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In Reply to: Help me please - set up for improved dialog / center chanel. posted by WDWD on March 29, 2008 at 10:30:14:
My experience in going from 2.1 to 6.1 in steps (4.1, 5.1 then 6.1) is that whenever you're downmixing channels so that you're using fewer speakers, things sound a little less clearer. Since most of the dialogue in a multi-channel soundtrack comes from the centre channel, adding a centre channel speaker should certainly make speech sound clearer.
Modern surround receivers allow you to specify what speakers you are using so any reasonable quality AVR receiver will do what you want. I would really only make 2 comments about how you go about doing it:
1- in my experience, you need to find a centre channel speaker that's a good tonal match for your L&R speakers or the shift in tonal quality as voices move on or off screen from time to time and get panned between the centre and other speakers may drive you mad. If your existing speakers are old you may not be able to find a good tonal match and you may want to consider buying new speakers for the L &R as well.
2- you need to ensure that the sound from the centre speaker arrives at the same time as sound from the other speakers. You do this by specifying the distance of each speaker from the listening position and the receiver then provides delays to match arrival times. Some receivers have automated setups which require you to plug in a mic they provide and run a setup sequence in which the receiver emits test tones and analyses the delay in the sound coming back from the mic. The receiver then matches speaker levels and delay times automatically for you which may save you a fair amount of effort in manually matching levels. Better quality receivers also provide room EQ functions and I'm extremely happy with the results with the Audyssey room EQ functions on my Denon receiver. Getting a receiver with room EQ and auto setup will cost you more but you may well find the gain in clarity from the room EQ function is worth the extra cost. Electronic room EQ doesn't really replace physical room acoustic treatments but it certainly improves the results you get, whether or not you're using physical treatments, and it's certainly been a real plus for me in the room where my HT setup is located since that is a particularly hard and bright sounding room.
David Aiken
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Follow Ups
- RE: Help me please - set up for improved dialog / center chanel. - David Aiken 00:20:32 04/02/08 (0)
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