Canali centrali

Canali centrali

The center channel is the speaker placed in the center of a home theater system, above or below the television. It reproduces most dialogue and keeps voices anchored to the screen even when you're not sitting exactly in the center of the sofa. This makes it one of the most important speakers in a multichannel system: if the center channel isn't up to par, movies and series lose clarity and immersion. In this category, you'll find center speakers for 5.1 systems and above, from compact models to high-end center speakers.

Timbre matching with the fronts

The most important rule is to choose a center channel with a similar timbre to the front speakers. When a sound moves from one side of the screen to the other, it passes through the center channel: if the speakers sound different, the change will be audible and the soundstage will lose coherence. The safest way is to choose a center channel from the same series as the front speakers, which generally use tweeters and woofers from the same family. If your front speakers don't have a matching center channel, look for a model from the same brand with similar speaker technology.

Positioning and dimensions

The center channel should be placed as close to the center of the screen as possible, with the tweeters at ear height or slightly tilted toward the listening position if you place it very low or very high. Avoid placing it in a closed cabinet, which echoes and dulls voices, or place it on the edge of the shelf. If it has a rear-firing port, leave some space behind it. Before purchasing, measure the available space below or above the TV: center speakers vary greatly in size. For general speaker distances and angles, read the guide on how to position speakers.

Adjustment with the receiver

After installation, run your AV receiver's automatic calibration, then check the levels and distances: a slightly higher-level center speaker helps with dialogue understanding. If your system includes a subwoofer , setting the crossover frequency correctly will reduce the center speaker's workload on low frequencies.

The central channels you find from Audiocostruzioni

Our selection of new center channels includes Klipsch, Wharfedale, Sonus faber, Martin Logan, Triangle, and Paradigm, as well as JBL. Among our customers' favorite models are the Klipsch R-50C, Klipsch RP-504C II, Triangle Borea BRC1, and Martin Logan Motion C10.

Audiocostruzioni It's a hi-fi store with a showroom and listening room in Carpi (MO), where you can listen to our speakers live, and we also sell and ship online. For advice on matching center speakers to your front speakers, email us, and if you're looking to upgrade your system, we'll gladly consider a trade-in.