center channel??

[wicho]

hello everyone:

just a question that might sound silly..but here it goes...
the center channel on home theater systems is what...??
left+right, left-right or something else..i am asking because i am planning to build an ht system..sub left right and center...and i need the info on the center channel issue.

thanks and sorry for the question

wicho

 

[Drew Eckhardt]

just a question that might sound silly..but here it goes...
the center channel on home theater systems is what...??
left+right, left-right or something else..i am asking because i am planning to build an ht system..sub left right and center...and i need the info on the center channel issue.

For "discrete" film sound tracks like 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS it's its own signal containing up to 2/3 of the total sound track energy - dialog, musical score, and sound effects not directed to the LFE channel.

Matrix encoded (Dolby Digital 2.0) sources knock the level down 3dB and add to left and right channels recorded on the media, but the decoder generates unique signals for left, center, right, and surround and increases the signal going to the dominant channel's amplifier while reducing the other signals so that you get better channel separation more like what existed before the source was matrix encoded.

You definitely want the center channel to have the same timber as the front left and right - I'd skip it if you can't do that. Identical drivers and cabinet volumes are good too because you want things coming out of all three speakers to sum correctly and to preserve any phantom imaging across the front stage which exists and relies on relative phase.