - really excellent subwoofers next. Follow those up with some surround speakers. The center speaker is that last speaker that you should buy if you are putting your system together in pieces at a time, IMO. As I say, good front L/R speakers can create a very convincing "phantom" center speaker. I only suggest adding the actual, physical center speaker once the rest of the system is in place and you are also certain that the center speaker is a perfect sonic match to the front L/R.

Best of luck!

 

[Hostility]

i guess i never though about when pans acorss the front. good point!, i just find, listening to mine, and then in stores (obv they have a better room then i), but the peoples voice sound more real, then my home set up, and i find most talking comes from the center speaker. but i guess ill have to wait untill i can get all 3 replaced. thanks for your help!