Do you ...Center Channel?

if you go phantom mode, make sure your left and right speakers are full range... and most center channels suck....unless you spend big money

+1 for what everyone says about using phantom unless you have people off center. even then my system is so much better than their home systems they don't know what they are missing..

I also run with a 'phantom' center channel.

Jack_dotson wrote: "I always use one for HT, but not for music unless listening for 5.1 SACD, which I normally listen to in two channel as well."

Well, of course. Why use a center speaker if there is no center channel signal?

OTOH, creating a phantom center when there is a discrete center signal creates inevitable phase/time errors in the process. This is noticeable even on-axis but mostly with music sources.

Kal

I'm with Rives & Sid 100%. Many sound engineers don't like mixing for a center anyway. At the end of the day Phantom works very well provided you are directly in front and not far to one side or too close to either left or right channel (small room). You need speakers with good dispersion, which is most audiophie speakers.

If you can't get the center mid driver and tweeter to be at the same height as the L and R channels then it is actually questionable whether a center is better. In fact,for this reason, I think it is often better without one - provided you have the sweetspot and sit well back.

The purpose of "stereo" is to create a holographic image. (Otherwise, mono would do just fine.) So if your left and right fronts are set up properly, they will be creating a centrally located image if that is what was recorded. There would be no need for a centre because the stereo effect would be producing an image in between the fronts. Of course you have to be sitting in the sweet spot and you must not be using a discrete mutichannel source.

Also, if you have good full range fronts, you do not need a subwoofer.