Center Channel Help

[hjames19]

When I took the center channel speaker off of the rack with components and put it on it's own stable stand, I was much easier able to understand the dialogue in movies.

When my set up is complete that is how mine will be.

 

[akamatsu]

When my set up is complete that is how mine will be.

I forgot that I had put some sound absorption on one wall in the form of a rather large Japanese screen artwork. The room was a bit lively before. This helped as well.

 

[hjames19]

I forgot that I had put some sound absorption on one wall in the form of a rather large Japanese screen artwork. The room was a bit lively before. This helped as well.

I plan to do something like this with half the space I’m using for this theater setup. Still looking around for some panels to use on the walls. My entire room is 21’x10’ but I think I might put one of those thick slidable curtain sound barriers to split the room in half.

Ok. I ordered the ELAC Uni-Fi2.0 UC52 after taking in everyone’s recommendations and will compare it to the Debut2.0 c6.2. But I’m fairly certain the c6.2 will lose and be getting sent back to Crutchfield.

Now I’m moving on to the front height speakers. Would it be better to use a bookshelf speaker here or smaller speakers like the ELAC Debut 2.0 OW4.2 or A4.2?

Thanks again everyone for the help!! I really do appreciate it. I’m trying my best to learn all this stuff as quickly as I can.

 

[akamatsu]

I plan to do something like this with half the space I’m using for this theater setup. Still looking around for some panels to use on the walls. My entire room is 21’x10’ but I think I might put one of those thick slidable curtain sound barriers to split the room in half.

Ok. I ordered the ELAC Uni-Fi2.0 UC52 after taking in everyone’s recommendations and will compare it to the Debut2.0 c6.2. But I’m fairly certain the c6.2 will lose and be getting sent back to Crutchfield.

Now I’m moving on to the front height speakers. Would it be better to use a bookshelf speaker here or smaller speakers like the ELAC Debut 2.0 OW4.2 or A4.2?

Thanks again everyone for the help!! I really do appreciate it. I’m trying my best to learn all this stuff as quickly as I can.

In my main listening room with the higher end system, I use rather heavy curtains from Ikea to tame the high frequencies. It works great. There's no need for special acoustic treatment panels.

In the theater, I have a 5.1 system. I acquired mostly second hand kit to build it, so it progressed as 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, and finally 5.1. The front and rear speaker are all matching stand mounts on proper stands. The center speaker is a proper center. When I added the subwoofer, I set the cross-over such that it handled from 80Hz down, and took that bass load below 80Hz off the other five speakers. This helped the sound quality quite a bit.

 

[-Jim-]

I plan to do something like this with half the space I’m using for this theater setup. Still looking around for some panels to use on the walls. My entire room is 21’x10’ but I think I might put one of those thick slidable curtain sound barriers to split the room in half.

Ok. I ordered the ELAC Uni-Fi2.0 UC52 after taking in everyone’s recommendations and will compare it to the Debut2.0 c6.2. But I’m fairly certain the c6.2 will lose and be getting sent back to Crutchfield.

Now I’m moving on to the front height speakers. Would it be better to use a bookshelf speaker here or smaller speakers like the ELAC Debut 2.0 OW4.2 or A4.2?

Thanks again everyone for the help!! I really do appreciate it. I’m trying my best to learn all this stuff as quickly as I can.

Glad to see you have ordered the UC52 and can compare it in your environment. Make certain to listen to both at various seating locations.

As I mentioned before:

"The Surrounds will be more impactful than Front Heights. Do them first."

You'll hardly notice Heights in comparison. Atmos speakers in / on the ceiling are better IMHO.

 

[hjames19]

Glad to see you have ordered the UC52 and can compare it in your environment. Make certain to listen to both at various seating locations.

As I mentioned before:

"The Surrounds will be more impactful than Front Heights. Do them first."

You'll hardly notice Heights in comparison. Atmos speakers in / on the ceiling are better IMHO.

I listened to the ELAC DebutC6.2 again last night and the horizontal dispersion was really bad. It sounded great when sitting right in the center of the speaker. As soon as you move one seat over to the left or right on the couch there is a huge drop in sound quality. The only way I fixed this issue with it was when I turned the speaker vertically.

I already have surrounds. B6.2’s.

What do you mean by “Atmos speakers”?
I will be mounting these right below my ceiling.

 

[hjames19]

In my main listening room with the higher end system, I use rather heavy curtains from Ikea to tame the high frequencies. It works great. There's no need for special acoustic treatment panels.

I’m not sure if my neighbors would be able to hear my system or the bass. So I thought by using some sort of panels it would keep a lot of sound in the room and the bass from escaping. And to also help insulate the sound from the rest of the house too.

 

[Vacceo]

Ah, I see, the price difference is greater here. Uni-fi is the better speaker and coaxes are great for center. If you have full frequency range room correction in your amp it will level things nicely. If not then I don't know how well they'll match.

I bought a set of old KEF IQ's (6c included) for next to nothing some years ago precisely for that reason.

I'm sure the new R series would work quite a lot better, but for less than 600 € some years ago, it's hard to get seven quite performing speakers, even if they're almost 20 years old.

 

[Ellebob]

I’m not sure if my neighbors would be able to hear my system or the bass. So I thought by using some sort of panels it would keep a lot of sound in the room and the bass from escaping. And to also help insulate the sound from the rest of the house too.

Panels will not keep sound from escaping. Use panels to help with reverberation in the room and to sculpt your imaging/ soundstage but they do nothing for sound proofing your room from your neighbors, especially from bass.

Sound proofing or taming is another topic. It will usually need some type of construction. Some little things can help like weather stripping around doors/windows but not much for bass. Anything more than that will get expensive. Do you live in a condo/apartment where your neighbors are on the other side of the wall or in a house? A house I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[hjames19]

Panels will not keep sound from escaping. Use panels to help with reverberation in the room and to sculpt your imaging/ soundstage but they do nothing for sound proofing your room from your neighbors, especially from bass.

Sound proofing or taming is another topic. It will usually need some type of construction. Some little things can help like weather stripping around doors/windows but not much for bass. Anything more than that will get expensive. Do you live in a condo/apartment where your neighbors are on the other side of the wall or in a house? A house I wouldn't worry too much.

Oh ok. Good to know. Thanks for that info.
I own my house.

Once it’s all set up how would I know if I need panels for reverberation? If you have a good website with the info I’ll read it over.

 

[Verig]

Oh ok. Good to know. Thanks for that info.
I own my house.

Once it’s all set up how would I know if I need panels for reverberation? If you have a good website with the info I’ll read it over.

Easiest decorative ways are bookshelves, heavy curtains and carpets.
You need a carpet between the speakers and listening spot. For curtains if your window needs one curtain to cover buy two and fold them.
Something behind the speakers is nice.
These will go a long way.

For bass the only realistic way to recommend is room correction dsp. Physical arrangements for bass need to be massive. Very impractical, usually completely undoable unless you have a dedicated listening room.

 

[akamatsu]

Easiest decorative ways are bookshelves, heavy curtains and carpets.
You need a carpet between the speakers and listening spot. For curtains if your window needs one curtain to cover buy two and fold them.
Something behind the speakers is nice.
These will go a long way.

For bass the only realistic way to recommend is room correction dsp. Physical arrangements for bass need to be massive. Very impractical, usually completely undoable unless you have a dedicated listening room.

Yes. I use curtains to absorb some high frequency, There is a big area rug between speakers and listener. "Stuff" in the room like paintings on the wall, ceramic vases, etc diffuse the midrange. It seems that cylindrical or spherical (hemisphere) shaped items work well for this. I use DSP to identify room mode frequencies and negate them at the speakers. It all works quite well. I have no need to turn my living room into a studio.

P.S. I'm thinking in OP's case, there's a dedicated theater room. I guess there's much more latitude with what goes on the walls than I have in my living room. My theater is dedicated as such, but I haven't done much with acoustic wall treatment. I think mine could benefit from more absorption. This would most likely help with intelligibility of the dialog.

 

[akamatsu]

Oh ok. Good to know. Thanks for that info.
I own my house.

Once it’s all set up how would I know if I need panels for reverberation? If you have a good website with the info I’ll read it over.

Sound will escape the room via the windows much more than through walls. Play some music loud and go outside and listen. I didn't want to advise this until I knew you were in a house, and not in a high rise.

 

[-Jim-]

I listened to the ELAC DebutC6.2 again last night and the horizontal dispersion was really bad. It sounded great when sitting right in the center of the speaker. As soon as you move one seat over to the left or right on the couch there is a huge drop in sound quality. The only way I fixed this issue with it was when I turned the speaker vertically.

I already have surrounds. B6.2’s.

What do you mean by “Atmos speakers”?
I will be mounting these right below my ceiling.

"Height Speakers" are defined differently by various OEMs but they seem to be currently in two flavors.

One has height speakers (elevation speakers) and up-firing speakers defined as essentially the same thing. Both terms refer to speakers that are positioned above the listener in a surround sound setup to produce a more immersive and realistic audio experience. Up-firing speakers specifically, fire sound upward towards the ceiling, which then reflects the sound back down to the listener, creating a sense of height and spatial dimension in the soundstage. Most audio types refer to to these as "bouncy" speakers, and the overwhelming opinion is most are not satisfied with them.

Height speakers can also refer to speakers that are specifically designed to be placed on top of other speakers or furniture, pointing directly towards the listener. Regardless of their specific placement, the goal of both height and up-firing speakers is to produce an expanded and multi-dimensional soundstage that adds an extra layer of realism to the audio experience. Again, the overwhelming opinion is most are not satisfied with them.

The second interpretation of "Height Speakers" are ones mounted on the wall above the L&R Mains near the ceiling (or even right at that point. See Onkyo TX-NR6100 Manual -page 47. Again, better than the previous, but not quite there.


Atmos Speakers

Atmos speakers, on the other hand, are traditional overhead speakers that are installed in the ceiling or mounted on the wall / ceiling. They are designed to create a more precise and directional sound, allowing audio to be placed with greater accuracy in the room. Atmos speakers are best used in setups with higher ceilings, where there is plenty of space for overhead speakers. They are also the best choice for those looking for the most advanced and immersive audio experience, as they offer the most precise placement of audio in the room. See Dolby Atmos Installation Guide

Of course mounting Atmos speakers into the ceiling won't work for a lot of folks so compromises are made.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[hjames19]

"Height Speakers" are defined differently by various OEMs but they seem to be currently in two flavors.

One has height speakers (elevation speakers) and up-firing speakers defined as essentially the same thing. Both terms refer to speakers that are positioned above the listener in a surround sound setup to produce a more immersive and realistic audio experience. Up-firing speakers specifically, fire sound upward towards the ceiling, which then reflects the sound back down to the listener, creating a sense of height and spatial dimension in the soundstage. Most audio types refer to to these as "bouncy" speakers, and the overwhelming opinion is most are not satisfied with them.

Height speakers can also refer to speakers that are specifically designed to be placed on top of other speakers or furniture, pointing directly towards the listener. Regardless of their specific placement, the goal of both height and up-firing speakers is to produce an expanded and multi-dimensional soundstage that adds an extra layer of realism to the audio experience. Again, the overwhelming opinion is most are not satisfied with them.

The second interpretation of "Height Speakers" are ones mounted on the wall above the L&R Mains near the ceiling (or even right at that point. See Onkyo TX-NR6100 Manual -page 47. Again, better than the previous, but not quite there.


Atmos Speakers

Atmos speakers, on the other hand, are traditional overhead speakers that are installed in the ceiling or mounted on the wall / ceiling. They are designed to create a more precise and directional sound, allowing audio to be placed with greater accuracy in the room. Atmos speakers are best used in setups with higher ceilings, where there is plenty of space for overhead speakers. They are also the best choice for those looking for the most advanced and immersive audio experience, as they offer the most precise placement of audio in the room. See Dolby Atmos Installation Guide

Of course mounting Atmos speakers into the ceiling won't work for a lot of folks so compromises are made.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

I just want to place speakers on the front wall right under the ceiling to create an even more immersive experience . I didn’t know if the up-firing (ELAC Debut 2.0 A4.2) ones would work or you would have to use the on wall (ELAC Debut 2.0 OW4.2) or bookshelf speakers.

It sounds like I want the Atmos height speakers. I’ve never seen any specifically say this though.

 

[hjames19]

Ok. Well I got the ELAC UC52 center channel. I’m watching Gran Turismo on Netflix and during 20% of the dialogue there is a really bad rattle in the box. Like the tweeter is over cooked or something. Is this normal? I really don’t know how to describe it. I guess it’s box resonance?

 

[-Jim-]

Ok. Well I got the ELAC UC52 center channel. I’m watching Gran Turismo on Netflix and during 20% of the dialogue there is a really bad rattle in the box. Like the tweeter is over cooked or something. Is this normal? I really don’t know how to describe it. I guess it’s box resonance?

Defective?

 

[KrayzIvan]

If possible use the exact same speaker as the 2 front. You will never be satisfied with center channel speakers or at least I was not but are audiophiles ever satisfied with their setups. I have some of the best centers made IMO. and finally just bought another pair and used one of them like my fronts. Whoever told you start with 2 speakers is correct. Now you just keep developing. When sitting in the exact center you may find a center unnecessary. The more speakers you have the more time you spend equalizing the decibels at your seated position. I hope all of our opinions have helped.