I just got myself my first new receiver - a H/K AVR525. I really like it, but I've got a few issues, mainly centering around the fact I only have 2 speakers and a sub. I'd like to get a center channel speaker at least, but my wife thinks they're ugly (universally, not any in particular), and won't let me get one until I finish building the entertainment center. Not a problem, but I don't think she'll change her mind about the ugly thing after I finish the EC. I was brainstorming, and I need y'all to tell me if this is crazy. I was thinking that two bookshelf speakers placed very close to the TV might work as a center channel (with either a second amp, or one of those A+B speaker switches), and might be more aesthetically pleasing to her. I was thinking of M2tis as opposed to the VP100. Eventually, I plan to replace my current POS front speakers with M22tis. I'm not sure what to do with the surrounds yet; probably QS4s, or 4 QS2s (7.1 sound...)

Thanks in advance for not flaming me to oblivion....

Ken

Yes, your proposal should work just fine, and I believe that similar setups have been discussed in this forum several times. You do not even need an additional amp or an A/B switch; you just hook up the two M2 "centers" to the receiver's center speaker output in parallel and in-phase. That will reduce the effective speaker impedance to 4 ohms, but the H/K should be able to handle it without a problem.

Good luck with the WAF!

Thanks! Do you think that the M2s would "best" well for this, or could I get away with M1s?

Also, do I really need 2? Could I use, for example, a vertical M22 to the side of the TV (It's only 27", and the couch is about 8' away.

PS, she said she might be able to live with that. But I have to finish the EC first. Rather fun project, but as the workshop is 100 mi away, that could take awhile.

I am sure JohnK will fill in here, our local "vertical center aficionado."

Yes, Ken, as sushi mentions I use and recommend a small vertical speaker(such as the M2) for the center channel which is as similar to the main speakers as possible(unless the mains fall into the POS category, as you indicate). To anchor the center channel material as closely to the TV screen as possible the speaker would be better positioned directly above or below the screen, rather than off to the side.

However, I assume that you've noticed that your 2 present speakers form a "phantom" center speaker when they reproduce center channel material. It may be better to stay with that at least temporarily and instead of a center speaker to get 2 surrounds, which should add more to your sound than a center would(I hope that she doesn't think surrounds are ugly).

Actually, they don't, which prompted this whole thing. Maybe I've got something set up wrong, but when I tried to watch T2 for the first time the other night, I could hear all the explosions, motors, etc, and dialog off to the side just fine. When the character was centered on the screen, it was hard to hear. I had the DVD player hooked up to the receiver over digital coax, with Bitstream output, playing DD5.1 (the same result with DPL2.0), and the receiver set to DD. When I switched the receiver to VMAX (H/K's virtual surround), I got the center back (sort of), but the treble was so boosted I didn't even want to watch. Had the same problem with Dr. T and the Women the next day (although we turned that one off pretty darn fast and sent it back to Netflix ;-P) The only DVDs I've had good luck with (and the only ones I've tried since I got this thing) were DD 2.0 DVDs such as the Muppet Show, Dark Ages, and the Simpsons. Just for info purposes, I've got Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble 1s as my mains.

I could be wrong, but I suspect that once she hears the difference of having a center channel on her favorite video content (whatever it might be), the cosmetics will become a non-issue. That was the case with my wife (same deal for the subwoofer, though she still doesn't want a huge one in our family room). The M80's were a hard sell, but once she listened to her favortie music a few times when I wasn't around....

Ken, the first thing that comes to mind is are you sure that when you set the speaker configuration on your HK525 that you set the center speaker to "none"? The surround and surround back should also be "none", of course, and the left and right front "small". As long as the center is set none the center channel information is sent equally to the 2 front speakers and the effect is that someone about equidistant from them hears the center info coming from a phantom center speaker.

Well, I've got all of the surrounds and center set to none, and the fronts set to large, so I can fool with the triple crossover stuff.

I hooked up the DVD player to the analog inputs just for fun, and set the disc to DPL 2.0, the player to analog, and the receiver to Dolby Pro Logic II Movie, and then watched the movie again. (after I finished, I discovered online how to get to the super duper extended version, which is what I thought I was watching until I got to the end. D'oh!) I discovered that, yes, indeed, some of the movie is really quiet, and I just needed to turn it up. A lot. Or something. So maybe I'm just insane, but I'll need that/those center(s) at some point.

Well, your sanity (or lack thereof) is not something we are qualified to comment on. However, we agree you will need a center/centers at some point.

To increase the WAF of a center channel, you could try painting a nice design on the grill...

Thanks, bud. I'll remember that for your WAF. Maybe I can do both sets at the same time, eh?

And now, I'll go sit in the corner and repeat to myself "3 seasons of Bab5 cost the same as a center channel..."