Is the center channel a misunderstood audio component?

It’s probably not fair for me to pick at the intro paragraph to a review of two SVS center channels, but frankly it just grated. I’ve believed, and stated myriad times publicly, that the center channel is the most important speaker in the mix for the majority of common multi-channel use cases. If you listen to TV, movies, or anything but stereo content that doesn’t have an upmix encoded in (generally music) – you want a good center. That’s where the majority of the dialog is output. Bad center = bad experience. Simple as that.

With that bit of rant out of the way, what were we talking about again? Oh yes, a couple SVS center speakers that were reviewed (and loved)…

The center-channel speaker is possibly the least appreciated component in all of audio. For those who enjoy multichannel music and watch lots of surround video, it’s arguably the most important piece in the system. At the same time, diehard stereo fans often see the center speaker as an afterthought, if needed at all. If you use your A/V system at all for video, along with stereo listening, there’s no doubting the advantages and sonic necessity of a good center speaker — stereo or fake DSP modes are poor substitutes.

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