Don't skimp on your center channel speaker! Although center channel speakers are typically packaged and sold as an individual speaker, that definitely doesn't mean that they are any less important than the rest of your surround sound speaker system. In fact, the center channel speaker is arguably the most important home theater speaker. It should ideally be "voice-matched" with the rest of your surround sound speaker system. This is most easily accomplished by purchasing the same brand name (and series) of center channel speaker as your front left, front right, and surround sound effects speakers. Choosing the right center channel speaker is crucial for any well balanced home theater audio system. Center channel speaker placement should be as close to your television monitor as possible because its primary duty is to anchor dialog and center screen action to as close to the TV as possible. As much as half your movie's sound can come from the center speaker. Locating it directly below or above your television screen usually works well.