Quote:
Originally Posted by 70sMac
James..... I never thought it would get quite this complicated, but when one is looking for information about "preamp/processors," "centers" and "woofers, you end up crossing the boundaries of these forum boards.
Pre/Pro: It has come to my attention that, in order to utilize the new center [the one we're presently looking for], we will need more amplification. Putting the Bryston 9B aside, which two-channel amps would you recommend for our project?
Centers: I really don't know what you mean by "soundstage." Does that mean that a mismatched center speaker will stand out like a sore thumb when placed between two front speakers from a different manufacturer?
Woofers: Do woofers for a home theater setup present the same challenges as finding a good center speaker? In other words, should we be looking for a woofer that "matches" the B&W Nautilus speakers we already enjoy?
As a reminder, we're working with a pair of B&W 802Ns (fronts) that are driven by a Mac MC300. The B&W 805Ns (rears) are driven by a MAC4200, and both pairs are presently "controlled" by a Mac MX-130. I've also learned that the MX-130 won't really suit our new entertainment room, which we hope to equip with a 5.1 surround setup (for now); hence, the questions about newer pre/pros.
I hope that I haven't muddied the water too much, and I really do appreciate your time.
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Hi
1. Not sure why you would want a Stereo amp for the Center as it only requires 1 mono amplifier? That being said the amp you would choose would be one that matches the capability of the Center speaker you choose. So if you are matching the left and right speakers try and get similar power for the center speaker assuming the Center can handle similar power.
2. Soundstage is a term that describes the ability of your system to present a cohesive even energy spread between the speakers. Width and depth to the music or movie stage. So if a car drives by from left to right on the screen you should be able to follow that car from left to right without loosing the sound image. So there are no acoustic holes from left to right and center speakers.
Think of it as if you had 3 flashlights (instead of 3 speakers) and you want to make sure the light from each individual flashlight intersects with each of the 3 so you get a nice even light across the front. No areas too bright or too dark just a nice coherent light across the front of your room. So when you mix different manufactures speakers there is the possibility of having one of those flashlights being too strong or too weak when it comes to light output. The reason for this is that each manufacturer will have a specific 'dispersion pattern' for their speakers and it is not recommended to mix one manufacturer with another.
3. Woofers are not that critical as they only handle the Point 1 channel (low bass) from your processor. So you can pretty well choose a sub that meets your requirements from any manufacturer.
Hope this helps.
james
PS - Check out this theater -
https://wircmedia.com/wp-content/upl...uFfLm7rO-4BuJg