Center Channel Speaker Recommendation

[dminches]

In my 7.1 setup I have 2 Vandersteen Model 7s and a VCC-5 center channel. The 4 surround speakers are M&K.

While I am completely satisfied with the 2 main speakers (since the room is used more for 2 channel audio and MCH video) I am finding the dialogue coming from the center channel less than great. I lot of this is due to my ears aging and some due to the fact that there are greater ranges in volume on dialogue these days. I have made some adjustments to the volume level with my processor but I still think that the VCC-5 is limiting.

So, I'd like to upgrade my center channel to something which will do a better job. Since I don't listen to MCH audio I am really not concerned that the center channel and main will have different characteristics.

Any suggestions? Part of me just wants to get a B&W HTM81 D4 since this will be my last center channel purchase but if I can get the job done for less than $8k I would prefer that.

Again, dialog clarity is my main criteria.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

In my 7.1 setup I have 2 Vandersteen Model 7s and a VCC-5 center channel. The 4 surround speakers are M&K.

While I am completely satisfied with the 2 main speakers (since the room is used more for 2 channel audio and MCH video) I am finding the dialogue coming from the center channel less than great. I lot of this is due to my ears aging and some due to the fact that there are greater ranges in volume on dialogue these days. I have made some adjustments to the volume level with my processor but I still think that the VCC-5 is limiting.

So, I'd like to upgrade my center channel to something which will do a better job. Since I don't listen to MCH audio I am really not concerned that the center channel and main will have different characteristics.

Any suggestions? Part of me just wants to get a B&W HTM81 D4 since this will be my last center channel purchase but if I can get the job done for less than $8k I would prefer that.

Again, dialog clarity is my main criteria.

my guess is your multi-channel source/signal path is more likely holding you back than your center channel speaker. the Bryston looks like a very capable processor. but it's pretty complicated and offers lots of choices, maybe something in the processor set-up is limiting? are there adjustments on your current center channel speaker?

the other thing is the quality of your 2 main channels including your main preamp and Horizon/Extreme verses the Bryston dac for the center channel. the investment to switch from the Bryston to.....say......a Trinnov Altitude 16.....might not be much more.....but the center channel might sound much better and be closer to your 2 channel source quality. and the Trinnov will handle current movie sources with object based surround sound quite a bit better than the Bryston and the clarity improvement should be noticable.

it could be your center channel speaker is holding you back, but consider that all your 2 channel sources are exceptional. and a better center channel might actually reveal more what the multi-channel signal path is not doing.

i could be completely wrong, it might as simple as getting a better speaker, but just a perspective to consider before you invest in that 'uber' center channel.

 

[dminches]

my guess is your multi-channel source/signal path is more likely holding you back than your center channel speaker. the Bryston looks like a very capable processor. but it's pretty complicated and offers lots of choices, maybe something in the processor set-up is limiting? are there adjustments on your current center channel speaker?

the other thing is the quality of your 2 main channels including your main preamp and Horizon/Extreme verses the Bryston dac for the center channel. the investment to switch from the Bryston to.....say......a Trinnov Altitude 16.....might not be much more.....but the center channel might sound much better and be closer to your 2 channel source quality. and the Trinnov will handle current movie sources with object based surround sound quite a bit better than the Bryston and the clarity improvement should be noticable.

it could be your center channel speaker is holding you back, but consider that all your 2 channel sources are exceptional. and a better center channel might actually reveal more what the multi-channel signal path is not doing.

i could be completely wrong, it might as simple as getting a better speaker, but just a perspective to consider before you invest in that 'uber' center channel.

Mike, all perspectives are welcome!

I am not sure how the processor could be the issue (but open to the thought that it may). The Bryston doesn't do room correction but my room is pretty well treated. I guess there are EQ settings that would help but the center channel output seems simple. I have defined the center as "large" which does mean it will not attenuate the lower frequencies but I don't think they are that present in the center channel feed.

What do you think a higher end processor does for the center channel that my processor may not?

 

[DonH50]

By default full-range signals are sent to all channels unless bass-managed. I would set the center to "small", then try boosting the 2 to 4 kHz band in your EQ to see if it helps bring out the voices more clearly. Hopefully the center is time-aligned with the other speakers or you could have frequency response ripples (peaks and valleys) due to phase issues among speakers.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Mike, all perspectives are welcome!

I am not sure how the processor could be the issue (but open to the thought that it may). The Bryston doesn't do room correction but my room is pretty well treated. I guess there are EQ settings that would help but the center channel output seems simple. I have defined the center as "large" which does mean it will not attenuate the lower frequencies but I don't think they are that present in the center channel feed.

can't comment on how the Bryston 'set-up' works. you should play around with it.

What do you think a higher end processor does for the center channel that my processor may not?

for multi-channel sources, you are using the dac in the Bryston, and the processor in the Bryston. even without room correction, the Bryston is processing the digital stream to separate the channels, assume you are mostly streaming movies or TV? maybe you have an Oppo for playing Blue Ray? all your streaming sources are sending a digital stream to the Bryston. so that is the 'more modest' limiting thing. not saying it's not good. but it does not compare to your 2 channel signal path.

maybe find a local dealer who carries the Trinnov and other processors and hear it in direct comparison. i know what i heard when i went from my Anthem AV60 to the Trinnov 2 years ago in my Home Theater room. big difference everywhere. processing multi-channel sources has moved forward quite a bit since the SP3 was designed 10 years ago. in processor years that's 2 lifetimes.

btw; the Trinnov is not really hardware and chips that become outdated; it's a computer and software based. so it's not going to be outdated. check it out.

i'm not saying a better center channel might not get you where you want to go. but it might not be the most significant factor.

 

[dminches]

By default full-range signals are sent to all channels unless bass-managed. I would set the center to "small", then try boosting the 2 to 4 kHz band in your EQ to see if it helps bring out the voices more clearly. Hopefully the center is time-aligned with the other speakers or you could have frequency response ripples (peaks and valleys) due to phase issues among speakers.

I will try setting the speaker to small. My processor does not have the ability to apply any EQ to a particular channel (at least I don't think so) so I may have that limitation.