Is the "best" center channel speaker -NO- center channel speaker?

[jdm56]

I've got a number of multi-channel SACD's and DVD-A's myself that either have nothing in the center channel, or else it is so low in level there may as well be nothing in it. I've read that a lot of producers, artists and engineers are "afraid" of the center channel because, I presume, that center speakers are so often small, in lousy locations (acoustically speaking) and mis-balanced with the rest of the system. I think most singers like the sound of their voice better coming out of two speakers rather than one.