Podcast Summary: Home Theater Geeks 509 – Best Type of Center Speaker

Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Scott Wilkinson
Guest Host: Leo Laporte
Podcast: TWiT.tv – Home Theater Geeks
Listener Question from: Jason in Phoenix, AZ

Episode Overview

This episode is dedicated to answering a central question from listener Jason:
Is it better to use a dedicated center channel speaker or just another speaker from the same line as your front left and right channels?
Scott Wilkinson addresses the technical, practical, and acoustic considerations of center channel speaker selection, focusing on tonal matching, speaker design, and best practices for both center and surround speakers. He also touches upon the listener’s follow-up: the suitability of using identically sized surround speakers.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Importance of the Center Channel Speaker

• The center channel is arguably the most crucial speaker in a home theater system, primarily handling dialogue and keeping viewers connected to the storyline.
  • Quote:
    "The center channel speaker is arguably the most important speaker in the whole system because it carries most of the dialogue..." – Scott Wilkinson [02:06]

2. Ideal Speaker Setup: Three Identicals Across the Front

• Best possible scenario: Use three identical speakers for left, center, and right to ensure perfect tonal match as sound pans across the screen.
  • Quote:
    "The ideal situation is to use three identical speakers across the front for the left, center, and right. This is really important because the tonal character of the center speaker needs to match the tonal character of the left and right." – Scott Wilkinson [02:31]
• Achievable in theaters with acoustically transparent projection screens—which allow speakers to be placed directly behind the screen for optimal audio localization.
  • For non-transparent screens (LCD, OLED, MicroLED), center channels must be placed below or above the screen.

3. The Center Channel Dilemma: Dedicated vs. Identical Speaker

• Using a vertical speaker laid sideways (horizontal orientation):

  • Can cause issues—most notably "horizontal lobing," where sound output changes at different angles due to interference between drivers.
  • Quote & Explanation:
    "One of the main problems is something called horizontal lobing...The two mid-range woofers on either side of the tweeter...suffer from something called interference." – Scott Wilkinson [05:04]
  • Human ears are less sensitive to vertical lobing (as in a normal upright speaker) than horizontal lobing (in a sideways speaker).

• Dedicated horizontal center speakers:

  • Designed specifically to be used horizontally under a TV or non-transparent screen.
  • Often feature two woofers/mids flanking a central tweeter (e.g., "Polk" example).
  • Still a compromise: susceptible to lobing issues, though speaker design can help mitigate these.

4. Speaker Design Solutions for Lobing

• Crossover Design:
  • The electronic crossover determines which drivers handle which frequencies.
  • Different crossover strategies (2nd order, 3rd order, or mixed) can minimize interference and lobing.
    • Quote:
      "There are many different ways to design a crossover...some of them work better than others at solving this lobing problem." – Scott Wilkinson [08:36]
• Physical Driver Placement:
  • Placing woofers closer together and "nesting" the tweeter can further reduce lobing.
  • Limiting frequency output of one woofer ("two-and-a-half-way" designs) reduces mutual interference.
• Three-way Designs:
  • Adding a dedicated midrange driver and mounting tweeter and midrange vertically can lead to better sound dispersion and reduce lobing effects.
    • Quote:
      "You can also make a three-way design...the midrange and tweeter are mounted vertically so there's no lobing between them and good dispersion." – Scott Wilkinson [14:09]
• Using Multiple Drivers:
  • More drivers (e.g., four mid/woofers and a central tweeter) in center speakers, with careful frequency management, can also address the problem—though cost increases.

5. Practical Recommendations for Listeners

• For Most Setups:
  • If using a TV or non-acoustically transparent screen, use a horizontal center channel speaker from the same manufacturer and line as your main left/right speakers to ensure tonal consistency.
    • Quote:
      "Be sure to get one from the same manufacturer in the same line as the front left and right...it will be tonally matched as much as possible to those other two speakers." – Scott Wilkinson [16:44]
• If You Have a Transparent Screen:
  • Use three identical speakers—this is the reference standard.
• For Surround Speakers:
  • The best scenario is full-size, identical speakers all around—rarely practical.
  • Smaller surrounds are perfectly fine, as surround channels are frequency-limited in most mixes.
    • Quote:
      "There's no real problem with having smaller surround speakers because...they don't need to [go low] because most of the surround channel information is more frequency limited than the fronts." – Scott Wilkinson [17:33]
  • Try to use speakers from the same manufacturer/line to minimize tonal shifts as sounds pan around the room.

6. Listener Engagement and Upcoming Features

• Scott invites listeners to submit questions and home theater photos for potential feature in future episodes.
  • Quote:
    "If you have a question for me, send it on along to HTGWIT TV and I’ll answer as many as I can right here on the show..." – Scott Wilkinson [18:18]

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On Tonal Matching:
  “If [the speakers] don’t match, you’re going to hear the difference as the sound moves. That’s going to take you right out of the movie or TV show, no question about it.” – Scott Wilkinson [02:49]

• On Horizontal Lobing and Crossover Design:
  “The mixed second and third order crossovers looks like the best solution here...but it’s still not perfect.” – Scott Wilkinson [09:45]

• On Surround Speaker Size:
  “It’s not practical for most people...but smaller speakers work just fine.” – Scott Wilkinson [17:55]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 01:54 | Introduction and listener question | | 02:06 | Why the center channel is crucial | | 02:31 | Three identical front speakers as gold standard | | 04:07 | Acoustic screen vs. TV placement limitations | | 05:04 | Problems with horizontal speaker arrangement | | 08:36 | Crossover design and lobing reduction | | 13:19 | Alternative horizontal speaker designs | | 14:09 | Three-way center channels and advanced designs | | 16:44 | Key recommendations for matching speakers | | 17:33 | Surround speaker considerations | | 18:18 | Invitation to submit questions and home theaters |

Conclusion: Key Takeaways

• Tonal matching is essential—ideally, all three front speakers should be identical, but practical limitations mean a well-designed, matching horizontal center from the same product line is the best choice for most.
• Beware lobing with horizontal arrangements; good speaker design and proper crossover engineering can minimize issues.
• Surround speakers can be smaller, but should ideally be from the same manufacturer and line for best sonic integration.
• Scott encourages audience interaction and will showcase exemplary listener home theaters in future segments.

To send Scott your questions or home theater photos:
Email: htgwit TV

End of Summary