Center channel?

[maylar 10+ year member]

I notice a lot of cars come with a center channel speaker, usually high in the dash near the windshield. My Buick came with one and the only positive thing I can say is that the sound stage was really high. But it kills stereo separation and any chance of imaging. So why do factory systems do this?

Just curious..

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[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

My mother's Cadillac has a center channel in the dash and I think the imaging is pretty decent for a factory sound system. Center channel speakers require some processing to sound right, and it can't be just summing L+R. Maybe your Buick just sums L+R.

 

[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

If its processed correctly, it helps imaging. You should still have proper left amd right speakers that handle far left and right images. If the center speaker is playing everything and u have no stereo separation, someone is doing it wrong.

 

[miska_man 10+ year member]

1. Cut wires going to center speaker

2. Enjoy your new sound

That's what I did on my Infinity system in my Chrysler. Sure it's a decent enough stock system in a domestic car.. but that center speaker was sure trash.

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

My mother's Cadillac has a center channel in the dash and I think the imaging is pretty decent for a factory sound system. Center channel speakers require some processing to sound right, and it can't be just summing L+R. Maybe your Buick just sums L+R.

Fair enough. What sort of processing would be required? My center speaker is currently disconnected but I'm considering adding it back in with an attenuated L+R off the HU outputs. I don't know what to expect, but it's easy enough to experiment with.

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

This isn't something I've used or even feel is necessary, but the better center channel implementations use DSP to get only the information that a center speaker should have. This is only music that's common to both the left and right speakers. BMW does a center channel with Logic7, Dolby Pro Logic can do it(Alpine H700, H701, H800 processors), miniDSP is supposed to be able to do it with a plugin, and the JBL MS-8 does a center channel with signal steering adjusted multiple times a second.

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Ive experienced this one, and it really sounds amazing

CS-020X CDT Audio "UpStage" Center Stage Dual 2" System | eBay