Phantom center testing - 08/25/09 02:03 AM
OK, I got the sub dialed in again using my EQ so I decided to play with the center channel. Am I correct in assuming all you do is set the center to no?
My test material was episode 1 of Band of Brothers. Everything is a little more diffuse with the phantom center. From the prime seating position, sometimes it works great like when there was a jeep driving across the front behind the main scene. The diffuse nature was quite a bit more realistic.
Sometimes it worked better for dialog sometimes a lot worse. With the center channel, I found the dialog more crisp and more pinpoint.
Outside the prime seat, I did not like the phantom center. The more diffuse dialog along with an off center location made the dialog float.
The only downside to the center is that sometimes its a little to pinpoint. I suspect some of that has to do with my sound-stage being a little too compressed into the center.
Now that I have some idea what I am missing, I think its time to play with the positioning of the mains to improve the sound-stage in general.
My test material was episode 1 of Band of Brothers. Everything is a little more diffuse with the phantom center. From the prime seating position, sometimes it works great like when there was a jeep driving across the front behind the main scene. The diffuse nature was quite a bit more realistic.
Sometimes it worked better for dialog sometimes a lot worse. With the center channel, I found the dialog more crisp and more pinpoint.
Outside the prime seat, I did not like the phantom center. The more diffuse dialog along with an off center location made the dialog float.
The only downside to the center is that sometimes its a little to pinpoint. I suspect some of that has to do with my sound-stage being a little too compressed into the center.
Now that I have some idea what I am missing, I think its time to play with the positioning of the mains to improve the sound-stage in general.