Anyone going Phantom Center Channel?

Great responses. Yes, I have thought about running phantom center channel for a while. If you are going to do it properly your surround system has to have it as an option or you will loose all the voices without a center. With the dispersion of the A-1's I thought they would be optimal for phantom center setup.

As an earlier poster mentioned, matching the A-1's to a proper center channel might be tough, I actually have considered purchasing a single large maggi, laying it sideways on the floor and running it as a center. There is also the Martin Logan curved center which is a nice piece (hybrid ribbon and small cone) but I think I might try it without a center first to see if it's better than with.

Rears I am planning on using a set of the C1 maggi's but someone mention dipoles which might be an option. Anyone using the C1's maggi's for the rear? I wanted to stay planar/electrostat for the whole system for matching purposed but wouldn't be apposed to going dipole. I was just concerned about the match though it may not be nearly as important for rear fill.

Concert video will be watched in 2 channel most likely as well as music only so it would only count for film.

interesting on the maggie on the side info. MYE actually makes a stand for it on their website for just such a setup. I don't doubt the factory told you not to do it, just interesting they build a stand for it. Also wondering why the speaker would care if it's straight up or laying down.

I agree there is a compromise when going with different speakers. But it's difficult to get an A-1 as a center channel :-). My next closest thought was a maggie.

Chazro,

I will ultimately be running front projection in the room but I like your thinking. I am going to run a surround for movies. I do like the rear fill, doors slamming, cars running past, that sort of thing. My goal was to just eliminate the center if possible during movies. The A-1's have a really wide dispersion and sound stage so I thought they might be perfect for going without a center channel. Either way, I think I will give it a shot, see if I am missing anything. Might save me from having to purchase a 3 channel amp and a center channel :-)!

Electro,

I would love to run a matched center but the A-1's are 7 ft. tall and 39" wide. That is one of the reasons I was thinking of running phantom in the first place. The A-1's also deliver and exceptionally large stage with a huge sweet spot. This may work well with the type of system I am trying to put together. But your right about just trying it and seeing whether or not it makes sense. My wife and I are usually the only ones watching together and the kids don't care about sweet spots :-)! So going phantom just might work in this case. The A-1's are a tough match. Some of the ideas listed above where a single Maggie on it's side though members have mentioned the company frowns on the idea and that it may not be good for the speakers.

martin logan produces a nice hybrid center channel with ribbon and small drivers which may fit the bill. I also thought about running Quad ESL 57's as center channel. They are not too tall and well know for their remarkable mid-range though it may be a shame to use such a beautiful speaker as a center.

I know there are many who love surround sound and use it as their primary listening system. I don't want to start a 2 channel vs. 5/7 channel war, that has been done in many other threads. What I am interested in is how essential speaker matching up front is. I may be splitting hairs here and worrying about nothing. The A-1's are a tough match so it may just make sense to not worry about matching them and pick up a decent center channel, realize there will be some inconsistencies and leave it at that. Matching the center channel with the correct power is another tough call. To purchase just one monoblock for a center just to match the left and right may not make sense from a cost standpoint since the A-1's are so hungry for power the center channel may be a little overwhelmed with 400W of power.