Should I buy a center speaker?

Hello everyone,

currently I have a 4.0 setup consisting of 2 Beolab 20 in the front and 2 Beolab 17 in the back, all connected to a Beosystem 4. We watch a lot of movies etc, so I was thinking about getting a used Beolab 7.1 center speaker. 

At this point, the sound of the setup is already very good, but would an additonal center speaker improve the sound even more? Also, I have connected the current speakers wireless through the transmitter - would there be ans setup issues, if I conneceted a Beolab 7.1 with a cable (e.g. time delay)?

Thanks in advance for any input!

I'd always recommend a centre speaker, although the Lab 20's will be doing a fairly decent job of a 'phantom centre' if they're at the right angle to your sofa / viewing position.

What screen/panel are you using?

We are using an Epson 9200 beamer, which is connected to the Beosystem 4. The Beolab 20s do have a very good 'phantom center', but sometimes dialogues in movies could be a little bit clearer...

You may wish to look at something a little smaller and more discrete then, which also has an acoustic lens - and are very, very cheap at the moment..

BeoLab 7.4

That'll do the job perfectly well and won't look too cumbersome when you've got the system switched off.

Lee

I would say definitely YES...

....especially because you wrote 'we are using..'.

As a one-person-listener you might go on without one.

You will have no delay problem, if you set up the center properly - which should not be difficult with the BSys4.

MM

9 LEE:

You may wish to look at something a little smaller and more discrete then, which also has an acoustic lens - and are very, very cheap at the moment..

BeoLab 7.4

That'll do the job perfectly well and won't look too cumbersome when you've got the system switched off.

Lee

As Lee said add a 7.4, these are very economical nowadays

The dialogue will be so much clearer and channeled to the centre which is where it's designed to come from

Hi Dasun,

 

We added a Definitive Technology Center Speaker which has its own little subwoofer built in and it made a terrific difference.

 

We are running 18 + 19 up front and 15's mounted in the ceiling as surround speakers. All of them are connect wirelessly via Transmitter 1.

 

The Center Speaker is " wired" to the AV receiver.

 

Excellent 5.1 sound experience. 

 

 

I can't imagine ever watching any type of movie without a centre channel.

Alright, thanks for all your help. I just purchased a used 7.1 via ebay and will pick it up tomorrow or Tuesday. How would I connect it to my existing setup? I have a transmitter connected to the Beosystem 4, and the transmitter connects wireless with the Beolab 20 and 17. Would I connect the 7.1 directly with the Beosystem 4 or connect it with the Transmitter?

Thanks!

Hi Dasun

My situation is a bit like yours in that I don't have a centre speaker.

I have lab 18s/3s for front and back with non B&O sub. I'm making do without a centre speakers for now till I figure out what to get.

Tifoso48 - do you find there's change in sound using non B&O speakers for the centre? Does your speakers match well to the B&O fronts?

Everyone else - would a Beolab 7.4 be better than Beolab 7.6? I'm stuck between the 7.6 vs 7.4. The 7.6 would be visually easier to integrate as its horizontal

I think the 7.4 works better as a centre speaker in a surround sound setup - especially if your front speakers have acoustic lenses as

a) they are mono, and

b) they are specifically optimised for voices dialogue.

That said, I'm currently using a 7.2 as a centre speaker (with BL9s front, and BL4000s rear) as my TV is mounted above a (non working) feature fireplace.

I keep thinking about replacing the 7.2 with a 7.4 (and lowering the TV), but I'm torn as that would involve me removing the Victorian fireplace and I spent several days cleaning that with a wire brush, polishing it, and creating a new oak surround and mantle.

Martin.

 

BillC:

My situation is a bit like yours in that I don't have a centre speaker.

For quite a while, when I stepped away from B&O I didn't have a center speaker. I used a Rotel RSX-1560 Receiver with B&W CM9 speakers for Front L&R, and my wife and I were quite satisfied. She got me a B&W CMC (Centre speaker) for a birthday present, and we liked it, but quite honestly, didn't feel it added much to our watching / listening habits. 

Could you tell me how to hook up Lab 20 as a center channel speaker. I am using RCA cables to connect to my non BO sound processor. I only see R, L or wireless options.