dual centers?

[Whitey80]

I feel that my front stage is far too narrow sounding on voices. Wondering if adding a second VR12 side-by-side with the current one would help or hurt my system.
Wired parallel at 4ohm, the receiver is supposedly able to handle this.

Thoughts on the idea, the setup and tuning?
The VR12's are quite inexpensive these days, and I am intending to buy a couple more anyways to use as L/R channels on stands to replace my 960's

(equipment listed in sig)

 

[GranteedEV]

i`d steer clear of any dual mono setup.

 

[Whitey80]

i`d steer clear of any dual mono setup.

......why?

 

[GlocksRock]

Dual center channels can cause comb filtering. This has been discussed before, and the consensus was that it should not be done.

 

[Whitey80]

Dual center channels can cause comb filtering. This has been discussed before, and the consensus was that it should not be done.

Thank you, I searched the topic and came up empty-handed

 

[GranteedEV]

What exactly do you feel is wrong with a single center? Is it too localisable? Is it too quiet?

 

[Whitey80]

What exactly do you feel is wrong with a single center? Is it too localisable? Is it too quiet?

Too localized. have tried a few different models over time (have changed my entire setup a number if times now, of course all timbre-matched)

Feels that it should really be wider and more full. This setup has been my favorite so far, but still feels lacking. Am moderately familiar with tuning the built-in MCACC with the Elite. Have tried countless settings and am pleased with the tone, but the spacial dispersion is not what I am hoping for. The VR12 is supposedly quite adept at handling that, but I am not hearing it.

 

[RMRM]

I have read that people have tried to run dual centers one above the screen and one below. So you could try that, but to run them side by side no. Try moving your center around, check the settings it might need to be adjusted. Run some pink noise from your recevier to check the level of all your speakers. If it was me I wouldn't run two centers check your levels first, but if you wanted to run two go one top of the screen and one below. Have a good one.

 

[GlocksRock]

Here is some more reading on the subject:

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=5&Number=206268&Searchpage=1&Main=14451&Words=comb+filter+alan&topic=0&Search=true#Post206268

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I've tried dual vertical center channels (2 CLR3000 speakers), and they sounded like crap due to comb filtering.

You can try to upgrade to just ONE bigger center channel.

But stay the heck away from duall center channels.

 

[Whitey80]

I've tried dual vertical center channels (2 CLR3000 speakers), and they sounded like crap due to comb filtering.

You can try to upgrade to just ONE bigger center channel.

But stay the heck away from duall center channels.

Hard to get bigger than I have without getting into the outrageous price range.

oh well.

 

[GranteedEV]

Hard to get bigger than I have without getting into the outrageous price range.

oh well.

do a DIY Statements Center

And then DIY some Statements

 

[Warpdrv]

Interesting.... makes me thing 2 things...

I used to have an way older polk audio setup, and while the mains were OK, not great by any means there was no really great matching center and I was always struggling to get a good front sound stage cohesion.... It just never sounded right panning from side to side as it was never really voiced the same as the mains.

The other thing that comes to mind is that I was and am not very happy with what MCACC of the pioneer of that generation is not all that great. Its not a very spacial correction system at providing good depth or width of sound stage. I believe as a few years have gone by they have done a better job with their room correction from what people are saying, I just have no first hand experience with the newer models.

Have you tried to turn off EQ and set it more in a manual methodology...? I know its hard to do by ear without measuring equipment such as REW, but it may be worth a shot.... what you can do I copy the correction valuse and apply them manually and see if some minor adjustments to EQ on the CC may improve things for you, that is what I had ended up doing with my setup, until I get a new Preamp that has Audyssey or at least a more capable room correction....

Hope that makes sense...

 

[Pyrrho]

I feel that my front stage is far too narrow sounding on voices. Wondering if adding a second VR12 side-by-side with the current one would help or hurt my system.
Wired parallel at 4ohm, the receiver is supposedly able to handle this.

Thoughts on the idea, the setup and tuning?
The VR12's are quite inexpensive these days, and I am intending to buy a couple more anyways to use as L/R channels on stands to replace my 960's

(equipment listed in sig)

Too localized. have tried a few different models over time (have changed my entire setup a number if times now, of course all timbre-matched)

Feels that it should really be wider and more full. This setup has been my favorite so far, but still feels lacking. Am moderately familiar with tuning the built-in MCACC with the Elite. Have tried countless settings and am pleased with the tone, but the spacial dispersion is not what I am hoping for. The VR12 is supposedly quite adept at handling that, but I am not hearing it.

How far apart are your right and left speakers? You might prefer them closer to the screen than they are, which would make it harder to tell whether a sound is coming from one of them or the center channel. At a movie theater, the front speakers may be all behind the screen, not far off to the sides.

Of course, it could be that your problem is that you don't like the mix that is done with a lot of movies, where when someone is talking in the center of the screen, the sound may be coming from just the center channel.

Also, if you don't like the center localization (which, by the way, is the point in having a separate center speaker), you might prefer doing without a center and selecting "phantom center" (or whatever it is called with your receiver).

 

[GranteedEV]

Also, if you don't like the center localization (which, by the way, is the point ina having a separate center speaker), you might prefer doing without a center and selecting "phantom center" (or whatever it is called with your receiver).

The point of a center speaker isn't to localize the sound beneath the screen, it's to localize it on the screen. If it sounds like everything's coming below the screen, something's wrong. Stuffing some foal and tilting it upwards about 30 degrees may help.

 

[Pyrrho]

The point of a center speaker isn't to localize the sound beneath the screen, it's to localize it on the screen. If it sounds like everything's coming below the screen, something's wrong. Stuffing some foal and tilting it upwards about 30 degrees may help.

I did not say it was to localize the sound below the screen. It is to localize the sound to the center. Also, I was replying to someone complaining about the width, not the height, of the localization.

 

[walter duque]

I've played around with dual centers a while back. It was OK. My next upgrade is going to be the center. I used 2 identical speakers top and bottom, at first I was impressed but went back to single speaker.

I am going from this

to this

That'll be my 5th and last upgrade on the center. I think go with one nice big center. IMO 2 good speakers don't make one great speaker.

 

[Warpdrv]

What Center is that Walter.... ? Its huge and kinda reminds me of the old Polk Audio of the very early era's, like SDA. I am not familiar with that one...

 

[Docks]

Haha thats a badass center!
I was going to suggest the C5 prior to your photo. *Not my setup*

 

[walter duque]

Haha thats a badass center!
I was going to suggest the C5 prior to your photo. *Not my setup*

That's a nice center. I would'nt mind owning that one. That is a hell of a nice system.