Our LCD TV will be sitting atop a wide piece of furniture. There is really no place for a single center channel speaker as my wife does not want anything mounted on the wall above the TV. If in front of the TV, the bottom of the TV will be blocked. Is there any issue with using two center channel speakers? It would look balanced to have one on each side of the TV. If ok, how would one wire them? Thanks.

I've done that before, when I had no place to rest my center. I tried using the Omni brand of center speaker mounts, but sometimes when my center was too big and heavy, I would put just use two speakers as you suggest.

How to wire it? I ran a Y connector from my preamp's center channel pre-outs to 2 channels of an outboard amplifier. Then I put the 2 towers which I used as centers as close to the TV as magnetically safe. I toed them in so they intersected right in front of me. I made sure that the identical towers which I used as R & L main speakers were well separated from the centers and not toed in as much.

I doubt the imaging is as good this way, though it might look impressive.

Our LCD TV will be sitting atop a wide piece of furniture. There is really no place for a single center channel speaker as my wife does not want anything mounted on the wall above the TV. If in front of the TV, the bottom of the TV will be blocked. Is there any issue with using two center channel speakers? It would look balanced to have one on each side of the TV. If ok, how would one wire them? Thanks.

It will look balanced but sound like crap. However, do what the wife says, as I'm sure she cares little about sound and doesn't care if you do.

If the wife is being a pain, why not an in-wall centre channel?

For example...

http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/products/product-line.php?id=3

the CM should do nicely, and is paintable to match the room.

kw.............

It will look balanced but sound like crap. However, do what the wife says, as I'm sure she cares little about sound and doesn't care if you do.

Why would it sound like crap?

The only place it will sound decent will be the *exact* sweet spot. Outside the sweet spot, you'll have constructive and destructive comb filtering. If you are going to be sitting in the *exact* sweet spot, and your wife doesn't care how it sounds, you'll be fine with dual, side-mounted centers.

Craig

The only place it will sound decent will be the *exact* sweet spot. Outside the sweet spot, you'll have constructive and destructive comb filtering. If you are going to be sitting in the *exact* sweet spot, and your wife doesn't care how it sounds, you'll be fine with dual, side-mounted centers.

Craig

And the whole point of a center is to anchor dialogue to the screen. By using dual centers the voices will move to the left or right depending on where you're sitting. Rather than waste your money on dual centers, I'd run without a center and use the left and right to derive the (phantom) center.

Why would it sound like crap?
If you do a search, you'll find this topic has been discussed quite a lot. Although two centers causes lots of acoustical problems, it's no worse than a single center that's five feet higher than the left and right. The problem with dual centers is comb-filtering, lobing, cancellations, difference in arrival times, etc. However, if you have no other choice, and you sit pretty much on center, it is acceptable. David Bott is using two very nice <cough :rolleyes: > small speakers for center in a secondary system that didn't allow for one larger center, and he has told me it works well.

Bottom line: If you have no other choice, do it. If you don't have to do dual centers, it's best not to.

Ok--thanks guys--I'll work on a single speaker solution. There MUST be something that will work.

Ok--thanks guys--I'll work on a single speaker solution. There MUST be something that will work.

Well, in the end, if a no center channel is a must, I feel Tony is correct. Get your main R/L speakers as close to the TV as possible and use the phantom center setting on your receiver.

You will have a much more stable sound field enjoyable by more than those just in the sweet spot.

Yeah I am happier since I moved away from the dual centers. But I have to suffer with a 90 lb center which sits on a stand in front of the TV. Looks horrible and is too close to me. And blocks my components so my remotes don't work well.

But even though I moved away from it, the dual centers did basically work. It's not that it can't be done. Just a question of whether the problems cited are too much for you. I see no harm in trying it to see if it bothers you.

FWIW you can use a pair of Magnepan MMG-Ws as a single center channel. They sound a lot better than you would expect and the maggies design helps mitigate a lot of the problem typically associated with running two mono channels.

6moons audio review (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=9739033)

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/magnepan/centerchannel.jpg