Center Channel Question

[redwoodzz]

I am new to the forum and have reading all of the past postings. I notice that Richard mentions getting the center channel 2-3 feet behind or away from the fronts and telling the processor the distance is closer. Is this correct?

Maybe this is for other speaker designs but I always thought that you would want to have all of the drivers on the same plane for your front channel.

In my case the center is on top of my rack and I am always concerned about not having the speaker to the front edge to avoid the bounce off the rack.  If I were to set the speaker further back on the rack then I would think I might get more bounce off the rack.

What would be the correct placement? Also what would be correct selection for proximity compensation switch?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Richard Vandersteen]

If the center is 2 feet behind the main speakers, you would tell the processor the distance is the same.  Try it but reset the levels with a SPL meter.

RV 

RV

[redwoodzz]

Thanks for the response Richard. I will give it a try. Is the idea that the further back it is from the fronts the broader the dispersion pattern is for the center for better blend to the fronts?

 

[Richard Vandersteen]

No, its about timing and how the ear/brain wants to fold a third source into a field made by the main speakers.  This is kind of like the "hass effect" with the rear channels.  To best center a field created by the main speakers you need a speaker that has approximately the same amplitude, time and phase but using a different configuration.  This is why using three identical speakers does not work very well when optimized.  Starting off with three identical speakers is superior without optimization but using a proper center channel which has been setup correctly will ultimately win.  Always set the processor full range with our center speakers.

RV