• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

center for genelec 8341a, is center that important for movies?

sarumbear

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
7,604
Likes
7,314
Location
UK
You have a point: if the material is originally mixed for the center channel, it sounds reasonable. But my point of pain was listening to stereo up-mixed (Dolby Digital+). Too much of the soundstage is squeezed into the center, even with spread on. And, as I said, I found no reason to keep the center for movies after trying center-less. Although I do intend to revisit this topic after building a better center channel speaker. I'd be more inclined to keep it if it could be turned off and on with a single button click.
Up-mixing is an effect hence it is pretty subjective. I cannot possibly comment on it.
 

Alexium

Active Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2019
Messages
223
Likes
144
Location
Ukraine
Up-mixing is an effect hence it is pretty subjective. I cannot possibly comment on it.
It's great to talk to a person who actually knows what they're talking about, you've set my mind straight on this. Thank you. I should listen to more music natively mixed for multi-channel, and with a center speaker that better matches my mains, before deciding whether the center channel is beneficial or not.
Still, in a pinch, not having the center speaker can be fine in a small listening space - at least in my experience.
 
Last edited:

sarumbear

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
7,604
Likes
7,314
Location
UK
Still, in a pinch, not having the center speaker can be fine in a small listening space.
Can is the operative word, but is it? :)
 

paudio

Active Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2021
Messages
289
Likes
166
Op sounds like you're going to have a nice setup.

I've always preferred the native mixing without upmixing or downmixing as it always seemed to produce some weird stuff. Have you AVR play stereo if it's stereo and surround if it's surround.

I guess you just need some GLM capable surrounds now?
 
Top Bottom