Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Worth adding center only to bookshelves + sub?

Hello Martin,
I cannot tell you about the effect of adding a center, but I can give you my experience with M3s in 2.0 configuration with our TV. I end up sitting way off axis, most of the time. I am amazed at how the sound stays anchored on the TV. "This should not work" but at least in my situation, it does. YMMV but you can try it easily in your existing setup, just sit yourself in various locations to compare.
Here's our setup. Room is 22x11x8, speakers and TV centered on the long wall. Speakers are no more than 6 feet apart, flanking the TV, and we watch from 9 feet away or so. I end up sitting at the computer which is on the opposite wall from the TV, but about 3 feet outside of the right speaker. It still sounds great from over there. Since my wife hates bass, we probably will not change from this configuration.....
I think you have a larger space, so the effect may change in your environment, but the phantom center works amazingly well for us.

I think the secret in your system is that the speakers are relatively close together compared to your seating distance. If you were sitting closer or if the speakers were further apart you would see more apparent movement of the sound when you sat off to one side.

There's probably a formula for this but I don't have it

John and Bryan, it couldn't be termed a "formula", but a mono or stereo sound equal in volume from the two main speakers will move along with the listener as goes from one side to the other, but won't move out farther than the speaker on that side. If, as John noted, the speakers have a relatively narrow separation not far outside the TV, the center image isn't going to get far outside the screen and won't be as objectionable.

Well, I decided to give the VP100 a try; it's already been shipped so I'll have it by next week...

Part of me regrets every so slightly not just getting a third M3Ti, since it is cheaper and lighter and matching is a non-issue, but on the other hand the VP100 can sit flat on a side table under the (future) projector screen when we're doing the HT thing and look like it belongs, whereas putting the M3Ti there might appear a bit odd.

FYI, my room size is 23x16x9, with the M3Ti in the front top corners of the room, painfully close to 3 walls (WAF ). The HSU TN-1220HO is hidden in the RH front corner behind an armoire that holds the Panasonic DVD/CD player and receiver (plus 2 cooling fans from Radio Shack ). The LH front corner holds a piano, which kind of limited the options for placement of the speakers eh?

The main seating position is a sofa almost exactly in the middle of the room facing a bay window, where we'll put a portable projection screen when we want to watch a movie. The geometry and the room in the bay window should allow approx. 72" diagonal, but the exact dimensions will depend on whatever portable screen I manage to find. The projector is on order: it's the Optoma H31, bought from Costco.com. I'm not sure if it's the right projector for us, but heck Costco is only charging $12 shipping and handling, and the rest is 100% refundable no questions asked at our local Costco if we don't like it! Gotta love Costco. The projector will sit on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Behind the sofa is the formal dining area, which will serve as the cheap seats if we have people over for a movie.

I'll report back when I've had a chance to try out the 3.1, especially if I get the HT set up too.

One more thought: like I said, I had never intended ever to put in HT here. Our TV is the once-best 27" Sony (which I selected--I kid you not--solely because Consumer Reports gave this model the best rating for sound ), but is in a completely different room. I thought that one day I might put in the surround sound in that family room, and maybe upsize the TV or whatnot, but now I realize that the living room is probably preferable for HT for a simple reason: the floors are carpeted in the living room, and the family room has laminate flooring. So when a friend told me about front projectors, and my wife commented that the sound of the 2.1 was so impressive we should put in HT, and it all fit together. We have our almost invisible but excellent sound system. Then, we can watch a movie on a portable screen using a tabletop projector and a temporary center speaker, all without interfering with the decor.

--Martin

Great Martin. I look forward to your review of the 3.1 system.