Home Theater Geeks 531: Center Speaker Recommendation

Summary

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Home Theater Geeks 531: Center Speaker Recommendation

Date: May 14, 2026
Host: Scott Wilkinson
Theme: Advice on choosing a center channel speaker for a listener’s home theater setup, with a deep dive into optimizing overall speaker placement and audio clarity.

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Wilkinson answers a listener’s question about selecting an appropriate center channel speaker for a home theater system. The discussion expands into broader advice on speaker placement, system configuration, wireless surround options, and accessibility of dialogue in movies—offering practical tips for getting the most from a modest or imperfectly arranged living room setup.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Listener’s Current Setup and Needs ([00:59])

• Listener: Zorawar asked for advice on a center channel speaker to complement his current system.
• Current Equipment:
  • Denon AVR X1300 AV receiver
  • Jamo S606 floor standing speakers (bi-amped, set to small, 80Hz crossover)
  • B&W 606 S3 bookshelf speakers (set to small, 80Hz crossover)
  • Polk ST12 subwoofer
• Listening Habits:
  • 90% music (Hans Zimmer, jazz, electronic, Indian music, etc.)
  • Occasional movie nights—struggles with dialogue clarity and constant volume adjustments.
• Center Channel Options Considered:
  • B&W HTM6 S3 (matches existing B&W speakers)
  • SVS Prime Center
  • Polk R300 or R400 (well-reviewed)

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Speaker Placement Critique and Recommendations ([02:50]–[10:00])

• Photographs of the Room:

  • Yamos on the outside, B&W bookshelf speakers closer to the TV (on a credenza).
  • Denon AVR sits inside the credenza below the TV.

• Current Placement Issues:

  • Yamos (front L/R) are too far apart from TV; immersion suffers.
  • B&W speakers, being used as surrounds, are in the front rather than to the side/rear—no effective surround field.
    • “This is what I would call suboptimal to say the least.” — Scott ([03:55])
  • Surround speakers should be beside and slightly behind listeners for immersion.
  • Cables can't easily be run (spousal preference).

• Suggestions:

  • Place smaller surround speakers on stands atop end tables to the sides/rear of the couch (even if a bit close).
  • Conceal cables with area rugs to avoid tripping hazards.
  • “Try to convince your wife that, you know, a couple of wires running from the front of the room under the couches to those speakers is really going to be…an ideal situation. Far better than what you’ve got now.” — Scott ([06:58])

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Wireless Surround Speaker Options ([10:15])

• Wireless Surrounds:
  • Most are proprietary (for specific soundbars/systems, e.g., Sony, Samsung).
  • Denon AVR X1300 lacks support for wireless surrounds.
  • Upgrading to Denon X1800 may offer Heos-based wireless surrounds, but still requires AC power.
  • Generic wireless transmitter/receiver kits exist but are rarely high quality.

"My bottom line here... It's critically important for you to have surround speakers where they're supposed to be." — Scott ([11:00])

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Center Channel Speaker Recommendation ([11:35])

• Tonal Matching is Crucial:
  • Center speaker must have similar tonal balance as front left/right speakers.
  • Given B&W 606 S3 are (or, per Scott’s advice, should be) used as fronts, the B&W HTM6 S3 is the best center match.
  • Alternative options (SVS, Polk) are good speakers but may not match the front L/R tonality—important for a coherent soundstage.

"If you’re going to use the B&Ws as your front left and right, which I recommend… I would definitely go with your thought of getting the B&W HTM6 S3. It would be the only choice, in my opinion." — Scott ([12:02])

• Physical Placement Challenges:
  • HTM6 S3 center speaker is tall—may block part of the TV.
  • Solution: Slightly raise TV on blocks (Scott suggests yoga blocks) to fit speaker beneath with minimal lift.
  • Try to keep the TV height from getting uncomfortable.

"I would go as little of that as possible because you’re already at a nice height." — Scott ([12:48])

• Yamos:
  • Use in another 2-channel setup if possible, as current living room arrangement/furniture doesn't suit their size/placement needs.

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Up-Firing Speakers for Atmos ([13:25])

• Polk XT90 Consideration:
  • Listener considering these for height/Atmos effects.
  • Reviews suggest they're not always the best investment—Scott hasn’t reviewed them directly.
• Alternative Brands:
  • SVS and ELAC produce up-firing speakers with favorable performance.
• Priority:
  • Correct surround speaker placement and adding a tonally matching center channel outweigh the benefit of up-firing Atmos modules.

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Dialogue Intelligibility & Volume Control ([14:35])

• Denon AVR Feature:
  • "Dynamic Volume," part of Audyssey room correction, can reduce the need for frequent volume adjustments.
  • Defaults to off; set to low/medium/high for best result based on preference.

"It will narrow the dynamic range of the audio, which is what you need to do in order to keep from having to change the volume all the time.” — Scott ([15:15])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Speaker Placement:
  “The immersion quality of your system is very low… You need to put the surround speakers where they need to be.” — Scott ([04:45])

• On WAF (“Wife Acceptance Factor”):
  “Try to convince your wife that, you know, a couple of wires running from the front of the room under the couches to those speakers is really going to be… an ideal situation.” — Scott ([06:58])

• On Center Channel Choice:
  “If you’re going to use the B&Ws as your front left and right, which I recommend… I would definitely go with your thought of getting the B&W HTM6 S3. It would be the only choice, in my opinion.” — Scott ([12:02])

• On System Priorities:
  “More important to me though is to get your surround sound field straightened out and to get a center channel because then you will not have the dialogue intelligibility problems that you currently have.” — Scott ([14:10])

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Key Timestamps

• 00:59: Listener’s email and system details
• 02:50: Speaker placement observations & critique
• 06:58: Discussion on running cables vs. wireless surrounds
• 10:15: Explanation of wireless surround speaker limitations
• 11:35: Center channel speaker recommendations
• 13:25: Thoughts on up-firing Atmos speakers
• 14:35: Using Dynamic Volume to improve dialogue clarity
• 15:15: How to set Dynamic Volume

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Final Takeaways

• Center Speaker: B&W HTM6 S3 is best for tonal match if using B&W bookshelves as fronts.
• Surround Speakers: Place to the sides/rear of listening position, prioritize even if this means running wires.
• Wireless Surrounds: Proprietary options may exist with newer Denon receivers (Heos), but all need power.
• Atmos/Up-Firing: Consider SVS or ELAC, but only after fixing basic speaker placement.
• Dialogue Clarity: Use Denon’s Dynamic Volume feature and proper speaker matching/placement.
• Furniture & Compromise: Slightly raise TV for center speaker if space is tight; consider WAF in cable management.

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For questions or to submit your own system photos, contact the host at [e-mail].
“Until next time, geek out!” — Scott Wilkinson ([16:20])

Transcript

[A]

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In this episode of Home Theater Geeks, I answer a question from a listener who wants to know what center speaker to buy stick around podcasts you love from people you trust. This is twit. Hey there Scott Wilkinson here, the Home Theater geek. In this episode I answer a question from listener Zorawar man who writes, I've heard so many of your videos and I'm impressed by the clarity of thought that you bring to a person like me to build a home theater. Thank you Zorawar. I really appreciate that. I am not an expert nor do I have extra dollars to spend, but in the course of time I have managed to put together a small setup that suffices for my needs. I am currently missing a center channel speaker and need your advice on what to buy. I have put together a few photos along with some requirements and considerations. I would really appreciate your help to put something together. Thanks for the questions or I really appreciate you sending that along and you sending along some notes and some photographs of your system which will help me help you. So in your current configuration you have a Denon AVR X 1300 AV receiver. You have a pair of Jamo S606 floor standing speakers which are biamped interestingly enough and set to small with an 80Hz crossover. You also have a pair of B&W606S3 bookshelf speakers also set to small with an 80Hz crossover and a Polk ST12 subwoofer. So you need to add a center channel speaker and you're looking at the B&W HTM6S3 only because it matches the current speakers and based on my recommendation that they should sound alike. And that's really, really important. You're also looking at the SVS Prime center and the Polk R300 or R400, because the reviews are good. Now, here are some considerations you want me to take into into mind, and I appreciate that 90% of the time you're listening to music. Okay, that's good to know. And the music can range from Hans Zimmer to soulful jazz to electronic hip hop, even Indian music, which I love, by the way. And the dialogue quality is lacking in movies. This is a big problem and it needs to be fixed. Couldn't agree more. You do movie nights with friends occasionally, and you constantly have to keep adjusting the TV volume for dialogue. I hate when that happens. And I'm going to try and help you with that. High volume is not a priority. Glad to hear that. I actually never put anything on super high volume. Good. Now, you say it can't be a permanent setup as we have. You say we have a moving job. I'm not sure if that means you're about to move or you move regularly as part of your job, but that doesn't sound too good. And interestingly, and, and kind of paradoxically from that last point, you're. You're also considering a pair of ceiling. Oh, ceiling firing speakers or height speakers. You want the speakers that will give you atmos overhead sound by bouncing off the ceiling. Okay, well, then let's take a look at all of that. In fact, let's start by taking a look at the photos you sent, because those will be very instructive. So here's your living room with your system. You have a nice flat ceiling, so that'll work. You've got the speaker situation in the front's a bit odd. Let's take another look. Let's take a look at the different. The next photo. So I see you have four speakers in front, the two pairs of llamos on the outside, and the two pairs of B&Ws closer in. Let's take a look at the next one. Here we can see a straight on shot. And finally the last one where you label them. This is very good. Thank you very much for that. So the Yamos are on the outside. The B W bookshelves are closer to the tv. They're sitting on a credenza. And the Denon AV receiver is right there in the credenza below the tv. Okay, well, you say you have the Yamos biam'd. That means from this denon that they are acting as the front right and left speakers. And they're very far away from the screen. So I'm a little concerned about that. More concerning is that the BMWs must then be connected to the surroundings channels of the avr. And so you've got the front left and right way too far apart. And you've got the surround channels also in the front, closer to the screen. This is what I would call suboptimal to say the least. For one thing, the front speakers, the front left and right speakers should be near the tv. At first I thought the B and Ws were your front, right and left. But it turns out they're not. The surround speakers of course should be to the sides and slightly behind the listening position. Their current positions, these B and Ws will not give you any sort of surround sound field. So the immersion quality of your system is very low. You need to put the surround speakers where they need to be, which is slightly behind and to the sides of the listening position. As you can see in this photo here you have end tables where I would put the speakers. Your wife said you couldn't run cables and that's common and a problem, I'm sorry to say, but that's where they need to be. If you can't install in ceiling speakers, I would find some smaller surround speakers and put them on stands on those end tables there. It'd be a little too close. I would like them a little further away. But you are in an open environment here, so that would probably be my best recommendation. And try to convince your wife that, you know, a couple of wires running from the front of the room under the couches to those speakers is really going to be, you know, an ideal situation. Far better than what you've got now. And so that's what I would do with that. I wish you could put in ceiling surround speakers throughout. That would be great. 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[B]

if you have AC outlets near the couch I might suggest wireless surrounds. But most of the wireless surrounds on the market are designed to work with specific sound bars and systems and are not just generic, can be used with anything. Those specific ones come from companies like Sony, Samsung and so on. The Denon AVR is an older model and probably can't connect to wireless surrounds directly. So you said you might be upgrading to an X 1800 Denon and that would might help you there. You could get a pair of Denon speakers that use the Denon wireless system called heos H E O S and that might be able to give you surround wireless surround speakers, but you still have to plug them into the to power because they have amplifiers and they need power. There may be some, some wireless surrounds that are generic that plug into the outputs of the AV receiver and have a transmitter, a wireless transmitter. I don't know of any specifically and I would doubt they would be a very high quality. So that's unfortunate. My bottom line here in this regard is it's critically important for you to have surround speakers where they're supposed to be. And so however you can do that I would, I don't see you being able to use the Yamos as the surround speakers. They're floor standers, so they're big and if you put them where those end tables are, they'll either be really tall or if you replace the end tables with them, the couches will absorb a lot of the sound coming from them. Since they're floor standers and they've got drivers fairly low as well as up high. So I wouldn't use them for that. I would find smaller surround speakers, put them on little stands on those end tables and hopefully convince your wife that a couple of cables running along the floor maybe, maybe put little area rugs where they go so that nobody trips over them. That's important. That's going to give you a far better experience than what you currently Have. So now to the question about your center speaker. You are correct that the center speaker, it's really important for it to have a similar tonal balance to the front left and right. And if you're going to use the B WS as your front left and right, which I recommend because you can place them closer to the screen than you can the Yamos, I would definitely go with your thought of getting the B&W HTM6S3. It would. It'd be the only choice in my opinion. Now, it's pretty tall that that center speaker. It lies on its side, but it's not super thin. And as a result you would need to raise that TV up a little bit. Now how I would do it as little as possible because it's already as high as I would want to put it. And you're going to want to put it a little higher. Otherwise that's. That center speaker is going to block some of the screen and you don't want that. So you're going to have to raise that TV up a little bit. Maybe put little. Not bricks, but something that resembles a brick. Yoga blocks come to mind under the feet of the TV so that it raises up a few inches and misses the. The center speaker can sit below the screen. That's. That's critically important as well. But I would go as low. I would go as little of that as possible because you're already at a nice height. Tell you the truth, I would use the Yamos in another system, maybe a two channel audio system as floor standers. They won't fit next to the TV in your current situation with the current furniture. So I would use. Use them in a. In another system for two channel music, maybe in another room. But I wouldn't use them as front left and right in your current configuration. Now what about up firing? Well, there are many companies that make up firing speakers for, for Atmos. And you said that in your notes, you said that you were thinking maybe of the Polk XT90 placed on top of the current speakers. But the reviews you've read say they're not the best investment to make. I. I haven't read those reviews. I'd have to go back and look at them. I will tell you this. There are many companies that make those up firing speakers. SVS comes to mind. They make a pair. ELAC also makes a pair that, that I think are very good. I would do some research on those and I believe you'll find some that will work. More important to me though is to get your surround sound field straightened out and to get a center channel because then you will not have the dialogue intelligibility problems that you that you currently have. Now, as far as having to raise and lower the volume all the time, there is a function in the Denon X 1300 using the Odyssey room correction system. It's called dynamic volume and if you set that to on, it's currently off by default. You can set it to low, medium or high and so choose the one that gives you the best result. And what it will do is it will narrow the dynamic range of the audio, which is what you need to do in order to keep from having to change the volume all the time. So that's what I would do in that regard. So actually, from one question to several and I hope that I have helped you out. 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. And if you have a home theater you're proud of, send me some pics. I'd love to take a look and maybe even feature it on the show. Until next time, geek out.