Can surround sound be achieved with four speakers? (no center)

[Jimmy319]

I have two floorstanding mains and two bookshelf surrounds. Two R30's and Two R15's. I tried using one of the surrounds to imitate a center and I actually like the sound coming from the mains by themselves more. So I would like to not use a center. Would that be a problem with surround sound? Would the receiver know that I'm only using 4 speakers and decode surround accordingly? Sorry for the ignorance, this is my first receiver/speaker purchase.

 

[JohnA]

I have two floorstanding mains and two bookshelf surrounds. Two R30's and Two R15's. I tried using one of the surrounds to imitate a center and I actually like the sound coming from the mains by themselves more. So I would like to not use a center. Would that be a problem with surround sound? Would the receiver know that I'm only using 4 speakers and decode surround accordingly? Sorry for the ignorance, this is my first receiver/speaker purchase.

I don't think it will work with 5.1 encoded info, however, your receiver might have a phantom center function...which might work...

 

[Cygnus]

Just buy a center speaker!

 

[Leprkon]

your receiver might have a phantom center function...which might work...

it's fairly common for people who have (for example) a TV mounted over the fireplace to use the phantom mode.

 

[Dan]

4 channel works BETTER in my set up. I can easily switch between 4 and 5 channel surround on my prepro. The center is routed to each of the fronts. Dialog is just fine IF you sit in the sweet spot. Stereo imaging for concerts DVDs is vastly superior in the 4 channel mode. I usually watch in 4 channel unless I have a few people over.

 

[anamorphic96]

4 channel can work fine. Just turn off the center speaker in the setup menu and the dialog will be mixed into the left and right. As long as your in the center sweet spot you should be fine. I have used systems like this in past with great results.

 

[tbewick]

In my experience, I've found that using a centre speaker will significantly improve the surround sound you get. For example, when I added a centre speaker, it greatly increased the dynamic range in surround movies.

The centre speaker is the most important speaker in the whole 5.1/6.1 set up, since it has to produce speech. Your ear is most sensitive in the mid-range, where vocals are located. If you're considering getting a centre, I'd suggest you check with the speaker manufacturer of your existing kit to see what they recommend. It's important to have a matched centre and two fronts, or the front sound field will not blend together well. This is probably why you had disappointing results trying to improvise a centre speaker.

One final thing is that not using a centre might reduce the sound quality, because the surround decoder is downmixing the sound to 4.1 from its original 5.1/6.1 format.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Not having a center channel is limiting you to very poor spacial surround sound. 80% of movie content comes from a center channel. Trying to get it from your left and right towers is not how the studio intended. The most important speaker in a HT setup is your center. Don't skimp on that one!

 

[BMXTRIX]

As mentioned above - you want to have a center channel, but it is not always practical, or even possible to put one in depending on your video setup. Most often, it is a plasma over the fireplace which really makes a center channel impossible.

In which case you are forced to run the center as a phatom. Most receivers handle this automatically when you go into setup and say that there is 'no' center channel. The system then takes the center channel info and evenly sends it to the left and right speakers.

As said, if you aren't in the sweet spot, the center channel audio will then be shifted, so it is not ideal, but definitely works when a center channel is unavailable.

As always, this is a modification based on needs of an environment and not something that is recommended in a serious theater setup. But, in a family room, it is often the only way to go until builders start to realize that the fireplace should NOT be the central focus of the room. The TV should be.