How important is the center channel speaker and amp?

Packfill -- Sun, 08/27/2006 - 22:58

I am buying a new system for music, TV, and HT. For the left and right I am planning on getting Sonus Faber Amatis and the new Ayre monoblocks. Sonus Faber makes two center channels, the center Cremona, a step down from the Amati and another a step below that. For TV and DVD does it make sense to spend the extra money to try to get as close to the L and R as possible? ie. Is it overkill to get a matching monoblock for the center channel instead of just using a good but cheaper multi-channel amp to drive the center and rears?
On the other hand is it underkill, if the center channel is primarily to help anchor the sound to the middle for those sitting off to the side, to buy the cheaper center channel from Sonus Faber?

Tom Martin -- Mon, 08/28/2006 - 07:46

I think the answer depends on what material you'll be running through the center channel. If you listen to a lot of multichannel music SACDs (and in the future HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, possibly), I would say the center is quite important. If the center is primarily for dialog on film soundtracks, it may or may not matter so much (this is the POV of a music-oriented guy). I would also say that placement of the center channel can be important, and depending on your situation, may swamp the choice between center equipment setups.

CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC

Packfill -- Mon, 08/28/2006 - 08:27

What do you mean by the placement of the center channel?

Tom Martin -- Mon, 08/28/2006 - 17:17

In my experience, lots of center channel speakers are placed where they fit (under or on top of a TV for example). This will not always be where they sound best, and spending a lot of money on, say, a very high end amp, when the center is placed so that reflections and bass response are greatly impacted just doesn't make sense. Put another way, before you get a highly refined center speaker/amp combo you need to consider whether your center channel location has acoustics that allow that refinement to pay off.

On the other hand, if you are using a front projector, with the center on the manufacturer's supplied stand (and thus in relatively free space), the refinement may be worth it if you listen to a lot of MC music material.

CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC

wgarcia -- Mon, 08/28/2006 - 19:05

In my experience the center channel--both amp and speaker--are critical to good multichannel sound, be it film or music. Multichannel music tracks will vary, and so will film soundtracks, but keep in mind that when it comes to the latter the center channel is carrying about 80% of the workload. For clear dialog and a seamless blend with the rest of the speakers an exact or close to exact match is ideal in your choice of both speaker and amplifier.

Robert Harley -- Wed, 08/30/2006 - 14:57

I think the center channel is vitally important to multichannel music and film-soundtrack reproduction. On many multichannel music mixes, the vocal is hard-panned to the center channel (as opposed to being mixed equally in the left and right channels so that you hear a phantom image in the center). In film soundtracks, virtually all the dialog and many of the effects are panned to the center. Dialog intelligibility is a high priority, which is why careful placement of the center speaker is essential. If your display is an RPTV, be sure to align the center speaker's front baffle flush with the screen. This reduces diffraction, which reduces intelligibility.

Robert Harley

Chris Martens -- Thu, 08/31/2006 - 10:16

I second what Wayne Garcia and Robert Harley have said about the importance of using a good, voice-matched center channel speaker.

In surround sound applications, my experience has been that it is very important to match the front channels, so that they pretty much speak "as one." If compromises need to be made (and realistically, they often do for reasons of cost, room layout, etc.), I would consider going with lesser surround speakers/amplifiers.

That said, it might be interesting to see if Sonus faber's Domus-series center channel speaker offers enough of the Sonus faber "house sound" to integrate well with your Amatis. Neil Gader reviewed the entire Sonus faber Domus surround system (with specific comments on the center channel speakers) in TPV Issue 69.

Best,

Chris Martens
TPV/TAS

Chris Martens
Editor, Avguide.com/Playback/The Perfect Vision

neil.gader -- Wed, 09/06/2006 - 12:26

I second what all my colleagues have had to say about multichannel and center channels. In all candor, I feel that far and away the center channel is absolutely crucial to the home cinema experience with the LR's less so and the surround element at the bottom of the heap. Fact is, I've had a satisfying experience wtching movies with only a great center channel in the system ( a test I commonly make when a multichannel system is under review). Since the cc is assigned to reproduce so much of the soundtrack, the amplifier should have plenty of headroom which will keep distortions to a minimum and help protect precious drivers. Positioning the cc is important (as it is for all speakers) but don't think for a moment that the off axis response of the cc is somehow going to be as impressive as the on axis. There is always a pronounced fall off in response. That center channels are advertised to sound good from every position in the room is I think a disservice to consumers.

Neil Gader
TAS-TPV

Neil Gader Associate Editor The Absolute Sound

Packfill -- Mon, 09/11/2006 - 10:05

Thank you all for your answers. I went with the best quality option and ordered the sf cremona and ayre monoblock for the center.

neil.gader -- Mon, 09/11/2006 - 11:11

Packfill-

Keep in touch and relay your listening impressions. I'm interested how your system comes together.

Happy listening,

Neil Gader

Neil Gader Associate Editor The Absolute Sound