Just wondering? I am considering going the 4.1 route versus the 5.1 route...

Is this practical with all the sound settings,etc on most rec. and dvds?

Is this for home theater? If so, could you explain to us why you do not want to use a center speaker. It goes without saying that the center speaker is the most crucial speaker in a home theater setup.

Most receivers have surround processor which can create a "phantom" center speaker, but these obviously don't sound as good as actually having a center speaker.

just asking actually..I am familiar with the phantom setup...It is unlikely that I will go with a 4.1 setup but would like to find out if it is a viable option.

What do you define as viable?

Phantom centers you have to sit in the right spot to hear them properly. If you watch stuff alone, it can work, but if you have a bunch of people over, you can't really cram everyone into the sweet spot.

No

Tulpa hit the nail on the head. Can you do 4.1? Yes. Can it work? Yes--but it will probably only work well for one person. The center channel is supposed to disperse the sound evenly over a much wider area, meaning that the sound will be good for many different seats. Because the sound sent to the center channel is extremely important to a movie, this is important if you have people sitting in places other than the "sweet spot".

The naysayers are seriously incorrect.

As long as you are in the sweetspot, it can work just fine. Some people prefer doing it this way, I don't because I have friends and we can't all sit in the sweetspot when watching a movie.

As for how practical, it is extremely practical, you save the cost of an extra speaker, and it is exceedingly simple to setup your receiver this way, you simply set the center channel to OFF or NO or whatever label your receiver/processor uses for that to tell it that the speaker is not present. And there you go.

I agree. I am single and use phantom center and have a question. I currently use analog outs from my DVD player and set center to off. Would there be an advantage (such as avoiding DRC and maintaining a more discreet sound)to leaving the center channel on and using "y" cables to route the center manually from the 5.1 analog outs to my stereo speakers?

The naysayers are seriously incorrect.
I agree, too. Depending upon your exact needs, 4.1 (or even 2.1) can be a very viable option.

I currently use analog outs from my DVD player and set center to off. Would there be an advantage (such as avoiding DRC and maintaining a more discreet sound)to leaving the center channel on and using "y" cables to route the center manually from the 5.1 analog outs to my stereo speakers?
No real advantage as your player already does this perfectly for you. And there's actually a lot more to it than simply using a Y-adapter to "merge" the center info into the front channels. It's safe to use a Y-adapter to split a signal, but "merging", in most cases, is a no-no.

I agree. I am single and use phantom center and have a question. I currently use analog outs from my DVD player and set center to off. Would there be an advantage (such as avoiding DRC and maintaining a more discreet sound)to leaving the center channel on and using "y" cables to route the center manually from the 5.1 analog outs to my stereo speakers?

Using the stereo outputs of your DVD player very likely does engage some amount of DRC(and probably drops the LFE), depending on the player's design. However, the solution is not at all the contraption you propose (which at least the way you describe it is incomplete and won't work), but rather to use an outboard processor to handle the downmix to stereo, one that doesn't apply DRC or drop LFE on a stereo downmix.

...It goes without saying that the center speaker is the most crucial speaker in a home theater setup...

The reason it goes without saying is that its not true, so nobody says it except for those new to the hobby or those who are only repeating what they read somewhere. The fact is every speaker in a system is important as well as room treatments. Each can equally add or detract from the overall sound. I would much rather have two quality mains than two average mains with an average center. And that sweet spot can be much larger than you might think. Depending on the type and quality of the speakers used, that sweet spot can be quite large. :eek:

Using the stereo outputs of your DVD player very likely does engage some amount of DRC(and probably drops the LFE), depending on the player's design. However, the solution is not at all the contraption you propose (which at least the way you describe it is incomplete and won't work), but rather to use an outboard processor to handle the downmix to stereo, one that doesn't apply DRC or drop LFE on a stereo downmix.

THanks, Chris. Any recommendations? Jerry

I believe that a phantom center is the best choice if you are unable to line up your center's tweeters with your fronts. The size of my TV forced my center to be placed on the floor, and it sounded awful, even when it was angled up towards me.

Everything still sounds pretty good to the left and right of the sweet spot.

sbwillie, I don't know if you are following the thread or not, but in the event you are, let me do my best to cut through the bickering and see if I can give you a good answer. The center speaker is not the most important speaker, however, the information contained in the center channel might be--it contains most of the dialogue. In an ideal situation, not using a center can be just fine--you don't lose any information, and properly set up speakers will still make it seem like the stuff that's supposed to be in the center is in the center. With that said, there is a reason they came up with the center channel, and that is that there are some inherent limitations to a phantom center, namely that it only works really well in the sweet spot. Depending on the speakers, that sweet spot can be decent sized--and some are incredibly small. The benefit to using a center channel is simply that the sound is actually coming from near the screen, so no matter where you sit, it "should" sound that way. Now, without knowing exactly what your situation is, I can't tell you which is right for you. However, here would be my suggestion--if you can afford to get yourself a good center (preferably of the same quality and from the same family as your fronts), then go ahead and get one. If you can't, you may be able to get by without one. So, to answer your question, is it possible to use a 4.1 system? Absolutely. Is is practical to use a 4.1 system? Sometimes. I hope that helps!