subject: The Center Channel Speaker In A Home Theater System [print this page] How important is the center channel speaker in a home theater system? Is it necessary to have one? Does the speaker size matter?
The center is primarily dedicated to the reproduction of the dialogue (voice). This speaker is one of the key speakers in a surround sound system. Without it, you will no doubt always find the dialogue in movies and possibly even in music to be lacking. The speaker connected to the center channel is normally placed in the center of the system above the tv or screen. This gives the effect that the voice is coming from the same area as the picture.
In sound editing on movies, the dialogue might signal to other speakers when story action and direction require it, such as when the person talking is off-screen, but normally, it is rare that there is vocal that is completely absent from the center channel.
In other sources, such as music, the center speaker simply reproduces sound that is intended to come from in front of the listener, which usually includes the lead vocals, which are rarely panned hard left or right. So in these aspects, music voice and movie dialogue signals to the center are similar.
Speakers that are used for the center channel should at least be a 3-way speaker. Meaning it should have at least two mid-range and one tweeter. Obviously in smaller rooms, a smaller sized center would okay. The PylePro 2-Way 5" 1"tweeter Center Channel Speaker and the Sony SSCN5000 Center Speaker are some examples. For medium and larger sized rooms, some of the options might include the Earthquake PN-4421 Center or the Cerwin -Vega VE-5C Center Channel Speaker. If the center speaker is too large for the room, the voice sound will be rather over-baring. Of course the opposite is true when dealing with larger rooms and a smaller speaker.
The center channel provides image-stabling effects and is considered the most important channel for film production. As previously mentioned, it is also vital to most music sources. Without a good center speaker, a home theater system will not perform sound wise nearly like it should.
