I remember when 5.1 sound came to the home market, some of the best sound I've experienced has been with a full set of timber matched speakers! Playing the original THX trailer really highlights timber matching, and BTW, I think even today, that trailer is still the best to show off what your HT can do! At reference level, it's a sonic symphony! Back in the day when THX was huge! Thanks YM!

Best low cost, effective, answer to angling center channels up have been rubber door stop wedges. They do not show terribly bad, allow you to slide the center forward and backward to adjust the angle for tweeter direction and the rubber keeps everything in place.

Ever since I spent £1,000 on a matching centre channel, never mind the fact I never needed to turn centre channel up a few notches, I can't recall ever having to reach for the remote to press rewind! 😁 Good video.

Great tips. I used different speakers for a year up front, my ears couldn't hear a difference in timbre, but that's my ears. And I just use a pair of door stops from the Dollar Tree to raise the center channel up a bit. Works the same way, cost $1 and they're black so they disappear in with the rest of the system for movies.

So I just want to say I have several brands of speakers and sets of speakers ,29 connected together with 4 different, multi channel amps ,2 ,two channel amps ,and 2 more 4 channels amps ,on my main receiver I have a multi channel pre Amp out puts so I can connect different amps to boost my surround speaks . Now what I did was matched and played around hooking up different sets of speakers to the different amps to find the best matching sound quality. I'll just say I've been to the big expensive shows and listened to those $100,000 systems. What I've set up and tuned myself sounds 100 times cleaner ,clearer than most every system I've ever heard. Took me months to get it to sound like it does but I get pure clean ,highs ,voice ,and acoustics so much that it like the band is right in my room playing. 👍

Down to the basics. Some of it is common sense but well worth repeating. Never thought about moving the center channel to the edge and angling it towards the listening position. Thank you Youthman.

Please keep bringing these types of vids! Do av receivers/settings 😎

Great Video, spot on advice. Only thing I would add is that people may want to consider adding some kind of product to their center channel like an Isoacoustics stand or even Auralex MoPAD's. I have found these to make a giant difference.

Great tips, all spot on!

Hi Youthman, please keep the tips and tricks flowing in. Thanks DB

Just moving my center channel up to the front of the shelf above the tv made a world of difference !

Easy tip, if you have center below or above TV, like I do. Buy a cheap laser pen. You can place it on top of center speaker and it enables you to make sure you got the angle tilted correctly for it to aim straight at your head height.

You are the reason I bought 3 Noesis 212htr for my LCR instead of Tektons. I won't be receiving them until July/August. I can't wait!!! Thank you for the tips on setting up the center channel!

Also, in my AVR (the Yamaha RX-V6A) there is a dialogue "Lift" (not sound level that's separate) option that I'm guessing uses EQ to artificially make the dialogue sound like it is coming from a higher location to help make your center channel sound like it is coming from the TV itself instead of below. It seems to help a little without changing the sound noticeably. Not as good as placing the speaker behind an acoustically transparent screen, but a good adjustment to use to get it close.

Great tips .....very usefull. Let me add one more tip ..... always go for a 3 way center speaker.

Tip #1, do not get a center speaker unless it has a midwoofer underneath, I repeat...underneath the tweeter. I'm looking at you Klipsch. Nothing short of a design flaw. Also happens to be why having a third main sounds better. You want everything in the vocal region to be vertical and pointed right at you, not horizontal where one foot to the left and you're out of phase. Woofers on the side are OK for the low frequencies as they are omnidirectional and the crossover should be cut off around 400hz A 2 way center..horizontal woofer, tweeter, woofer, is even worse. That design, like a klipsch rp600c, should not exist. Again, design flaw. Klipsch loves making things that look good without caring if they function properly. Makes you question if they have any engineers over there. They aren't alone in this. Many companies use this design, because they know you'll buy it. Companies should be pushing this as its proven, but a 3 way cabinet is more expensive to make, or even a 2.5way crossover with shared airspace. To a point, I think people only care about the way things look also. Some people, anyway. Svs has the right idea with their center. Though it's small, and I haven't heard wonderful things about it, that's how it should look. I'd love to hear one of Atlantic technology's thx ultra 2 centers with a vertical mtm and then either 2 or 4 woofers on the side. That thing is a monster

Great tips. I have my center channel pushed back to far. I moved it up to the edge of the cabinet and can tell a difference. Thx for the tips

Tip 1 just helped me big time as made me realise why having the same brand and line is important and makes so much sense. Brilliant thanks as I was about to buy a klipsch with my mordaunt short mezzo range.

To angle your center channel speakers, try a matching pair of door stops (metal or real wood ones), they look much nicer than foam.

Youthman posts a video, I watch and learn.

I would suggest this tip: If you have a large Center Channel, which usually is comprised of two mid-range drivers and a tweeter or even two mid-bass drivers and a tweeter, be sure to check your Receiver's setting for Center Channel. Make sure it is set to Full Range or Large center channel. What that does is sends the full 20-20K sound source to the center channel. Likewise, if you have a small center channel, which might be comprised of one mid-range driver or maybe just a tweeter, you will want to check the Center channel setting to Small. This will cut off the bass and mid-bass frequencies to the center channel and you won't get distortion as the driver attempts to replicate lower frequencies it can't produce well. Another tip, would be to check volume levels, especially if you don't have matching center speakers and main speakers. Your surround receiver will allow you to increase or decrease the volume of each channel separately from the main volume. You might need to adjust this to offset the sound differential between mismatched speakers. This might also come in handy if your room isn't a standard boxed-in square shape. Say you have a column or wall next to one of the speakers, but the other has open area around it. This will affect the acoustics. A money-free solution is to change the volume for that speaker if it is overpowering due to reflection. Finally, pulling from the controversial playbook, check your speaker wire and connections. To get the best performance from ANY speaker, the overall concept is to reduce impedance. To reduce impedance you need better conductivity. This can be in the form of thicker wire, more advanced wire geometry, speaker connectors such as spades or banana plugs, as well as length of the wire and where that wire is placed (like, don't set your speaker wire next to a heater or any strong electrical device.)

Tip number 8 - get 3 huge B & W centre speakers (£1500 each or 8 series approximately £6000 each) and use all 3 speakers in the HORIZONTAL position i.e. Left/Centre/Right. You can always augment this with a REL T/9x sub-bass if you feel you need it. Bowers and Wilkins make a wide stand for the 8 series speakers.

To purchase a sealed center channel speaker is to purchase a different brand from your left and right speakers if the brands you happen to buy was not designed to have a center speaker.. It is because finding sealed speaker while considering the brands and the series of your left and right speaker is very difficult UNLESS, you make a custom one. My advice is always go for the custom made or purchase a set. Or if you're like me, I make and match things depending on my taste. I build them myself too. Even a DIY 5.1 Amplifier. Disclaimer, I'm no expert or sound engineer but I do love electronics and music.

Great video! It’s worth to mention that some ported speakers come with plug. You can use plug if you plan to use inside of the shelf.

I bought a piece of mogami cable with banana ends from parts express and made a DIY cable to replace my svs cable and oh yea it made and an improvement. Seen this guy on KZfaq make his own and made one for under $25 . It will rival any high end cable , mogami is a quad cable so you use two conductors in each banana , so worth it

While I'll agree that mixing and matching the front three speakers is not always ideal, it is also true that sometimes it works out. I have living proof of it. My right and left are Canton 890.2 and my center channel is a pinnacle black diamond 700. Sounds fantastic across my front stage. Interestingly enough the Pinnacle is a soft Dome and the Canton has a ceramic coated aluminum dome.

My center sounds better the further away i stand...its an older b&w. Also i plugged one of the ports. That helped.

A nice trick is to use the very same model MTM center speaker also as a left and right speaker, but standing on their end. That way you typically get higher sensitivity, more bass extension, higher power handling, better imaging and also perfect (as mentioned in the video) front stage sound conformity.

The foam mounting tip for my center, to angle it to our ear level, was really helpful. Though you had me thinking for a minute about using one of my black towels to put under my black Klipsch center. :)

Thank you. I prefer paradigm or energy centers

Also picked up an iOS acoustics isolator for my center stand that you can articulate, dampens any vibration getting into the center , definitely does somthing and looks cool

I was researching on this. Thank you.

4:01 I love having those speakers with big horns behind an AT screen! :D

It's a good thing I kept searching for the same product line of tower speakers as my center & bookshelf speakers. It took a while but it will work out better in the end. Thanks for the tip

Great video man!

Mr Youthman Rock

You can also open up the back of your entertainment center with the same size of your center channel speaker 🔊 so it can breathe. I have a SVS Ultra center channel and it has port holes in the back. It worked out great..👍🏼 none of the boomy sound in the cabinet. 🤷🏻‍♂️😁

These are great suggestions. I find it interesting that 3 of the 7 suggestions pretty much require being able to place the center channel behind the screen, which for the vast majority of home setups simply is not possible.

Absolutes oftentimes find themselves wrong. Case in point. I had 7, Pioneer elite towers and a SVS Ultra center with 2, SB 2000 subs in the rear and 2 pioneer elite subs in the front. One sub next to each front tower and there was no tonal difference at all in the front stage. Everything sounded great. When I changed out the fronts for Ultra Towers The sound was ofcourse louder, but the Pioneer elite towers have better sound dispersion with separation, particularly, in the highs/mids. Gun shots had more snap to them. Glass breaking and all those type of sounds are more detailed with the elites than the ultra towers. The Ultra Towers sound clear, loud, and with a great bottom end. My point is from my own experience, is, just because you have matching speakers it doesn't mean it's going to sound good or better.

I'm that guy that put his center on the console near the back. I pull it out to edge for watching movies and then back when I'm finished.

#1 rule is a pretty subjective rule. It is ideal, but not necessary. Its a good idea that they have similar sound characteristics. Specially if you do much of music listening, then it matters less. #2 tip should be going for a 3way center, not just budget. #3 again, not needed. LCR is fine, but why such a limitation? #4 totally not needed as well. You can have it just below, or more ear level. #5 Ok, a good idea. #6 ok #7 ok ___So 3 good tips! And most sound like tips for buyers of package setups.

Great advice. Spot on. One thing people don’t often consider is that an “LCR” doesn’t have to mean a compact satellite speaker. A large full-range tower can be an ‘LCR’ if you align the same three speakers across the front. Matters of crossover and bass management can be dealt with as the room dictates.

The main issue with having LCR speakers in the front is matching the blend at cross-over points between them and a sub-woofer, using better electronics mitigates this issue, but when using more affordable electronics it's more of a problem. Your recommendation on the center channel position is more apparent when using a smaller center channel speaker with a limited lower frequency range, this become less of an issue when the tweeter is at the top and the side speakers can go lower in the frequency range, this is due to the fact that lower frequencies are non-directional.

Thanks for the tips. Always trying to tweak my setup to get the most out of it.

Great tips! I would add a #8, if you can't go with an LCR setup, go with a 3 way W T/M W center channel for better dispersion and minimized lobing.

That’s what I’m dealing with right now. I have a tiny den inside my New Orleans shotgun-style house. My center channel is inside the cubby hole of my TV stand. Then I have a large coffee table with drawers blocking it. My 55 inch has a pedestal base will not sit well on top of the speaker if it’s sitting on top of the stand. Wall mounting is not an option. Oh well, I just have to live it! 😩 I actually miss my triplex apartment, it had a huge great room where I can utilize all 7 channels with no obstructions. Only issue was the great room was two stories high and there was a loft above it. My two subs just couldn’t pressurize it.

awesome advice and tips for anybody into home theater, I am not quite there yet,(having same brand for speakers, e712 cerwin vega floor standing speakers for l,r...and Polk Audio TSi CS10 (Black) for center), but I am working toward it. Thanks for the great help you freely give.

Great tips Michael, I think you hit every one that can really make a big difference in SQ.

Youthman at 3:16 you mention that the "sound when panning from left to right is absolutely seamless". So, when you have an LCR behind the screen setup, when the actors are speaking on the far right or left of the screen, the front left and right speakers take up the sound too?

Thanks mate! I was looking for tips for my center channel. I got it placed under the tv in the cabinet b/c of the fact that my 75" TV is taking up all the space on top. 😅 I will angle it upwards. Thanks!

Truest truth, thank you for collecting 👍 Apply Michael's tips and even your wife will notice the difference! 😍

A separate power amplifier purely to power the centre channel speaker, is also a big help in terms of the clarity of the dialogue. Makes a big difference

Im actually surprised at what a big difference moving the centre speaker to the front of my cabinet and angling the speaker up with a wedge makes.

I'm using all SVS 5.2.2 Primes for LCR and Stats for atmos and surrounds. I plan on adding Pinnicales for L/R and moving old L/R to back surrounds for 10 years I had a Denon 3805 and ran A + B rear surrounds. I played discreet 4 ch music with it A for Movies and B for the music.

Thre matching speakers up front is dynamic. You're 100% correct. You know what sounds even better. Having the same speaker around the box. It's Pure Eargasim.

You ARE NOT going to believe this but....I have a pair of club speakers raw unengineered sound, acoustic research, Bose, and just got klipsh. I alao found 2 sharps and hooked them.up just to olay around too.They are ALL hooked up to sterio - left and right only. It sounds unbelievably great. I think the klipsh, acoustic research and Bose will be the best but my clubs and the subs I hooked them u with are beautiful as well. I'm going to start going to actual surround this weekend just to see what happens. I do think if They were all klipsh I would have an awesome set up but what I have now it's real hard to talk down about the sound, the look - your woman will be a bit put off but the sound is unbelievable at the moment

my mid and front and back are all different make and decade of speakers... yes no sub yet still sounds good and fun

Why not increase your center channel speaker by 2db for better dialogue.

Ok, so I moved my center speaker to the top of my unit as you advised. I actually noticed a difference, before I felt as if the receiver was a split second off but actually it was probably because the speaker was at my knee height. Lol. Thanks for the advice.

I am running a full set of Definitive Technology mythos speakers and the matching towers are much larger than my center channel. I tried increasing the sound on the receiver and it did not blend well. I ended up purchasing a much larger Definitive Technology center channel CS 9080 with larger drivers and a built in powered subwoofer. The sound from the center is definitely clearer and has more low end presence. I am still playing with the sound and it seems to be better so far.

Great video, great advice! Of course you know me, I will always DIY because I can voice match everything at will not just on axis response but off axis as well:-)

Great tips,

Looking good. You’re the reason I have my klipsch 5.1.2 atmos setup in my basement.

I just adjust my center speaker. I guess I had in the middle of my cabinet. 😬😊

i own klipsch vf 36 for my front left and right and my center channel is the klipsch rp450 c are the lower end klipschs speakers ok to match with the rp line

My set up is B&W for surround and height/atmos, Polk towers for front, Definitive for center channel and again B+W for subwoofer. you may have a home theater, but i got a frankentheater. jokes aside, this sounds infinitely better than the Klipsch 5.1.4 channel set up bought a cotsco and ended up returning.

How about, instead of placing the center channel to the edge of the cabinet it's on top of, aiming it up?... I mean, I have no choice, because first, it's on a very low cabinet (about knee-height, with the speaker on top of that point) and I also don't sit that far away. So it needs to be aimed up to get to my ears as best possible and every bit back it can go helps. - But I'm just wondering if it might reduce the reflection off of the surface of the cabinet when aimed up, especially when on a stand that puts it slightly higher again. - I don't think it would miss the cabinet still, even though this particular cabinet isn't that deep, but yea...

Youthman. You say not to put your center channel inside a cabinet. My B&W comes with foam plugs for the ports. Would that fix the problem of the echo in the cabinet. And if I use them in the center channel would I need to use the plugs in the front speakers also to keep the sound of the 3 speakers the same.

Would it be recommended to purchase same 3 front to towers LCR and turn center tower on its side instead of standing it up?

You'd love my creative 2.1 gaming speakers with cheap as chips 2.1 as surrounds attached to a chair with the second sub powering a feedback rumbler. and the front..diy mono 100w amp and a bmw 350 dash panel speaker attached to a 3" pvc endcap. 5.2 setup So matched 🤣

Nice video and great tips! I think the center channel is the most underrated channel. Most probably know that like 85 percent of the most important sound comes front the center channel yet most poeple hold back on the center channel. Especially bass is very present in the center channel and even if you can redirect the bass to other speakers it won't be the same also with a bigger speaker sound and voices sound much fuller and real so to speak. I get most can't have three tower speakers but at least go for the biggest center speaker in the series you have. In my experience the best is of course to have all speaker from the same brand and series but if you can't at least have the same in the front stage. I think having other brands as surround and top speakers isn't as critical as the front if they are somewhat similar in tone.

Great suggestions! Thanks!

Wow... I was given a Polk xt 35 and was gonna pair with some klipsch 280F.. But I'm learning not to do that and have to debate now on how to proceed

Excellent video!!

Great tips and I am now getting more quality sound from my Center speaker

If you don't have room for a good center channel under TV just use your left & right for center imaging a lot of times it will sound better than a dedicated center channel.

Extremely helpful. Thanks a lot! 🤩🤩

#1 find the best full range CLR centre your budget will allow... #2 carefully match it to a monoblock amplifier... #3 repeats steps one and two as and when required...last step is to make every speaker equal distance to one Hot Spot... Any deviation from this will result in poorer sound... Home cinema is simple, people sometimes make it complicated, remember a 10k 5.2 system will always sound much better than a 10k 7.2.4 Always.

Hi Michael... I want to thank you for touching on a VARIETY of important tips according to DIFFERENT set-ups - Great Job! My personal set-up is like the last example you mention where my centre channel is placed lower and aiming upwards towards the listening position. To get the angle position just right, my question to you is... what is the angle degree of the sound path towards the face that is coming from that center speaker (therefore the drivers & tweeter), so just to elevate it at the right height...? Kind regards, Perry

Hey Michael! Thanks a ton for all your advice and videos! Helps a lot. Saw your home theatre upgrades, subs comparisons, separates vs avrs and many more. Two questions on this video: 1. For those who use their system for music as well, how do floor standing speakers and a centre compare to all three speakers of the same series behind the screen. What's suggested/ better.. 2. While lcr should be the same brand and series, what's your view on surrounds if they are different, largely due to costs. Won't they sound bit different? For example, kef r11 for lcr but 8 kef surrounds (rear +Atmos) can cost a lot. Or gradually upgrade.

thanks, these are helpful tips

Just use doorstop wedges, you can even adjust the angle to what you want out of them

Good day Michael for my home theater setup I have the cerwin vega VS 120 series for my left and right speakers for my front stage and I have the cerwin vega LS5C for my center channel and have 4 Klipsch bookshelf speakers for my side and rear speakers and I need to know on the setting on my receiver do I have bass going through my speakers or do I turn the bass to flat so there is no bass going through my speakers as I have 2 12" powered subs that I am using along with 4 power amplifiers that I have hookup for my speakers please let me know about the bass setting on my receiver thank you Michael as I trust you because you know alot about home theater systems the receiver I am using is a Pioneer VSX-1016TXV is the receiver I am using

Thanks Michael. You've just shamed me into planning for an eventual AT screen upgrade. 😁

Great tips pal!

Definitely i have a Frankenstein home theater diferent speakers 🤣🤣🤣 diferent avr is a mess but the info is amazing

These are fantastic tips! I wish I could follow them but unfortunately, I have the room from Hades. 18 foot angled ceilings. Worst of all a fireplace and mantle right where the TV goes. I plan to get a mantle mount, but this also means the center channel speaker Hass to be mounted to the TV itself so that when it’s pulled down the speaker comes with it. Looking for a slim line version that can be mounted directly to the TV. The polk looks best to me, but the rest of the speakers are Klipsch. Hoping Audyssey can compensate.

I’ve been waiting almost 2 months for the SVS Prime Pinnacle towers in black ash to come back in stock. I finally got them ordered yesterday and they were suppose to be delivered tomorrow and now there’s gonna be a delay to the next day. I hope I’m not disappointed in them!

love my airmotiv c2+. seem blending well with my svs towers

Thanks mate.

You are the best. Thank you

Very helpful 👌☺

Thanks for the tips, great ones and useful. I’m installing the Klipsch THX for all the 3 front speakers behind an acoustically transparent screen. One question I have is, does the center channel speaker need to placed vertically or horizontally? Left and right are going to be vertical for sure.

Great info keep up the great work!!

Very useful information, i like your channel

Brilliant.. Going to change to LCR.. Great advice 👍

Thanks man great tips it is very useful for me.

Youthman, I saw your video at Paradigm where they placed their LCR under the screen, what are your feelings on 3 LCR under a 77inch Oled?

one ques brother....u have placed lcr behind screen and I think those won't be at ur ear level...they might be little high to ur ear levels...then how would u justify that ??

Great video, I really appreciate this.