Don't Skimp On Your Center Channel Speaker!

Center channel speakers are sold individually, but that doesn't mean that they are any less important than the rest of your surround sound speaker system.  Your center channel speaker is the most important speaker.  It should "voice match" the rest of your home theater speaker system.  This is most easily accomplished by purchasing the same brand name (and series) as your front and rear surround speakers.  Choosing the right center channel speaker is crucial for a well balanced home theater audio system.

Center speaker placement should be as close to your television monitor as possible.  It's primary job 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.  Setting it on top of a big screen TV works well for many people, but placing it below the television could work well, too.  Depending on your particular home theater room setup, you may want to consider an in wall center speaker.