Rudy81 Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 I need some suggestions for rounding out my HT setup. I have a pair of Belle's for my front speakers, and a pair of Forte's for my effect speakers. I need to select something that will go well for my center speakers. I am considering another set of Forte's, or a set of Heresy's. Will laying the Forte's on their side for the center cause any problems? Thanks for your help. BTW, this is a great forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Using Belle's for your front speakers pretty much dicates something out of the Heritage lineup for the front center speaker. A single Belle would be ideal, plus it could double as a TV stand (depending on the TV, of course). Alternates would be a LaScala or a Heresy. I do not believe a Forte would be a good match for the front center. You could buy a pair of Forte's and use them both for the rear center in a 7.1-type configuration. Or, you could use a Heresy as a rear center -- I tried one as a center with my Chorus speakers, and it was pretty close. DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy81 Posted October 18, 2002 Author Share Posted October 18, 2002 My plan was to use the Forte's for the rear effects in a 5.1 system and one heresey as a center channel. I realize another Belle or Las would be best for the center, but that creates a problem for the screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Rudy I had the same problem with my HT design. I have Khorns for mains and well you can see my list on my signature below... I tried both Fortes and Heresys between my Khorns, I thought the sound was too weak for a center between the Khorns. Your ideal would be another Belle in between, but it sound like you have space limitations. You could mount it in the wall behind a perferated screen. What I did was make a split center channel. I have a K77 and K400 above the screen and dual K22's in Heresy cabinets below my screen. I have my Processor set to roll off any bass to the subs at 80Hz, so I do not go below the K22 range. It sounds great as a center channel for HT. For 5.1 listening, the 100-400 Hz is a bit louder than my Khorns. I could adjust that, but since it is mostly for dialog / movies, I am very happy and leave it alone. The front sounds very seamless having all K400's in front. I had pictures in odds and mods, but they are gome from the BBS conversion. I am at work now so I can't attach them at this time. If interested, I can send you pics and setup advise if you do something simular. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy81 Posted October 18, 2002 Author Share Posted October 18, 2002 Thanks. I think I will try the Heresey center and see if it can keep up. At least it is in the same family. Antother Belle would be great for the center and maybe sometime I can split a pair with someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikjohn Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Heresey for center is almost a perfect match especially if you or you amp have the capability to eq to match fronts as a little tweakage in the mid does help but its hard to get them as throaty as the Khorns mid driver. I have 2 on the front center with my Khorns and it is seamless, I love it. EJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy81 Posted October 18, 2002 Author Share Posted October 18, 2002 Boy, that's good news. What about the comments elsewhere on the forum that placing two speakers in the center will cause problems due to cancellation and interference? I would like to place a pair of Heresey's in the center, but fear the problems more than one may cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjohnsonhp Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 What are the advantages of Cornwalls or other big speakers for the surrounds vs Heresy? There doesn't seem to be much sound coming out of the surrounds--especially in 6.1 when the rear center seems to be dominant. The Heritage 5.1 systems seem to have the surrounds in the corners instead of on the side. If I can't raise the sides above the ear then is it better to have them in the rear corners? I can sit about 2/3's back in my room. I'm trying to determine between the following: 1. One big Heritage speaker in each corner for front and surround (ie 4 Cornwalls or La Scalas in front and Cornwalls in rear). 2. Same as one but with Cornwalls on sides and Heresy in rear center and front center. 3. Heresy for centers and surrounds placed on floor. 4. NonHeritage for surround and center. I currently have a KLF-C7 for center and Cornwalls in front. I'm using misc speakers for surround experiment. For dialog the C7 is ok but for music I wish I had another Cornwall or probably Heresy would work. Since I have a Rear Projection TV Heresy is about all I can put on top. In your 5.1 Heritage system to you have the surrounds in the rear corners with your seat in the middle (or probably towards the back but not on the back wall)? OR, do you have them on the sides? The only place I can put surrounds above my ears is the rear wall towards the center. I currently have surround on the sides on the floor which is more of a directional sound than the diffused sound recommended. I was going to put a rear speaker (or two) on the back wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy81 Posted October 18, 2002 Author Share Posted October 18, 2002 As far as my setup, it is still in the planning stages. I just moved into a home that has a dedicated sound room. The room will also be used as a HT if I can ever afford a good projector and large screen. In the mean time, I am trying to figure out how to best set up the Belles, Forte's and Heresey's. I would love to hear any suggestions for the setup. - I have seen several threads recommending only one speaker in order to avoid problems with the center channel. - Any recommendations on the height to raise the Forte's for rear effects? It's my media room and I can set it up as I wish. No need to please the decorator. - Send your ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjohnsonhp Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 You can go to Dolby.com and they recommend the surround speakers to be about 3 feet above the listener's ears mounted on the sides facing each other. This creates a diffused sound. I can't get mine off the floor due to the pitch of the roof line so I'm thinking of putting them behind me in the rear corners... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy81 Posted October 22, 2002 Author Share Posted October 22, 2002 I will have the same roof pitch problem. Looks like behind will have to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikjohn Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 Guys, Thoeretically using two speakers for the center will not cancel unless on is wired out of phase with the other ie if one is wired backwards as far as +/- terminals go. It is no diferent that listening to a mono source with 2 speakers. You do want to pay attention to pointing the speakers so that they aim at your sweet spot though so they are not crossing each other up. I keep mine pitched out from the sweet spot a little as I have them on opposite sides of the top of my 61" HDTV. No problem with using 2 speakers for centers, I would need to see some proof before I could buy into any of that nonsense about them canceling each other out. As far as using large speakers for the rear there is a major benifit to it under certain conditions. First and foremost your amplifier needs to be full bandwidth on the rear and center channels(If you want to use larger speakers here too). Secondly you will see little gain from large rears and center when listening in pro-logic because the decoding process for these channels is not full bandwith however you will see a slight improvment over small speakers just due to the fullness the larger speakers will provide from their resonance. Now when listening to Dolby digital, DTS, DVD-A, or other full bandwidth on all channel sources you will hear a dramatic improvement by using large speakers. I read in another post(Surrounds for Hornhounds in the Home Theater section) that primarily what comes out of the rears is ambient sound. This is true to a certain degree but alot of material has some serious bass on these channels. You can hear big explosions, vehicles rumbling etc from the rears. Also do you plan on doing any 5 channel stereo listening? This is another thing to think about. Utimately you would want large speakers on all channels and you would want all speakers to be 3-way for the most seamless and accurate listening expirience. You can really get engulfed in the sound sound especially with some good source material. Food for thought. EJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy81 Posted October 23, 2002 Author Share Posted October 23, 2002 EJ: I plan on trying out the two speaker center to see if there are any problems. The theory that the speakers will cancel some material and emphasize other can easily be tested by setting things up and moving about the room. If the theory is correct, the problems should be noticeable compared to just one speaker. I hope the Heresey centers and Forte rears will be satisfactory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikjohn Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 That setup should be plenty suffiecient. Hereseys make a very good center as alot of what the center reproduces is in the range where they do the best. EJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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