Center Channel Dialogue

I agree that room acoustics are a major part of good sound and the OP should probably focus on that first. He didn't mention anything about his room and maybe I I incorrectly took that for granted..
I have an irregular shaped open room, vaulted ceilings, and tiled floors.  I added some absorptive panels, shag throw rugs with padding, and a crude bass trap. It made my room better, but still not ideal.  I forgot to mention I did all of that before the other things and still didn't have clear dialogue.  So, I guess the "first" thing I said I did wasn't really the first. 
I'm not sure if you can cost effectively "treat" an average room to the point of making any system sound good, but maybe?

@elliottbnewcombjr - If the AVR has an auto setup with a microphone you just disconnect the center channel and run the setup.  It won't hear a center channel and will simply eliminate it from the processing and as a result split the signal into the L/R mains.

You can also manually turn off individual channels and it'll do the same thing essentially without the benefit of the auto setup.

mceljo

for simplicity, let's say center channel is dialog.

I understand your method, HOWEVER,

that does not solve 5.1 movies/music videos, streaming. 5.1 has DEDICATED center channel content (mono) as well as dedicated L/R rear/sub out. The 5.1 center channel content does not exist in the L or R channels, thus, for 5.1 content you NEED a center channel speaker.

When you tell your AVR to use 2 channel/stereo mode (as I often do), it then reassigns the mono center channel content to the L and R channels  (dual mono) so a phantom center image exists as it does with our 2 channel music systems. The L and R are also making phantom imaging (a bit left/a bit right/center) like 2 channel stereo does. The rear and sub out are also moved to the front L and R, directional cues lost, but content present.

@elliottbnewcombjr - Your AVR can take 5.1 and make it 4.1 without an issue just like it can take a 5.1 and make it stereo. I have always had a 4.1 setup.

You simply have to make sure that the AVR is setup to not have a center channel.

mceljo

I see you can do that IF the particular AVR offers it.

I just checked a few Denon AVR’s on Crutchfield, manuals do not mention 4.1, perhaps the ’no center’ choice is there but unmentioned.

"Try setting it up for 5.1 and then go to SETUP MENU > SPEAKERS > MANUAL SETUP >SPEAKER CONFIG, and set Center to None (instead of Small or Large). I have the same model, and just tested this out with the first scene of the Godfather, which is all dialogue. With 5.1, the dialogue is all in the center, with faint echoes in the L/R channels. With the Center disabled, the dialogue was evenly split between the L and R. Can’t guarantee that it’s true 4.1 with all the center channel data folding into the L/R channels, but it certainly sounded that way to me. Good luck!"

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HOW would this help OP understand dialog better? Seems to exist to omit buying/fitting a center channel, why else would you do it?

IF he is cupping his ears, then he is blocking the rear surrounds and reflections from them.

Perhaps they need to have their volume reduced in the menu, speaker adjustments

OR, go to 3.1 mode, omitting the rear sounds he is blocking with his hands