Has anyone ever tried two center channel speakers?


What are the pros and cons of using two center channel speakers?

I am using a full range Infinity Kappa 7 speaker laid on its side as a center channel. The other one is in storage. I have the room to lay the other one next to it and I have an extra amp to power it.
128x128mitch4t

Showing 8 responses by kr4

Dipole Maggies are horses of another color. The dual-center seems to work OK even though Magnepan continues to try to develop a center that both sounds right and will fit into a real room.

Kal
Sorry to say this but:
1. Putting a speaker on its side will leave you subject to lobing and poor dispersion.
2. Adding another next to it will make all that worse.

Use one center speaker standing up or, depending on your setup, a center speaker with correct driver orientation and spacing.

There are many good reasons why the vast majority of quality speakers have their drivers arrayed vertically. Conversely, the vast majority of so-called dedicated center channel speakers are awful, having been designed to accommodate naive expectations and esthetic requirements at the expense of audio performance.

Kal
Flrnlamb wrote (among other things): "My main concern, first is however, is that the speakers all need to couple well in the room, in relation to the seating possition(s) for FLAT RESPONSE, and solid dynamic range. (also, critical coupling at the crossover to sub). This is THE SINGLE MOST IGNORED AREA of consideration when people place speakers!!! They put the speakers where THEY THINK they should go, irregardless of how well the speaker actually sounds in any particualar location, by itself!!!!!"

Exactly. However, too many are putting things where they think they are "supposed to go" without understanding why. In addition, most do not have any way to know if the response is flat since they lack the tools to measure performance. They can choose ony what "sounds best" to them.

Kal
Butsy asked: "what about stacking the two on their sides??" Asked and answered: Twice as bad as one on its side. :-)

Kal
Well, to get back to your original request: We have had several statements about the sonic problems with doing this and none about the advantages except for convenience. Of course, the bottom line is whether you like it or not but, judging from your acceptance of using a single horizontal Infinity Kappa 7 as a center, you may not be hearing, or caring about, what is so apparent to me.

Kal
Mitch4t wrote: "However, by putting the two speakers on their sides in a mirror image arrangement with the top tweeters of the two speakers next to each other, the vertical misalignment will be neutralized."

No, it won't. The additional interference may be less polarized but it will, in fact, be worse.

Kal
Two vertically-oriented speakers placed above and below the screen will provide a centered phantom image with minimal horizontal interference and lobing. Place them horizontally and/or displaced laterally and real problems arise.

Kal
Rugyboogie wrote: "The Mc Intosh center speakers were a meant for horizontal placement."

Most are meant for horizontal placement but, despite that, few are designed properly for that orientation. (Spoken without knowledge of or bias against whatever McIntosh speaker you are referring to.)

Kal