I've decided to put together a 5.1 in my living room.
Overkill, but I have to start using all this stuff I build. Right?
THE GOAL: to fabricate a center speaker based on what surround systems expect out of a center. Range, operation, power compared to the rest of the surround, what center is used for the most (vs. my preconceived notions) I need to know the tricks of the trade in making a center in a 5.1 specifically. Do I need to use only mids and tweeters? Full range? Any filters or XO? That stuff.
I'm hodge-podging. I know many will not approve. But this is what I am doing so if you don't like it. Move on please. It's my house. I can make it sound good. Buzz.
Using a 55" wall mounted TV with zero sound enhancements to drop a bunch of stuff in it that I am not using at the moment. To include:
Pair Main L&R TriTrix MTMTL floor cabinets
Pair Rear surrounds large bookshelf style two way cabinets with 5" woofers and ribbon tweeters, mounted high on a wall opposing TV pointed down and toward the room center.
Powered 10" sub of my own creation. Extremely low frequency tickling. Silly ear hair vibrating ****. Probably not legal. And that is 5.1.
Read no further if this is too low rent.
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MY POST HERE IS TO FIND HELP WITH CENTER SPEAKERS
What frequencies should they cover and be strongest performers within?
Should they be tuned louder or softer in a surround mix?
tips and tricks of the trade?
(I've Never attempted a "center" without some plans.
Trouble is choosing center speaker drivers and amplification, power and wiring to fit my existing cabinet. I can't get drivers any bigger than 2.5" before I am pushing it.. How much is too much amplification? How much is adequate? Too little? Are the drivers capable enough? Should I have tried bigger? All those questions you can pretend I have and not answer them. I want advice.
I am using an HDMI audio splitting device to separate all 6 channels in a 5.1 out to RCA outputs, where they'll each be amplified - except the sub, which is powered. It will follow whatever is ever on the TV input. I do not want a Home Video receiver.They have too many automatic adjustment options that I do not approve of, or understand, So Amplifier for Main L&R. Amplifier for Rear L&R. Amplifier for "center." Powered Sub. 2 stereo, 1 mono, 1 sub plate amp.
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It's a small living room. The room is maybe 15 x 20 with the TV mounted on one of the 15' walls. Cabinet underneath for any gear.
On either side of that cabinet, as my Left and Right mains: the Tritrix MTMTL powered by a samson 100x2 reference amp that is overkill. I may put a 50x2 Sure amp on them, only because I am afraid of a kid cranking and blowing something. This pair alone would be plenty for the room.
On the rear 15' wall on either side are bookshelf size two ways mounted high on the walls, neart the corners, pointing down and toward the center.
The sub is in the corner, to the right of the TV and speakers on the 15' wall,
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And that leaves the center speaker.
BACKSTORY: I had a soundbar I was working on and aborted for a bunch of reasons, but I salvaged all but the baffle, and it is still a solid cabinet frame that just needs the baffle. And it could be the trick for an amazing center: it's extra long and that may be key. It's longer than your average center. I have put threads on the rear of the cabinet that fit brackets I have for them. Two brackets. One end attaches to the speakers, the other attaches between the TV and the mount on a wall, so the speaker hangs right below the screen on a wall mounted set, like mine. I spent time preparing the baffle in an OAK 1/4" x 4" joined to a 1/4" x 4" birch piece, clamped, and am going to attach to the cabinet, drill driver holes, and trim route around the center. If this works, it will be pretty cool looking.
This is the dimensions of the center and what I plan to install in it...
----- the center (ABORTED SOUNDBAR)
cabinet salvations. needs some sanding and finishing but is solid.




afterthought:
*** Should I get FOUR of the Dayton ND64-16 2.5" for the middle section, and wire them all into parallel down to 4 ohms into an amp channel / mono amp?
I was thinking that since the "center" is one mono channel, I should come up with a creative way to wire these to keep the ohm rating down. Like series into parallel or vice versa.
Also, I was thinking about the nature of center speakers and what we want them to do. Maybe I am a half layman-moron, but I believed the center was to aid in the stereo panning left to right or right to left, with sound flashing through the center speaker between the main L&R. Second, it seems like the logical choice for most vocal speaking performances to at least be amplified, If for no other reason, than to create the illusion the voices were coming from the screen.
So I could be all over the place here and only need to rig up something that's full range and matches power with the rest of it.
Guidance along my obvious lingo and ability here is appreciated. Though I can learn with the best of them, I am trying to pick drivers for this quickly. I have the cabinet pretty much done.
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PREPARED BAFFLE. JOINED AND READY TO BE ATTACHED AND TRIM ROUTED:
joined oak and birch to make 1/2" baffle

pencil outline of cabinet walls

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The idea is this. Take baffle single piece I have made with Oak surface, and attach it to the cabinet. It is too long and wide for the cabinet baffle dimensions, so it will hang off on all sides. I will countersink screws in it, and woodglue, and perhaps clamp to make sure every mm along the edge is in contact with the baffle. Then I'll cut thye driver holes. Hopefully, everything is hole saw standard at this size. If not, out comes the plunge router.
Thankfully, I can trim the router edges off the baffle, using the cabinet as a pattern guide. I have consulted woodworkers, and gotten this method. I usually do NOT cut baffles this way, but figured I might as well give it a try.
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Feel free to discount my ideas here for your own.
PARTS: 4x (2 EACH SIDE) , HDMI 5.1 channel; audio splitter into several RCA outputs. HDMI video return to monitor output. Allows for separate amplification for different surround speaker groups.
I was thinking ND64-4 2-1/2" Full-Range 4 Ohm Part # 295-520 THREE OF THEM across the center of the center
and FOUR TOTAL (2 EACH SIDE) Dayton CE65W-8 2.5" 4 Ohm full range Speaker Driver Part #285-143
One input from the HDMI splitter to (2 stereo, 1 MONO amp, 1 Powered Sub) One for the outer GRS sides, one for the Triple ND64, one MONO for the center
So amp for the center. Mono? Stereo to accommodate the two groups of speakers?
Amp choice....
One stereo amp with 1ch to the center 3; 1ch to the outer 4?
Two amplifiers? One for the center 3 and one for the outer 4?
\
alcuin school
Or with the three center ones I can wire down to four....
-click to enlarge-

I'd probably try to use digital amplifiers as small as I could get, hopefully to be able to install right inside the cabinet. I have many VERY small PCB digital amplifiers that, wired correctly, could prove to be a good solution. More recon is needed. I have several 7w/5w max amps, several 24w max stereo amps, many 25x2 w amps. 50x2. a lot of 5x2. There has GOT to be a combo that will work and fit.
I also have several 2-3 and passive speaker radiators I want to cut and install into the underside of the center as well. Or... possibly some other weird low powered full range I have if my power availability needs to be spread out.
I'd be welcome to input. I want it. I am not the most creative person in the world. There is lots of elbow room to get creative here.
Obviously, this wasn't a drawing board, then step by step planned out the way we all like to do it, but such is life.
Happy to hear what you think about those center speaker driver choices, or recommendations to improve. Perhaps a pad or XO is the way to go if I can isolate some of the 7 speakers lined up in a row for a single channel.
New at this. Looking for guidance. Don't want to make catastrophic errors.
More to follow....
Pete
PS not married to any of the drivers. The cabinet, I am stuck with. But I can mess with drivers plenty.
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