Center channel implementation

[maylar 10+ year member]

My car has a small center channel speaker in the middle of the dash. I intend to do away with the factory amp in my car and I'd like to keep this speaker. But it seems to me that combining L+R (simplest thing to do) would mess with the stereo imaging. I'm thinking that the center should contain only what's common to both channels. Anybody have an idea about how OEM's typically implement this?

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[Doxquzme Premium Member]

It's the OEM way of using tome alignment to replicate center staging for both the driver and occupant. The better question would be, is that the consideration? It's a type of unmixing triggered by sensors and time alignment implementation (with the better OEMs) that create a centering of the driver and the passengers stage. Signals that are found to go to both L/R are combined and sent to one, the center. I've seems others use a dual VC driver in the middle, run L/R out of phase and try to create center staging this way too.

CDT Audio ES-02DVC

Personally, unless the center channel is specific to in-car voice for phone or doorbells, things like that, my recommendation is to leave it in the dash, and out of the new system unless you're just trying to increase output to the existing as-it-is sound system.

 

[1aespinoza Premium Member]

Anybody have an idea about how OEM's typically implement this?

The better question would be, is that the consideration?

I think CDT makes a passive center channel add-on. It needs only left and right signal and it's x-overs do the rest.
Found it.

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Personally, unless the center channel is specific to in-car voice for phone or doorbells, things like that, my recommendation is to leave it in the dash, and out of the new system unless you're just trying to increase output to the existing as-it-is sound system.

Thanks for that. Good point about the chimes, I 'll have to check. My thoughts were that a true center channel could serve to raise the sound stage some. I'm probably overthinking this.