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Center-Mains Matching

5K views 30 replies 8 participants last post by  trainCatcher 
#1 ·
I was wondering if people can give me some tips on improving the sonic match between the center channel and main speakers. I own the B&W LCR600 center and B&W 603S3 mains and drive them with a Yamaha HTR-5960. I can't help but feeling that the match is not always ideal. Vocals on 5.1 mixes sound slightly recessed when they come from the CC. For a while the mismatch was especially glaring when I was using Yamaha's self-equalization. The equalizer made movie CC dialogue much less intelligeable.

How perfect do other folks find the match between their center and mains? Do you guys use different x-over settings for each set of speakers?
 
#2 ·
I use three identical speakers for L/C/R. Even then, room placement/acoustics preclude a perfect match.:unbelievable:

The usual culprits causing poor center/voice intelligibility with reasonably matched speakers are poor placement and poor room acoustics.

Kal
 
#3 ·
Kal is right, you might want to play with placement and room treatment. When I installed my center channel speaker (matched with the sides) it sounded very dead with poor dialog. I installed some sound absorbing material behind and above the speaker which made all the difference in the world. It sounded like a different speaker. Hope this helps. Dennis
 
#6 ·

Does the Yamaha have a center channel equalizer? If so, a nudge at ~2 kHz might be the ticket

Regards,
Wayne
Wayne,

The Yamaha does have a CC equalizer, but it has limited manual control. I haven't tried playing with it myself, other than letting the YPAO tune it automatically. The auto tune sounded like ****. I'll take a look at the equalizer again, but I don't think I can change the preset equalizer frequencies and Q's.

-Mike
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the replies guys! I've had the system for a while, but it's only recently that I've started to listen to 5.1 mixes on it.

I'm hoping the problem is the setup. The CC sits on a tray inside a wooden entertainment center. The tray slides out ~ 10 inches, but there is no absorbing material behind it. I might give that a try. I'll try to post a picture later.
 
#9 ·

If that’s the case, your probably getting some upper bass-lower midrange emphasis from the cabinet. Try cutting some in the 100-200 Hz range, if the EQ will let you.

Regards,
Wayne
Hi Wayne,

I posted the pics of my home theater here. I can try stuffing some acoustic material behind the center. I also haven't tried plugging the rear port on the center.

-Mike
 
#10 ·
Hi Mike, Looking at the pictures I would have to say that you biggest issue may be caused by the placement of the center speaker as you will get some strange harmonics caused by the entertainment center. Have you tried placing the center channel speaker on top of the Entertainment center and angeling it down slightly just for a test?
 
#13 ·
Frequency response (i.e. SPL) isn't the only thing that will affect how well a center matches the mains. Sometimes the SPL is the same, but it still sounds different. At that point, you either need to figure out what's making it sound different (e.g. reflections off an entertainment center) or get new speakers because they will just sound different.
 
#14 ·
Another thing to look at is your DSP settings on the Yammy...
There are several choices of Theater Mode...General, Sci-FI, Adventure etc..and also speaker position in relation to room size...delays mainly..
I have found that if these are not set correctly, then voices particularly can sound withdrawn and indistinct..
 
#16 ·
Hello, It is difficult to have a CC sound perfect. I think that CC sounds diffrent from L and R channel because they are not in the corner like the L and R speakers (not the same reflexions). Acoustic panels and some EQ should resolve this. Your HT cabinet should be part of the problem because it causes sound reflexions that could boost some frequency. To put the CC on the top is a good suggestion.

Good luck !
 
#20 ·
This is what makes this hobby fun, finding the best sound from your system. I think if you will keep experimenting with different levels, eq's, speaker placement, sound absorbsion, etc, you will eventually find the right combo.
I myself have been extreemly pleased with my setup especially when I added a Denon recv'r that has Audessey incorporated with it. It, so far, has given me the most natural sound I have heard on my system.
I did have a Yammie before and like the Adventure mode in my HT room. But, I didn't use it's internal setup to align my speakers. I found it more accurate to use the SPL meter and test tones. Keep at it. Dennis
 
#29 ·
The "Straight" setting on the Yamaha's bypasses the DSP control so no emphasis is placed on the reproduced sound, which is what most music lovers prefer..
The "General" setting mainly utilizes the DSP to incorporate added delays for surround sound with movie producing devices..

I should add that the various modes that are available on Yamaha receivers, also increase reverberation and additional delays as well.
 
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