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Question:

home theatre without center speaker?

i'm buying new speakers for a surround setup which will be used for gaming and movies and i'm on a budget. is it possible to just skip the center speaker?

Answer:

If you intend to use the system with movies (i.e. home theatre) the centre speaker is important (most of the dialog is sent to the centre). Your best bet is probably to consider a soundbar speaker with built in amp. It won't be true/discrete surround but it will be a good approximation and work better (and cost less) than a no-centre surround system of separate speakers.
When you set your system up to play in stereo mode and not in encompass sound mode you'll be good enough. Stereo mode tells the encompass sound receiver you best have two speakers so all the knowledge will get routed to those two audio system. For those who set it for surrond sound mode then the receiver will think you might have the additional audio system and you'll by and large free the middle channel dialog. I think you can set the receiver up for subwoofer none in order that the subwoofer frequencies are routed to your major speakers. Running wires and integrating audio system into a room isn't an easy challenge. When you've got carpeting you might remember flat speaker wires. In view that speaker wires are low voltage which you can run them beneath carpeting. It labored for me.
Generally No. Some makes and models of AV Receivers do allow you to use 1, 2, 3 or 5 speakers for 5.1 material but it's not a common feature. The Yamaha RX-V 6 series has this feature.
Yes, you can get by without the center speakers. You would set up the receiver for the front speaker ar large and turn off the center speaker. You can add the center speaker at a later date. Or you can look at a soundbar. Look at an Onkyo HT-S3500, it is a 5.1 receiver and a set of 5.1 speakers. This unit is available at Fry's Electronic for under $300. Hope this will help you out.
As bb stated No you do not have to use a center channel speaker it is not mandatory, it often not even needed in most home theater systems. in fact in many cases its actually better without one, and allow you left and right main speakers to cover the whole spectrum. Center channel speakers were mainly designed and used when dedicated home theater systems have large movie screens and the main speakers are very far apart, creating a whole in the middle of the soundstage. In most consumer homes we do not use huge movie screens and can position our main speakers at a reasonable distance apart allowing for good center fill, or good mono content. Like bb said when you go into speaker setup menu it will ask you if you are using a center channel speaker, simply say no and all dialog and center channel information will be directed to both the left and right main speakers. So no you don't have to have one, and in most cases if your speakers are less than 10ft apart you are going to get better results without one. Kevin 40 years high end audio video specialist

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