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Soundbar in the Center

Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 14, 2011

I have the opportunity to update my home theater audio system and have decided on the Marantz SR7005 AVR. My room is small, and when I remodeled 10 years ago, I installed four Paradigm in-wall speakers and a large center-channel speaker for my 5.1 system. It occurs to me that if I replace the center channel with a 3-channel soundbar, I could use my existing in-wall speakers for the surround and have a full 7.1 system.

What do you think of this approach? Paradigm makes a 3-channel soundbar, the Millenia 20 Trio (shown above). I like my Paradigm speakers, but I thought that looking at other brands might be a good thing to do.

Byron Servies

I see a couple of problems with this approach. First, I assume that two of your in-walls are in the front of the room flanking the screen, which means they will not work as surround speakers. Second, using a 3-channel soundbar for the front LCR (left, center, right) is not ideal because the left and right channels are not separated by enough distance to create a wide soundstage. (Such a soundbar works far better than any TV's internal speakers, but it's not as good as fully separate speakers.)

In your case, I would get a center-channel speaker that most closely matches the tonal characteristics of the in-walls. Such a speaker will undoubtedly come from Paradigm—it's rarely if ever a good idea to mix different brands of speakers, because their tonal quality will probably not match well. This tonal matching is critical for good home-theater sound so that when a sound pans from one channel to the next, its character doesn't change.

You don't specify the exact model of in-walls you have, but I would get the Paradigm center-channel speaker that most closely matches them in tonal quality. This often means that the center has a similar compliment of drivers, but I would contact Paradigm for its best recommendation. If your current center speaker is a Paradigm, you might already have the best match for the in-walls.

If you have an A/V question, please send it to askhometheater@gmail.com.

COMMENTS
JoeBlogg1983's picture
Submitted by JoeBlogg1983 on October 15, 2011 - 8:06am

I think the questioner wants to replace the center channel (and only the center channel) with the sound bar.

He does not want the soundbar to replace all 3 channels (front left, front right, center)...

Scott Wilkinson's picture
Submitted by Scott Wilkinson on October 15, 2011 - 10:46am
Byron says he has four in-walls, and a 3-channel soundbar would give him 7.1. According to my calculations, 4+3 = 7, so he wants to use a 3-channel soundbar for the front three channels. Byron, if I'm wrong about this, please let me know.
JoeBlogg1983's picture
Submitted by JoeBlogg1983 on October 18, 2011 - 6:39pm

Looks like your interpretation is indeed more accurate =)

Scottyb09's picture
Submitted by Scottyb09 on October 17, 2011 - 11:43am

I'd advise that soundbars are great for 1) areas where you simply want better sound - not necessarily surround sound, and 2) for bedrooms and the like. For a dedicated surround sound area, I would argue that you are best off not going with a soundbar, even if it's from a high quality line like Paradigm.

ByronServies's picture
Submitted by ByronServies on November 5, 2011 - 8:59am

Hi there!

Sorry for the long delay in getting back to this. Thank you very much for answering my question, Scott. As it turns out, I kind of followed it.

My living room has a unique shape. It has a low, 7.5 foot, ceilings over about 85% of the floor and on 2 edges is open to the story above. It is small, with lots of openings to other rooms, so available floor space is at a premium. This is why I chose Paradigm AMS-450 in-walls and CC-450 center channel when remodeling in 2000. They are arranged in a trapezoid as the available wall space allowed.

The wall where that was the "front" is now occupied by an upright piano. I have tried other arrangements, but this is the place the piano works best. So, I am re-orienting the "front" to the other available wall (there is only 1), which is why I asked about the sound bar.

When I remodeled, however, I ran 2 sets of speaker wire to each in-wall location. This includes the hanging speakers in my office, which is the other side of the wall that is now the "front". Once I realized there was unused wire in the wall, another pair of in-walls became a possibility.

One of my local home theater stores just moved locations, and I was able to pick up a pair of Paradigm AMS-350 3-way in-wall speakers for 50% off. These are now the front pair, and the original in-wall AMS-450s are "front wide" and "surround". I still use the other speakers and Sunfire subwoofer I bought in 2000.

All in all, I'm thrilled with my Marantz SR7005 and UD5005 blu-ray player. The Audyssey DX does a better job of setup than I was ever able to manage with a sound pressure meter with my Lexicon DC-1 and when things move around, re-tuning takes very little time.

Thanks for the advice! Love your shows on TWiT,

Byron
p.s. I am an adult beginner piano student. It's never too late, and I cannot recommend the experience enough

johnnyappleseed's picture
Submitted by johnnyappleseed on August 9, 2012 - 10:05am

Howdy there,

I know this is an old thread.. but in case anybody's still out there.. I've been looking at various sound bars and I wondered what you all thought of this 3-channel as an only speaker paired with a good receiver and sub. I'm really interested in a very simple setup, I don't have a lot of space, and we move a lot.

I'm mostly interested in listening to music but also would be used for movies.

I'm also considering the Def Tech Mythos 50, b&w, and other "high-end" sound bars.

Thanks! Jon

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