center channel speaker underpowered?

**00christian00** · 06-09-2005, 06:07 AM

I was thinking,if i have a 5.1 setup and the side speaker have something like 200w,how the hell is the center channel speaker going to match them?!
I bought a pioneer ts-cx7 (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...303379,00.html ) that is capable of 25w,so this speaker is going to be almost covered by the other even at low volume?
I tought i could set the gain on the amplifier the same as the other speaker,is it going to ruin it even at low volume?Obviously when i wanted to pump up the volume i will disable it or lower its volume from the soundcard.
Other solution?I don't like much the idea of put the speaker behind the dash,and don't want to modify my dash.Are there any powerful speaker that could fit in 1 din?

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-09-2005, 09:37 AM

a center channel isn't suppose to match the other channels....it's there for fill, nothing more

don't set the gain the same as the others, set it where it NEEDS to be. Meaning, set it where it doesn't clip.

There are NO powerful center channel speakers period, much less for a single din space.

Maybe you need to read up some more on 5.1 before you go much further, it's more of an art than a bruit force....lol

**00christian00** · 06-09-2005, 09:57 AM

I understood what you are meaning,but how it is supposed to fill if it has lower volume than it should have?I don't think a center channel of a given wattage can coexist with any other speaker?Or am i wrong?
If i set the gain for the other speaker much higher than the central one,doesn't that mean that at a given volume the side speaker will be much louder than the central one?
We are not talking of a little difference,but of something more than 150w!
Sorry if i'm doing pretty dumb question but i don't know much about music,and all i know i've learnt these months when i chosed to build a carputer.
I found this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW
Wouldn't this be a lot better than my ts-cx7?It has 50w rms 150 max
BTW
Here turbocad6 tell exactly the opposite,that you should have 5 equal speaker :
People using 5.1 - Questions

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-09-2005, 10:01 AM

again, the center channel isn't suppose to be as loud as the rest of the speakers. It's there for FILL and FILL alone.

that alpine would work for you.

as for turbocad6....there's going to be a billion different thoughts and oponions on car audio. That's one reason why I mentioned doing your research.

personally I think that 5.1 in a car is rather useless, but that's just me. It's pretty apparent that a lot of other people don't feel that way, and that's cool.

**jcdillin** · 06-09-2005, 10:17 AM

I had 5.1 in my car before I switched cars, there is no reason to have a very powerful center speaker, as Red GTI is saying, it's purely for fill and that is it, your surround speakers and sub should be taking care of most of the work.

**00christian00** · 06-09-2005, 10:27 AM

Well,for me it's mostly for a cool and WOW factor.For the most of the time i will use a 2.1 or a 2.2 output where the side speaker output the stereo channel and i redirect bass to the speaker and the voice to the center,but all of this without enabling surround processing but simply using the driver of the soundcard.
As you know much about hi-fi sound,could you give me an advice.
As i said before i want to have a dual configuration 5.1(or 7.1 as i have spare speakers)/2.1,when i want to listen to music should i leave only the mid/bass to the rear?Or even that will ruin the sound image?
If i have 4 speaker to the rear is even worst?Or if approprately filtered they can improve the sound?

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-09-2005, 10:33 AM

if you think about it....what sounds come from the center channel? mostly high frequency stuff....and that high frequency stuff doesn't take all that much power to reproduce

I understand the cool and wow factor....hell, that's why a lot of people are into car audio in the first place, not to mention CarPCs.

are you really looking for a good sound stage when you listen to your music or do you just want to be surrounded by the music?

btw - where are you from?

**00christian00** · 06-09-2005, 10:58 AM

Good,then i'll take that alpine and don't think anymore at the center channel,i'll change the pioneer the same as i don't want to drill my dash of the new car.
I want a good sound stage,as real as possible,it has to sound like a live concert.
For now i have a semi-professional soundcard,a pair of boston pro 5.5,2x boston rx97,2x ciare ch252,a subwoofer pioneer don't remember wich model,and an unknow brand 6ch amplifier.Most of that was or was bought for the old car a 106,and i was thinking of taking something.I wanted to buy a pair of focal utopia 6.5'' for the front,and buy an amplifier for them and run the rest off the unknow 6 channel amplifier.
What do you think?Some suggestion of what to reuse and what not?
I'm already almost reaching the 2000 eur(2440$) as of now,i don't want to spend much more,my portfolio is crying

BTW
I'm from Italy,i've just update my profile.

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-09-2005, 11:45 AM

I think that if you are going to spend so much time and effort on this you need to ditch that noname amp.

If you are looking at focal utopias you need to put an amp on them that does them justice. To not should be a crime.

I think you should realize that in car audio, as with most other things, more is not always better.

**00christian00** · 06-09-2005, 12:04 PM

It's not even good for the rear speaker?I have to ditch even the boston pro 5.5?They were pretty expensive

What if i put use 7.1(front/rear/sub/center) channel for surround powering the front with a good amp and the rest with the noname amp and 2.1(only front and sub) for listening music?At least i would have spent the money on something i use,
Noone want the buy these speaker