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Optimizing Center Channel Performance - Dispersion, Placement & Image

Kvalsvoll

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Why can one not buy one? Your company makes speakers, does it not?
My company is focused on product design and development, I only make speakers in very limited quantities, and the only center I have designed so far dates several years back in time.
 

Thomas_A

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A second point regarding a phantom center. My L-R speakers get a very clear centre phantom image even if I am in my favourite position to the left, directly in front of the left speaker. The same is however not found with the position for the right speaker, where the speaker is "identified" when listening position is front ot the right speaker.

I don't know yet know the reason for this, but the left and right speaker does not have the exact same symmetry with respect to furniture. I could be that the right speaker is dominating due to reflections enforcing the low and mid frequencies around 100-200 Hz (as also measured).

It is nevertheless interesting and I don't know how this could be shown by measurements to better understand what is going on.
 

nstzya

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My company is focused on product design and development, I only make speakers in very limited quantities, and the only center I have designed so far dates several years back in time.
So did your company design the one you have?
 

nstzya

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A second point regarding a phantom center. My L-R speakers get a very clear centre phantom image even if I am in my favourite position to the left, directly in front of the left speaker. The same is however not found with the position for the right speaker, where the speaker is "identified" when listening position is front ot the right speaker.

I don't know yet know the reason for this, but the left and right speaker does not have the exact same symmetry with respect to furniture. I could be that the right speaker is dominating due to reflections enforcing the low and mid frequencies around 100-200 Hz (as also measured).

It is nevertheless interesting and I don't know how this could be shown by measurements to better understand what is going on.

Interesting. Is the room itself (and the placement of L-R within it) entirely symetrical? What’s the toe-in?
 
Last edited:

Kvalsvoll

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So did your company design the one you have?
Yes, I designed that one, it was meant for the movie/home-theater line I worked on back then.

I consider that design to be obsolete now, but the lessons learned and technology is still very much relevant. I still use it, but the mains are now replaced with the new generation speakers in this room, and a new center should be developed to match the new speakers both for sound character - which is surprisingly different - and for looks.
 

Kvalsvoll

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it is possible to fake the brain with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-...ization_of_sound_in_virtual_auditory_space[9]
problem is if a head is too diferent from the chosen/meassured model the ilusion doesn't work
This can only work when there is a reference, such as listening to a sound that then moves up or down by adjusting the frequency balance of the signal. Tuning the frequency response of the speaker does not create an illusion of its projected image moving up or down.
 

dasdoing

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This can only work when there is a reference, such as listening to a sound that then moves up or down by adjusting the frequency balance of the signal. Tuning the frequency response of the speaker does not create an illusion of its projected image moving up or down.

somehow testable by starting on top and bottom:


I hear height diference. and the model is not made for me, so I this can perhaps work
 

Kvalsvoll

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somehow testable by starting on top and bottom:


I hear height diference. and the model is not made for me, so I this can perhaps work
It works for moving sound that is already there, by chancing the frequency distribution of this sound while playing. You hear the sound, then fr. is changed, you hear it moves up.

It does not work to move the perceived location of the sound source from one speaker. There is no reference for the sound playing, so changing its frequency distribution before anything is playing does not move it up or down.

Perceived location in height from a speaker depends on reflections from nearby surfaces, its location and its reproduction properties. When the speaker itself has the inherent property of not being localized, and nearby reflections are attenuated sufficiently, other cues like seeing a person on the screen talking places the sound firmly on the screen, even if the speaker playing is placed at a different height.
 
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