What's more important Sub or Center?

KrazyMofo24

Will the LsiC/Lsi9's/Rti4's/cheap sub in 5.1 sound better than Lsi9's/Rti4's/Velodyne DPS-12 in 4.1?



I love this sub, but theirs hardly a time I can have it on decent volumes.

hoosier21

if you aren't going to use the sub much, get the cheaper sub and enjoy the better front stage

BIZILL

hoosier21 wrote:

if you aren't going to use the sub much, get the cheaper sub and enjoy the better front stage

...otherwise, i'd say the sub would be more beneficial.

danger boy

you can do fine for a while without a decent sub.. i did for 8 months. i couldn't live 8 months without a center.

Skynut

Center is the most important if you want to hear dialog.
If you want to hear explosions then the sub is the boss.

KrazyMofo24

Well I have a sub just not a good one i can use for now.

KrazyMofo24

How about a pair of Lsi 7's? I can make it a 6.1 still would be missing the center or use one a 7 as a center.

puunda

I don't feel you need a center at all (in my homes). The only reason you'd need a center is if you're going to sit away from the center. I know in some homes you have to do this, which is fair enough. But most people I know try to set up their system so they sit between the 2 main speakers - which is where you're supposed to sit anyway. If that is the case, the center will do nothing for you. If you set no center on your AV amp/processor, it should send the center chan to your fronts, so you don't lose anything, and if you're sitting in/near the center, it should sound like everything is coming from the TV/screen (assuming the screen is in the middle between the speakers also)

KrazyMofo24

Thats how I feel too, but every sales guy says it's not dolby digital without the center and that you lose alot of quality i'll sit in the center all the time and being off center is not an issue thx for the reply now i'm really gonna consider getting the 7's for surrounds.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I just can't see doing a home theater setup without a center...center is the most important part for me...

I lived without a center for a long time because I didn't think I needed it - won't ever make that mistake again...

sickicw

puunda wrote:

I don't feel you need a center at all (in my homes). The only reason you'd need a center is if you're going to sit away from the center. I know in some homes you have to do this, which is fair enough. But most people I know try to set up their system so they sit between the 2 main speakers - which is where you're supposed to sit anyway. If that is the case, the center will do nothing for you. If you set no center on your AV amp/processor, it should send the center chan to your fronts, so you don't lose anything, and if you're sitting in/near the center, it should sound like everything is coming from the TV/screen (assuming the screen is in the middle between the speakers also)

have you ever tried using a center speaker and moving the left and right speakers apart?

puunda

KrazyMofo24 wrote:

Thats how I feel too, but every sales guy says it's not dolby digital without the center and that you lose alot of quality i'll sit in the center all the time and being off center is not an issue thx for the reply now i'm really gonna consider getting the 7's for surrounds.

Don't listen to what sales guys say. Most of them don't know anything about the subject. All they want you to do is spend more money with them - justified or not. They don't care if you need it or not, they just want to sell it to you.

puunda

sickicw wrote:

have you ever tried using a center speaker and moving the left and right speakers apart?

No I haven't. What would this do?

StinkyDog

Polkmaniac wrote:

I just can't see doing a home theater setup without a center...center is the most important part for me...

I lived without a center for a long time because I didn't think I needed it - won't ever make that mistake again...

Ditto for me as well. I went for years without a center speaker and didn't think I was missing anything...until I actually got one that is. The dialog is crystal clear now rather than muddied from being mixed in with the surrounding sound effects that your main speakers generate. A lot of times in really intense action scenes I would have a hard time hearing what people were saying. With a center that is no longer a problem.

But in the end, it's a personal preference. As you can see by the responses, some people are fine without one. My current sub isn't very good either, but I'm lucky enough to have main speakers than make up enough of the bass that I don't miss having a really good sub right now. For me, I'll take a center.

tbPAF

Close call. I went years and years without either.

I'd also have to lean more towards the center channel only because the RTi6 and CSi5's that I just installed have pretty decent bass as is. But the svs PB10-ISD is a super sub at a great price (if you have the room).

cfrizz

Center Channel. There is more to most movies than big booms!

hoosier21

there is nothing more important than big **** in a movie

oh, big booms my bad

Shizelbs

Just from my limited personal experience, I would much rather have a good sub and no center instead of a great center and no sub.

kingsqueak

puunda wrote:

No I haven't. What would this do?

Having just got my first center channel after years of L/R only, the difference is HUGE. You get a much broader soundstage that feels more realistic for the scene you are watching. The center is a much more focused point than relying on the two-channel stereo image to create a 'center'.

I never realized the level of emphasis on the center or I would have added one a long time ago. HT material is highly weighted on the center so be sure and spend for a solid one as it will take a beating.

I'm not so thrilled with it for music so far but for HT use it's a major plus.

Toxis

Definitely going to say that I'd get a better sub and run no center. With the proper equipment, the 9's will image PLENTY fine without a center and do everything you need it to. Trust me! I have a buddy who just upgraded his fronts and center to just a big set of fronts and is running no center. He also thought I was stupid "Because the center is the most important speaker in a 5.1 setup." Well, after showing him what imaging and quality wires can do, he's happy without a center and he gets ALL his dialog just fine. Tell the receiver there's no center and it does the rest for you. Done and done.

But you will never get a cheap sub to replace a quality one!

Joey_V

You can live without a center.... even though most of the track comes out the center - you can still get this info from your 2 front mains. Now, a sub does what no speaker can, LFE to the maxxxxx.

So, go for the sub.

StopherJJ1980

puunda wrote:

Don't listen to what sales guys say. Most of them don't know anything about the subject. All they want you to do is spend more money with them - justified or not. They don't care if you need it or not, they just want to sell it to you.

...always a good idea. Of course its different if you have some guys you go to regularly and trust their opinions.

As for which is most important... as with most things in audio... it depends on your taste. If you go to audioperfectionist.com and read the journals this very audio-intellegent guy who i respect for his journals argues most setups sound better w/o a center if you sit in the center and get good imaging. The dialgue being more integrated into the scene is the main idea, but I can see how this just bugs some people. As far as the sub it depends how important bass is to you. Personally I just think you should get both You can always count on many opinions in there "A or B?" posts but as always in the end the only one that matters is yours. Don't get too caught up in what is "right", just use it to weigh your options.