Looking for ideas for a center channel

[hooligan72]

I have recently changed over my car using the "Augmeneted wide band approach" and was quite pleased with the results. I am running them 250hz and up because they are only two inchers.

I have recently upgraded my TV and am looking to upgrade my centter channel. With the results in my car I'm thinking I might try a full range center. I've done a little searching on this and other forums and found very little in the way of full range center channel builds to reference.

Can any body post some links to full range center channel projects or make reccomendations on drivers to use?

Thanks in advance.

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by hooligan72

I have recently changed over my car using the "Augmeneted wide band approach" and was quite pleased with the results. I am running them 250hz and up because they are only two inchers.

I have recently upgraded my TV and am looking to upgrade my centter channel. With the results in my car I'm thinking I might try a full range center. I've done a little searching on this and other forums and found very little in the way of full range center channel builds to reference.

Can any body post some links to full range center channel projects or make reccomendations on drivers to use?

Thanks in advance.

This is certainly a current rage in the FR forums, and something I've recently played with myself - no doubt the incredible affordability of receivers or HTPC etc with full surround / bass management / auto calibration/EQ functions is a major factor.

My current thinking on the subject -

As the center channel is responsible for 60% of the total soundtrack, I'd strongly recommend using an equivalent or very similar driver to the mains - which could mean a project of slightly larger scope than you perhaps originally intended.

I'm quite fond of Mark Audio Alpair 7 or 10 for the center, and Fostex FF125 or 165WK would be candidates as well. Due to options in most surround / bass management processing to mix & cross over to .1 channel as high as 180 - 250Hz, the reduction of lower frequency output that smaller drivers/enclosures often much more convenient for the center is less of a constraint than you'd think.

No doubt there will be many other opinions / suggestions to follow.

[hooligan72]

The FF125 is certainly in budget. I would like to stay under $100 for driver, bsc components and terminal cup. My mains are Definitive Technology towers with the 4.5" drivers.

My living room is wider than deep with a variety of seating positions. I am somewhat concerned about off axis listening. Is this a valid concern? The off axis plots on the Fostex look reasonable until it gets up around 10 khz ish.

[planet10]

Chris & i are moving forward on an initiative that will publish a centre channel for each of the primary Frugel-Horn Mk3 drivers (FE126/A7/EL70/CHx and probably FF125). FE126 has been released already

dave

[hooligan72]

This is all new territory for me. Coming from the car audio industry which all about the biggest and baddest, I simply am not exposed to "full range" drivers (other than factory original garbage). The advantage to not having a crossover point in the most critical frequency ranges is obvious from a theoretical point of view.

I've spent a lot of time on the frugal horn/planet 10 and obviously here. I'm very intrigued by the full range approach and look forward to checking out any new designs you might have.

Many of the designs seem to be some sort of back loaded horn, which may not be practical in the space I'm dealing with. My center channel is currently living on the top shelf of my entertainment center so I have limited width. Perhaps vented front or rear would work.

[hooligan72]

I could do some sort of t-line though as I have quite a lot of depth to work with. I'm quite familiar with sealed/ported designs and can get some very predictable results. If I go with a horn or t-line I would like to stick with a proven design even if I have to manipulate the outer geometry of the design and keep the line taper the same. I can work with complex folds if need be, but most of my experience has told me simpler is better.

BVRs look quite easy to construct. Is there a compact design that I might be able to use for this application?

[planet10]

My designs tend to be small, and vented boxes very specifically pushed towards aperiodic. The Frugal-Horn site (of which i maintain and am the major sponsor) is a repository for horn & horn-like designs.

dave

[hooligan72]

I was actually just over there. The fonken looks fairly compact, but I have never heard one. Considering I would be using it for a center channel, would the "character" of the deign work well with the material generally sent to a center channel?

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by hooligan72

I could do some sort of t-line though as I have quite a lot of depth to work with. I'm quite familiar with sealed/ported designs and can get some very predictable results. If I go with a horn or t-line I would like to stick with a proven design even if I have to manipulate the outer geometry of the design and keep the line taper the same. I can work with complex folds if need be, but most of my experience has told me simpler is better.

BVRs look quite easy to construct. Is there a compact design that I might be able to use for this application?

Well, I think compact and the B part of BVR ( Big Vent Reflex as I'm given to understand) could be considered mutually exclusive.

For compact center and or surrounds, you could start by looking at the range of designs herein:

http://homepage.mac.com/tlinespeaker...dix-191209.pdf

To reiterate an earlier post, I think it's important to try to use the same or very close to equivalent (if not larger ) driver for the center as the L&R mains. My own room is small enough and listening levels such that Alpair 7s are quite adequate for the front row - the L&R are in a simple MLTL (Pensil), and the center in a small vented enclosure for which as already mentioned above, drawings should be published sometime soon.

[planet10]

So far everyone that has deployed them has been very please, but in all cases the L&R are baed on the same driver as the centre.

In your situation with the DefTechs there will likely be some discontinuity since the timbre will probably not match.

A FR build, if your ear/brain catches why so many love them, and due to the addictive nature of diy, may well spell a future for your DefTechs elsewhere

dave