Do I need a center channel?

I do agree with Don_c55 about not needing a center speaker for movies especially for solo viewers sitting in the sweet spot. A quality system with a phantom center can sound really good for movies as well as music. But, a well executed 5.1,7.1,7.2,etc. system can sound as good or better for HT, IMO.

"Why should all the dialog be in the center???"

Because the screen is in the center.

Bill

I'm like you, Michaelingdom, and all I have is a 2 channel set up and it works just fine.

If you sit in the middle, no.

Don't think you would gain anything and depending on your amplification and center channel speaker, you could end up taking a step back.

I also play more stereo than 5.1. But the centre was more important than I thought. It is in 5.1 the most used channel. Wenn you have a matched centre the integration and natural sound is a lot better than without. I use a Monitor Audio Platinum centre. Monitor Audio is a brand which make one of the best crossovers. The advantage is that it can build the stage also far behind the centre like the best highend speakers can. With this extra depth you get stunning results in a much more 3-dimensional sound. Most people use brands with poor or average crossovers. You get often a very direct and what I call 2-dimensional sound.