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Monitors with Built In Center Channels

Center channel placement is an issue for me in one of my HT systems that is located in a built in.  Currently the cc resides above the TV.   The cc takes some space as well, limiting me to a 55 inch screen where a 65 inch would otherwise fit.  Dialog improved considerably when I added an AVR with room correction but I was reading a review of a Sony OLED with a built in cc.  As I understood it the entire monitor is a cc with the sound emanating from the screen.  Theoretically this should be possible with either planar magnetic or electrostatic type membranes but the review and what I Googled are fairly mum on this.  Does anyone have experience with such a monitor?
mahler123
ethos123
83 posts
 
Why not just eliminate the center channel and use the R & L mains with a phantom center setup on your AVR? The review mentions the quality isn’t nearly as good as the dedicated speakers in their setup. If your front speakers can be equidistant from the TV and you sit between them in front of the TV, I doubt you’d be better off with even the best built-in TV speaker. I had similar issues with a compromised center (had to fit on the mantle that wasn’t deep enough for a match to my mains) and I got better results with simply removing it. 
erik_squires
16,060 posts
 
TV speakers are never going to be a useful center channel with two decent main speakers by their side.

I do believe center channel speakers are a good idea, moderately, especially with dialogue inteligibility, but given a choice between just L and R, vs. L, R and TV speakers for center, I'd go with the former.
mahler123 OP
3,324 posts
 
well, we all hear differently, but I've tried not using a center and I can't understand dialog at all.  I have found the existance of the center channel, and then the positioning  of that channel,crucial to understanding speech.
  I also didn't interpret the review as sayingthat the TV MOnitor was vastly inferior to the front speaks, but as relatively close.  Considering that I am asking it to do one thing-transmit speech only-- relatively close might carry the day.  I guess that I need to find a dealer that sells this and see what I think in the showroom, and hope that the trial is a reasonable approximation of what I have at home.  I have found in the past that discussing sound issues with TV Sales People is a lost cause
elliottbnewcombjr
5,383 posts
 
Any surround system: dolby 5.1 encoded content (or 7,1 ....)

There is separate dedicated content delivered ONLY to the center channel signal. No center content will exist without a center channel speaker.

Phantom center from main L & R, the world's best speakers, will not include a great deal of information, and a great deal of the dialog.


elliottbnewcombjr
5,383 posts
 
Adulterated content, messed about with by the provider or cable company perhaps, could have started as 2 channel stereo, been weirdly processed, and will often benefit from changing your AVR to 2 channel stereo mode. That's because there is no dedicated center to leave out.
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