Fluffy
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First of all, I want to say that I'm currently running only a stereo setup, so this is mostly an academic discussion. Not looking for setup solutions or upgrade suggestions.
What I want to understand is, why do we need a center channel in a surround system in a home?
As far as I understand it, the function of a center channel in the cinema theater is to "anchor" the dialog (and other centered sound effects) to the screen, so that wherever an audience member sits, they will perceive it coming from the middle of the screen. If there was no center speaker and the dialog would be mixed as a ghost center image produced by the front left and right speakers, someone sitting off to the side of the theater would have the center image all screwed up for them.
But in the home, if you put up a descent surround setup, most likely you will sit in the center in front of the screen. In that case, you don't really need a speaker located physically on axis with the screen to center the dialog. The center ghost image of the front stereo speakers would work just fine, just like it works for singing in music (when mixed to a centered mono).
I don't suppose anybody believe you need a dedicated channel to produce sounds that the other front speakers are "too busy" to produce, right? That would be absurd. And front speakers with a nice flat response would produce dialog that would be just as intelligible as one that comes from a dedicated speaker. No one complains about unintelligibility of singers when played in just stereo, right?
So what's the point then? The center channel seems to me like a vestige from how it works in the cinema, imported to the home without any real necessity.
What I want to understand is, why do we need a center channel in a surround system in a home?
As far as I understand it, the function of a center channel in the cinema theater is to "anchor" the dialog (and other centered sound effects) to the screen, so that wherever an audience member sits, they will perceive it coming from the middle of the screen. If there was no center speaker and the dialog would be mixed as a ghost center image produced by the front left and right speakers, someone sitting off to the side of the theater would have the center image all screwed up for them.
But in the home, if you put up a descent surround setup, most likely you will sit in the center in front of the screen. In that case, you don't really need a speaker located physically on axis with the screen to center the dialog. The center ghost image of the front stereo speakers would work just fine, just like it works for singing in music (when mixed to a centered mono).
I don't suppose anybody believe you need a dedicated channel to produce sounds that the other front speakers are "too busy" to produce, right? That would be absurd. And front speakers with a nice flat response would produce dialog that would be just as intelligible as one that comes from a dedicated speaker. No one complains about unintelligibility of singers when played in just stereo, right?
So what's the point then? The center channel seems to me like a vestige from how it works in the cinema, imported to the home without any real necessity.