Should I add a center channel speaker now?

jhumur

I just got done setting up my newfangled home theater system. I didn't have the room so I decided to go with just a pair of Monitor 60 Series II, bi-amped, and PSW10. (I really wasn't prepared to set up a home theater system, but the holiday prices from newegg were irresistible.) Anyway, I am enjoying the sound very much...so much better than the dinky speakers from the TV. Now, I'm wondering if I should add a center channel speaker to the setup. Not really looking for another expense, but if it makes a big difference, I'll do it. In your experience, would a center channel speaker make a significant difference?

nguyendot

Makes a huge difference.

ben62670

Over 90% of a movie is front stage, and over 90% is from the center stage. Yes a 3.1 is much better than a 2.1 for HT.

jhumur

Thanks for the feedback! Any suggestions on what center channel would be a good match for my setup?

TNHNDYMAN

CS2 series II from newegg would do quite well

Doug Hess

Hi, J. If you're looking for a dissenting opinion, I'll happily provide it.

Without surround speakers, you're not really adding the kind of depth surround soundtracks can offer. A center channel speaker will put the dialog near your TV, where the dialog should be coming from, but will it sound better than the speakers you have there now? Or will it actually detract from the sound quality?

I'm a huge believer that more isn't better, only better is better, and I love two-channel audio as an alternative to adding lesser speakers to a system.

So for me it comes down to this: Will adding a center speaker improve the QUALITY of the sound? Or will it simply add another speaker?

What do you think?

-Doug

cfrizz

Two channel music is one format, movies are another. Will he still enjoy movies without a center channel? Yes, but will he enjoy them more wth one? Again, I would say yes.

I was like you once upon a time, until a salesman showed me, & I heard exactly what I was missing with not having a center channel.

Movies are designed to utilize more than just 2 speakers, and until you hear what you're missing, you simply don't know what you are missing.

Welcome to you both to Club Polk.

Doug Hess

Hi, Cfrizz. Thank you for the kind welcome. I worked in CE for over 20 years and used to run my own forum, but I pop in here every so often.

Yes, movies and music are two very different formats, and I understand what a center channel adds through subtraction from the fronts, but my main point was about the quality of the speaker you add to the system. If you add a speaker of a quality equal to the fronts, you stand to lose nothing and may even add something desirable.

But if you add a lower quality speaker, your chain will be weakened by a lesser link.

That's all.

-Doug

samnor

I think thats why the experts do recommend timbre matching across the entire soundstage. So yes, you do have to pick a decent center that would match your fronts, and its easier to do when you're picking from the same brand. But I would go with any half-decent center rather than no center. It does indeed make a huge difference when you have a seamless soundstage + dialogue that should come from the tv rather than the fronts when you're watching movies. My 0.02 cents

apphd

jhumur welcome to CP. You did not say what your AVR was, it should have some type of surround field usually called "Phantom Center" that, depending on your room, may do a very good job of locking center sounds to the center where you are seeing them. Give it a try and see if it makes you happy. I think at some point you will be adding a center speaker, nothing wrong with spreading the cost over some time, allowing you to get out and listen to many different options. But your center should be timbre matched to your mon 60's. Polks web site or the forum will help you there. I think I would also consider some surrounds first if your phantom mode can get you by

Wai

I'm a newbie. I've only had my HT setup for a couple of months now but am only just starting to appreciate the sound that comes out of my speakers. I too took advantage of some great Newegg pricing and purchased a pair of Floor standing Monitor 60's Series II speakers. It wasn't until I continued reading the forums that I decided to go ahead and spend a little more on a centre speaker. To me, it makes a huge difference as most of the TV I watch is dialogue and the CS is essentially the speaker that outputs that dialogue. In the past, when just having the Monitor 60's, I had a hard time hearing all the speaking parts. Not any more with the CS.
One thing though. Before you purchase a CS, make sure it's going to fit in or infront of your TV. I had to raise my Tv up a little so that my CS would block the bottom of the screen. And it was .50" too wide to fit in any of my TV Stand's pigeon holes..

jcandy

jhumur wrote: »

I just got done setting up my newfangled home theater system. I didn't have the room so I decided to go with just a pair of Monitor 60 Series II, bi-amped, and PSW10. (I really wasn't prepared to set up a home theater system, but the holiday prices from newegg were irresistible.) Anyway, I am enjoying the sound very much...so much better than the dinky speakers from the TV. Now, I'm wondering if I should add a center channel speaker to the setup. Not really looking for another expense, but if it makes a big difference, I'll do it. In your experience, would a center channel speaker make a significant difference?

Add a good-quality center. I watch lots of older movies, and have made repeated comparisons of L/R versus center-only for mono/2-channel content. I find that I generally prefer only the center in this application. Also, for 5.1 content, the center is a key component, as others have pointed out.

jcandy

Wai wrote: »

One thing though. Before you purchase a CS, make sure it's going to fit in or infront of your TV. I had to raise my Tv up a little so that my CS would block the bottom of the screen. And it was .50" too wide to fit in any of my TV Stand's pigeon holes..

That's a good point. I built both my center channel and component rack in order to lower everything enough to get the center under the TV.

dvran

ben62670 wrote: »

over 90% of a movie is front stage, and over 90% is from the center stage. Yes a 3.1 is much better than a 2.1 for ht.

+1 !!!!

lorit507

I just ordered Monitor 60's so replace my monitor 50's so I can move them to surrounds. I ordered a CS1 from Newegg in December. Now I am wondering if I should have gone with the CS2's. Do I need to sell the CS1 and get a CS2 or will the CS1 work fine with this setup? I also have a PSW10.

Thanks,
Lori

spock 2054

lorit507 wrote: »

I just ordered Monitor 60's so replace my monitor 50's so I can move them to surrounds. I ordered a CS1 from Newegg in December. Now I am wondering if I should have gone with the CS2's. Do I need to sell the CS1 and get a CS2 or will the CS1 work fine with this setup? I also have a PSW10.

Thanks,
Lori

Hi Lori:

Are you happy with the audio from the CS1? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Also, the CS2 is larger than the CS1 - make sure you have space for it with the rest of your gear.
Previous post:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75306

JimAckley

Allow my to share my limited wisdom with those who are thinking about buying their first home theater system, those who have one but don't know much about home theater, particularly those of you who have the Monitor series speakers. IMO, this post should be stickied:

- Get rid of your PSW10 and buy a better sub (PSW505s are a great bang-for-the-buck subwoofer). Your Monitor towers can probably out-play a PSW10, especially if you have the 70s.

- Provided you can fit it into your budget and into your system physically, buy the CS2 instead of the CS1, or upgrade to the CS2 if you have the CS1. Yes, it's worth it.

- Buy good speaker wire. It doesn't have to be MIT, but even something as simple as Monster Cable XP is a big step up from RadioShack-branded wire, or your generic wire from Walmart.

- Buy a receiver with pre-outs, especially if you have Monitor 60s or Monitor 70s. Adding an amplifier down the road will only help improve your sound.

- If you don't have the budget to create the full system you want all at once, it's okay to piece it together over time. Don't settle for lesser replacements just so you can squeeze 5.1 into your budget. Buy good fronts speakers and a good receiver, then a good sub, then a good center, then surrounds... pretty much in that order. In the long run, you'll be a great deal happier simply adding things rather than replacing things.

cfrizz

Great post Jim.

jhumur

First of all, to all the folks who replied to my post, a heap of thanks. Also thank you for your warm welcome. Secondly, my sincere apology for not responding earlier. (I was pretty involved with some personal/family crisis.) I learned a great deal from these posts.

To apphd: my AVR is a Pioneer VSX-1120-k and, as far as I can tell, there are Phantom Center feature on it.

Furthermore, I can't seem to find the CS2 in the current Polk lineup. Is that because it's a discontinued model, or I'm not looking in the right place?

jhumur

Hi, after 2 months I'm still tweaking my AV setup. It's comprised of a Pioneer VSX-1120-k receiver, a pair of Monitor 60 Series 2 (bi-amped), and a PSW10 sub. The AVR manual said that if the speakers are THX certified then to set the speakers to "small" in the setup menu before running the auto-calibration (MCACC.) Otherwise to leave the speaker size to large. Did I do the right thing? Are my speakers THX certified? I tried to find out from the Polk website, but didn't get anything.

67jason

jhumur wrote: »

First of all, to all the folks who replied to my post, a heap of thanks. Also thank you for your warm welcome. Secondly, my sincere apology for not responding earlier. (I was pretty involved with some personal/family crisis.) I learned a great deal from these posts.

To apphd: my AVR is a Pioneer VSX-1120-k and, as far as I can tell, there are Phantom Center feature on it.

Furthermore, I can't seem to find the CS2 in the current Polk lineup. Is that because it's a discontinued model, or I'm not looking in the right place?

The cs2 is technically part of the monitor series line which are discontinued. The good news is that Polk and www.newegg.com have worked a business deal where newegg is the sole retailer of monitor series II speakers...basically the same as the original monitor series with slight cosmetic changes. Polk does not show the series II's on their website, but newegg does. If you never have dealt with them, rest assured they are a fantastic company with a solid and happy customer base. I bought monitor 60's, 70's, and a cs2 from them no problems.

newegg puts one of the monitor series on sale every other week or so, wait for it to be on sale and the cs2 will be around $100 or so with dirt cheap shipping.

jhumur

thanks 67jason. ya, newegg is a great company. in fact, i bought my current rig from them. thanks for the tip on the sale. newegg has it listed at 150 right now and that was a little steep for me. so, i'll take your advice and wait till the price drops.

jhumur

unless, of course, i can figure out how to make the phantom channel work

ben62670

Get a center channel.

wutadumsn23

I am in the majority here that adding a center channel will make a noticable difference for you. The Series II speakers, as mentioned above, are basically the same as the original Monitor series speakers and will timbre match just fine if mixed up. Responding to the first post, pony up the cash and get yourself and center channel, and next on the list would be some surrounds, or possibly upgrading the sub to a PSW 505 as mentioned. You will always be adding to your rig, whether you plan to now or not, adding the center channel now would be a very good investment, and possibly the best enhancement you could add to your current rig, IMHO. To the other poster asking about the CS1/CS2, I always recommend the biggest/baddest center you can afford/fit. Something like 75% of all movies audio track is formatted to play through the center, and although the phantom center is an option, it's just not the same as having an actual center to play it. The CS2 is a bit beefier than the CS1, so make sure you can accomodate it's larger size in your audio rack first. If you can, then I say go for it. Lots of good info in this thread, given by some of our more knowledagble members. Welcome to the Club you two.

-Jeff

leftwinger57

I also will way in that a center speaker does actually matter. I was told most all dialog does come from the center channel. About mixing speakers ,I own a set of Klipsch 500H/T set w/ a pwrd 8in sub. I called Klipsch because I looking to add diffent speakers and said that this was matched set and was not advised. Welcome to the forum and you'll get many opinions and usally great advice....LW
H/T>Tosiba au37>Yamaha RX-V665>Klipsch 500 set> Denon 1940ci cdp.Yamaha YSD-11 dock
2-ch----Adcom gfa555>Onkyo P-301 pre>Infinty SM112s> Denon cd shared>Shure 240hp

polkskier

I know very little, but when I added a center channel it made a huge difference. From what I've read a great deal of the dialogue comes from the center in a surround set-up. I do switch to 2.1 for music though. Sounds much better with my gear.

ta71

I know this a reply to an old thread, but my take is this. 3 matching front speakers sound the best in the systems i've had, and the systems i've helped friends setup. Speaker size should match room size. For example, smaller speakers in smaller rooms, and larger speakers in larger rooms. This doesn't always matter tho. If you sit close to your tv in a large room smaller speakers work fine. Similarly, large speakers SOMETIMES work in a small room IF they are positioned correctly. One of my friends is an old school stereo guy with 2 pairs of tower speakers on each side of his tv (the tv and speakers are in the corner of the room at a 45 degree angle to the room), speakers stacked one atop the other, with the top one upside down (tweeter to tweeter), actively bi-amped. he doesn't use a sub because of the room size and the fact that the speakers go down to effectively 35hz. Its only good for no more than 2 viewers at a time but we only sit like 7ft from the tv and sounds GREAT.

JimAckley

Willow

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