Dual Center Channels?

[kruizin21]

Are there any reasons to either use or not to use dual center channels for my home theater? Are there any benefits to it?

 

[Doug917]

If you have a very large screen, using one on top and one on bottom can help center the image. Other than that, not really.

 

[Sheep]

I would say it depends on how wide your front stage is. If its really far, the a second could be added to widen the vocal sweet spot. Might also help the center(s) keep up to the mains. In a normal size room with proper level adjustment this should not be an issue.




sheep

 

[AverageJoe]

Good question. I've wondered that, too.
I have a 50" screen, but my mains are about 12' apart and I sit about 10' back from the screen. Currently, center is below the screen. Would I be a candidate for two centers? If so, should they be identical?

 

[AVRat]

AverageJoe,
You should be OK, as long as your fronts are volume and timbre matched. You should be concerned if there seems to be a hole when sound pans accross the front stage. A good test is the narrator on the Digital Video Essentials disk talking as he moves across.

 

[AverageJoe]

Y'know, I've recently been debating about getting that DVD even though I have the Avia disk. Is there enough additional/different content to make it worth having both? Thanks for the info.

 

[MDS]

It's worth having both, but AVIA is far easier to use.

My only complaint about AVIA is the video calibration. Because it is tutorial style, they explain what you have to do and then give you two minutes to do it before moving on to the next setting. If you aren't finished, you have to hit back track and suffer thru the whole explanation again. DVE pauses after the explanation and won't move forward until you hit play. So, DVE is easier/better for video calibration, IMO. DVE also has far more patterns but they are hard to get to because they are not accessible via the main menu.

There is also a subtle difference in the way they handle the subwoofer tests. AVIA will play the LFE test tone in both the subwoofer channel and the main channels, whereas DVE does not. See the AVIA website for their explanation as to why.

In short, if you only want one, stick with AVIA. But DVE is under $20 so it can't hurt to get it too and decide which one you like to use most.

 

[bpape]

A dissenting opinion

IMO, it is not good practice to use 2 center channel speakers. Most center channels are MTM arrangement - and for good reason. When they lay on their side, the are controlled horizontal dispersion and full vertical disperson. When you use 2, you are creating a somewhat limited vertical dispersion pattern and causing some cancellations between the 2 speakers. Using 2 can acually CREATE a perceived hole in the center channel response right at the center of the screen - exactly where you don't want it.


If you think there will be an issue due to a very large screen, using a standars driver arrangemet center channel and an acoustically transparent screen is a better option. Even huge movie theater systems only use a single center channel with a wide dispersion pattern and a transparent screen to better lock the dialog to the image. Remember that some of the dialog track in most movies is also in the L and R channels - just not at the levels of the center channel.

 

[Pyrrho]

I agree with bpape. You should NEVER use two center channel speakers.