Home theater center channel decision to make.

Thank you all for the quick response. I now better understand the importance of a quality center channel. With this knowledge I now started a new thread asking "in what order should I begin purchasing the HT equipment".

Did you end up gettting the oratorio or stay with the Maestro?

I have a pair of the VA Mahlers for the front and waltzs for the surrounds and a Maestro for the center. I have been wanting to get a Oratorio center, but not quite certain if it is worth it.

I am using Mcintosh MC-207 amp and MX-119 pre along with a Denon 3910.

I actually had the Maestro and upgraded to the Oratorio, but have since sold te Maestro and went with the phantom center. Fronts are the Aerial 10-T's. The Oratotio did offer a significant level of improvement over the Maestro, the first movie we watched with it my wife commented on the difference and she normally does not notice when I make changes to the HT setup. With your current setup go ahead and put the processor into center phantom mode, sit where you normally do to watch the movie and compare the dialouge and overall ambiance with the center channel activated and then with the phantom. If you definately prefer the center playing then you will probably want to spring for the Oratorio. If you find that you like the phantom mode just as much as when the center is activated, there would be no reaseon to upgrade. Your speakers have more than enough ability to handle complex symphony arrangements and place the various instruments in a compelling soundstage. They will have no trouble creating the same environment for most HT soundtracks, all of corse

Mattkimb96...Your suggestion for a listening test is certainly appropriate, but I think it needs to be a bit more extensive, using a range of program material. Depending on how the program was mixed the role of the center channel varies significantly.

Eldartford,

Agree with you that using a range of material with the cmparison is prudent. In my personal situation I give a clear edge to no center with most of the concert videos I have heard. Across a spectrum of other movies, (Gladiator, Remember the Titans, Terminator 2, Seabiscuit & Shawshank Redemption, & Finding Nemo) I don't feel like I was missing out on anything I would have gotten in the theatre. In the instance of War of the Worlds, (the new one) the home experince had much more of a "jump factor" than the theatre, a concensus shared by the number of times my daughter flew out of the couch during this presentation. With the cost of additional amplification, cableing, and the center taken into account. In my instance I found that I could get a better return on my investment by sinking thes dollars into a better processor or amplifier. For me to add a speaker that would compliment the Aerial 10-T's, additional wiring and an additional channel of amplification to match the Ayre, would run at least $3,000 and this is assuming I can find some of it here on Audiogon. In this instance I just do not see the rerurn in enjoyment of the movie experience to be anywhere near the needed expenditures.