Ask S&V

Q Most multichannel speaker configurations I see advertised have large L/R tower speakers combined with smaller center and surround speakers. It seems to me, however, that money invested in large (mostly full-range) L/R towers would be wasted if you care more about multichannel movie soundtracks than two-channel stereo music. Given the conventional wisdom that movie soundtracks rely heavily on the center channel for dialogue reproduction, shouldn’t you buy a higher-performing center speaker instead of big front towers? —Rick James Boettger / via e-mail

A Not necessarily. The center speaker in your system should ideally match the left/right channel speakers when it comes to timbre, output capability, and other performance criteria. As for tower speakers in a multichannel speaker configuration, plenty of audio experts maintain that satellite/subwoofer combinations are superior to tower speakers when it comes to bass reproduction.

Why? When using a separate sub, you get the option of positioning it in a room location that provides the best bass response. Also, powered subwoofers typically have higher output capabilities than the bass drivers in tower speakers. Last, since bass frequencies place substantial demands on your amplifier or receiver, delegating bass-handling tasks to a dedicated subwoofer will extend more headroom to the other channels in your system.