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Low Center Channel

post #1 of 3
Thread Starter 
I hope I'm posting this in the right place, if not I apologize in advance.
Let me start by listing my setup:

Pioneer VSX-33 receiver
Klipsch RF-52 II for Left and Right placed about 6 - 7 ft apart
Klipsch RC-52 II for Center placed above the TV pointing downwards toward the listening position
Sonys for Surrounds placed about 3 feet back from the couch

My problem as the thread title states is that when watching many movies my center sounds dull, muddy, low, whatever you want to call it, while the effects are so loud it could bring the house down (IE. Empire Strikes Back). Oddly enough watching other movies (IE. Predator) the problem is not as noticeable. I have run the MCACC about a billion times, it doesn't seem to get better. The other problem I encounter is that if I turn the center channel up it tends to drown out the mains. At this point I don't know what else to do, its seriously starting to give me a headache and I hate to think I spent all of this money to have to fiddle with setting every time I watch a movie.
post #2 of 3
You've done what you can with the speaker you have, but there are limitations to sound quality from horizontal speakers. Audioholics has several articles. Here's the overview, the specific links are under MTMs.
http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/center-channel-designs-1

Your speaker is very similar to one of the test speakers in the first article, but with a lower crossover, so less lobing.
http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/vertical-vs-horizontal-speaker-designs/250-mtm-horizontally-oriented-measurements.html

Note that I have an excellent MTM CC, so they can be made, just not cheaply. WTMW is a lot easier to make well.

Note that this is primarily an off-axis issue. If you're sitting on-axis, and dialog intelligibility is poor, it could be room effects. If you have bare wall behind the speakers, the reflected sound could be muddying the direct sound. I don't have the problem (sit in front of curtains), but others have reported improvement by treating front and rear walls. I tend to DIY things, but there are several good vendors, Real Traps, GIK Acoustics, among others, will post here.

HAve fun,
Frank
post #3 of 3
Quote:
Originally Posted by m1helmethead View Post

I hope I'm posting this in the right place, if not I apologize in advance.
My problem as the thread title states is that when watching many movies my center sounds dull, muddy, low, whatever you want to call it, while the effects are so loud it could bring the house down (IE. Empire Strikes Back). Oddly enough watching other movies (IE. Predator) the problem is not as noticeable. I have run the MCACC about a billion times, it doesn't seem to get better. The other problem I encounter is that if I turn the center channel up it tends to drown out the mains .

It definitely sounds like a room acoustics problem.

Have you also tried using a SPL meter to see if the speakers are outputting the same/similar volumes?
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