- Thread Starter
- #221
Yeh, a good mix would leave some content in the left and right to give you a spacious sound. Alternatively a speaker with much wider directivity can help.
I could always tell the sound was coming from a speaker just in front of and below the screen
Maybe that is the issue. The S400's are wide at +/- 60 degrees, but at the same time pinpoint imagers. Maybe there is something to those super-wide Infinity and Revel centers. Then again the Infinity RC263 is actually narrower than the S400 in the meat of the vocal range due to a narrowing it has from ~500-900 Hz but is much wider through the mid and tweeter range.Yeh, a good mix would leave some content in the left and right to give you a spacious sound. Alternatively a speaker with much wider directivity can help.
Yeah it still sounded like a localizable speaker, whereas phantom center causes me to forget about speakers entirely as the sound just floats right from the screen.I have experimented with center channel once and had the same impression. But it was a long time ago and I do not remember trying to tilt that speaker upwards. As I can see on your photo you did tilt it upwards, but that still didn’t make the sound come from the screen, right?
After various "should be humour but instead real" posts I was looking at I missed your humour. Sorry.
That isn't the only benefit of a center channel, though. An actual center is better than a phantom one, acoustically.
… The thought of buying a good center channel keeps haunting me from time to time, but before cashing out ~ $6000 for the speaker and a new TV stand it would be great to know if someone has found a good solution of adding center channel without loosing the effect of dialogues coming directly from the actors’ mouths.
The phantom center has its own frequency response error in a similar manner to MTM except that the distance is now much wider (i.e. the distance between the two speakers).How so?
The phantom center has its own frequency response error in a similar manner to MTM except that the distance is now much wider (i.e. the distance between the two speakers).
That is the gist of it.I have found the phantom signal is only good when anchored to one seating position. The slightest movement and I hear slight phase and level changes.
The REAL center, it more forgiving when moving a bit left or right. I still hear that sound coming from a pinpoint area even when a few feet one way or the other.
I have found the phantom signal is only good when anchored to one seating position. The slightest movement and I hear slight phase and level changes.
The REAL center, it more forgiving when moving a bit left or right. I still hear that sound coming from a pinpoint area even when a few feet one way or the other.
Can you localize the center speaker with movie dialogue?For music I use a two-way center speaker that's identical to my L/R, and at the same height, and vertical like the other two. This is 'correct' LCR channel configuration. For movies I lower the C to below the TV, and tilt it upwards. In the family room where most TV watching occurs, we just use a soundbar + subwoofer.
But with phantom center, it's less localizable?No more so than if I had a horizontal center mounted under the TV. The tweeter is pretty much in the same place. My TV is mounted so that the middle of the screen is at eye level.
SVS and Monoprice (Monolith) also have affordable 3-way center speakers.Yeah, Infinity and Emotiva nearly cornered that market since the discontinuation of the Polk LSiM 704c and 706c. A third player with a thoughtfully designed center would be interesting, and Polk seems to be it, albeit at a slightly higher price. Not 3-ways but they have an offset tweeter, at least.
View attachment 161266
View attachment 161267
I'm not the biggest fan of the ring radiator tweeter but people always rated the LSiM speakers highly.
Polk™ Center Channel Speakers - Small & Large | Polk Audio™
Center Channel Speakers are the workhorse of any home theater system. View all center channel speakers from Polk Audio here. Free shipping.www.polkaudio.com
Yes. That is the idea. The person speaking is aligned with the speaker.Can you localize the center speaker with movie dialogue?
Like the tail that wags the dog?Yes. That is the idea. The person speaking is aligned with the speaker.
Given the above: Do yourself (indeed, yourselves) a favor and don't invest in a pair of Polk's modern version of their SDA ("Stereo Dimensional Array" -- sort of akin to Bob Carver's Sonic Holography of decades back but implemented at the loudspeakers) "Legend Series" L-800 loudspeakers.Like the tail that wags the dog?
I would have some serious explaining to do, if the missus asks me why I am laying on the floor!
"Oh, It's Okay! I was told it's all about the horizontal distribution, Honey!"
HAHAHAHAGiven the above: Do yourself (indeed, yourselves) a favor and don't invest in a pair of Polk's modern version of their SDA ("Stereo Dimensional Array" -- sort of akin to Bob Carver's Sonic Holography of decades back but implemented at the loudspeakers) "Legend Series" L-800 loudspeakers.
Unless, of course, you happen to be on, e.g., a bobsled team
I was asking @krabapple for his experience in his specific set up.Yes. That is the idea. The person speaking is aligned with the speaker.