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Center channel to match horns

166.19.202.111
Posted on August 17, 2015 at 12:19:14
Jim D.
Audiophile

Posts: 854
Location: FL
Joined: October 26, 2000
 Looking for suggestions on building a center channel that matches my 100 db+ Altec/JBL 3 way horn system for my HT system. Right now I have the system set up to have no center channel (on HT AVR). I need something I can place on a table below a 120" screen so I can move out of the way when I listening to my 2 channel rig.

My sons really like the horns for watching movies!!

Jim

 

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     Toe-in - Duke 23:55:48 08/23/15 (1)  website - Jim D. 09:15:21 08/21/15 (0)
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RE: Center channel to match horns, posted on August 17, 2015 at 16:05:10
Cut-Throat
Audiophile

Posts: 18286
Location: Minneapolis - St.Paul Area
Joined: September 2, 2000
Contributor
  Since: May 16, 2021
 Are you sure you 'need' it? ...... I watch movies with my 2 Channel Horns and am in want of nothing. Personally I find 5.1 annoying.



 

RE: Center channel to match horns, posted on August 17, 2015 at 17:34:53
Don Reid
Audiophile

Posts: 891
Location: Rural NW Georgia
Joined: February 2, 2001
Contributor
  Since: April 1, 2010
 I too do not use a center channel speaker between my horns when using them to watch movies. I switch it from a two channel stereo to video surround sound by routing the signal through a surround sound processor/preamp to generate a phantom center channel. This works quite well. I still get the centered audible dialog information where it's supposed to be. In the past I have just used the two main speakers pushed closer to the screen with acceptable results.

I also use four surround sound speakers with Dynaudio drivers I built about thirty years ago when I am watching movies.
I dream of an America where a chicken can cross the road without having it's motives questioned.

 

RE: Center channel to match horns, posted on August 17, 2015 at 18:29:03
Garg0yle
Audiophile

Posts: 859
Joined: December 1, 2014
 Are you going to design something yourself or looking for plans?

If you fiddled around with Hornresp etc. you might come up with a nice low and wide mid range horn that would work well as a center channel.

Consider having the compression driver and throat area of the horn hidden below the table, having only the wide mouth exposed on the table top.
The horn itself would have a 90 degree bend similar to a WE 31A etc. except made out of wood.

I'm a 2 channel guy that is fortunate enough to have excellent stereo imaging, but nonetheless it sounds like a cool project for a surround listener.

△This message will self destruct in 10 seconds△

 

A coaxial , posted on August 18, 2015 at 06:19:14
Kloss



might be a option I used RCA LC1A in mine its larger than it looks.

 

Thanks for reponses, posted on August 18, 2015 at 09:07:48
Jim D.
Audiophile

Posts: 854
Location: FL
Joined: October 26, 2000
 I will do more experimenting with the center channel for now. The coaxial is a good idea. I also find that the rear surrounds for 5.1 are distracting but I have found a center channel useful in some systems.

My goal is to drive my horns with my 2A3 amps for HT as well, but I have to tackle some ground loop issues that surface when connecting the AVR and HT sources.

Jim

 

RE: +1 , posted on August 18, 2015 at 12:21:50
b.l.zeebub
Audiophile

Posts: 9361
Location: 52deg 28'N,1deg56'W
Joined: April 17, 2006
 Seems the best option to me as it is easiest to integrated with the room.

 

RE: Center channel to match horns, posted on August 18, 2015 at 13:30:22
Gulliver
Audiophile

Posts: 171
Joined: October 24, 2005
 I use an acoustically transparent screen and a third horn loaded system behind it.

Phantom center can work if no one sits far off the center line of the screen.

It is preferable for the center to be identical to the L and R channels and failing that, it should be timbre matched. I don't know what your L and R channels are like, but perhaps you could use the same HF horn and xover, but with something like a couple of 8" woofers in a sealed box. At least it doesn't really have to go very low.

 

RE: Center channel to match horns, posted on August 18, 2015 at 19:05:25
Mr_Steady
Audiophile

Posts: 2042
Location: North Florida
Joined: August 19, 2014
 Don I love your horn stands, and the tweeter boom. Very nice indeed.




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Big speakers and little amps blew my mind!

 

RE: On 2nd thoughts..., posted on August 19, 2015 at 01:44:24
b.l.zeebub
Audiophile

Posts: 9361
Location: 52deg 28'N,1deg56'W
Joined: April 17, 2006
 ... how about one of these:

 

Hard to go wrong buying Tom Danley's work, posted on August 19, 2015 at 05:42:30
Kloss
 Looks like a good option. Depending on your mains.

 

RE: Center channel to match horns, posted on August 19, 2015 at 09:41:58
merdy
Audiophile

Posts: 1626
Location: New paltz,ny
Joined: July 25, 2001
 i have had a a7 which was great but my wife hated it ,then i used an altec biflex 420 with a small ribbon crossed at 3k in a sealed 3cqft box this worked very well ,till my wife said can we mount the tv on the wall
i am now making a 5ft wide box about 5 inch deep,sealed with 4 x8 inch ampex woofers and i will match a tweeter that i have around , i hope this works
there was also an article in audioxpress a while back with a curved horn designed by bill fitzmaurice that looked excellent,

our home theater is in the bedroom and my wife lets me have some monster stuff in our living room

there are some movies where the center channel is essential i still use an old sony es reciver

hope this helps
Silence is golden duct tape is silver

 

RE: Center channel to match horns, posted on August 20, 2015 at 11:30:49
Don Reid
Audiophile

Posts: 891
Location: Rural NW Georgia
Joined: February 2, 2001
Contributor
  Since: April 1, 2010
Thank you very much. I am in the process of adding some additional brass bracing which will run from the bottom of the truncated boxes up to the board on which the Oris horn and tweter crane are mounted. I am not sure that they are needed, but I ran across a couple of big scrap vintage brass microscopes, and they had speaker parts written all over them.
I dream of an America where a chicken can cross the road without having it's motives questioned.

 

RE: Center channel to match horns, posted on August 21, 2015 at 08:15:20
lokie
Audiophile

Posts: 1990
Location: Georgia, USA
Joined: January 28, 2003
 Stick an Altec 600B in a vintage guitar cabinet... one with a handle on top.

Not a perfect match but probably as good as any considering the restraints. Very high cool factor.

 

website, posted on August 21, 2015 at 09:15:21
Jim D.
Audiophile

Posts: 854
Location: FL
Joined: October 26, 2000
 Looks like someone has already done all the work for me. Several options using HE drivers.

Jim

 

Toe-in, posted on August 23, 2015 at 23:55:48
Duke
Dealer

Posts: 4429
Location: Princeton, Texas
Joined: March 31, 2000
 I have customers who have sold their center channels after trying horn speakers toed in such that the axes criss-cross in front of the listening area. With a constant-directivity horn, this gives good soundstaging for off-centerline listeners, particularly in phantom center mode. I don't know whether you'd get similar results with the Altecs, but it's relatively inexpensive to find out.

Duke

Me being a dealer makes you leery?? It gets worse... I'm a manufacturer too.

 

RE: Toe-in, posted on August 27, 2015 at 16:04:01
Inmate51
 People worry a lot about their speakers, and not enough about their speaker/room interface.

:)

 

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