I have a BOSE ACOUSTIMASS 6 & Denon AVR1705 home theatre, compatible set up ?

Question

I want to get more volume out of the central speaker as sometimes the voices seem to be lower than usual. I find the 5.1 format ok but rather low on volume when it comes to certain voices on the centre speaker , would a double speaker from the 10 series be ideal or a waste of time ?

I have set the speakers ( front & rear ) at vol. 10. Correct ?

Answer 1

I don't think that changing the speaker to a double would provide much more volume on the center channel.  Bose cube speakers are not much more than tweaters and they rely on the subwoofer to fill in the lower end frequencies.  The problem is that this leaves out the midrange frequencies which are what make up voices (especially female voices).  

The wattage rating on the bose speakers is high enough that it shouldn't be an issue of not enough power going to the single cube vs. a double cube.  One thing you can try is to use the sound balancing function on the receiver to increase the center channel output level and drop the other channels back a little.  You'll need to increase the overall volume control on the Denon to acheive the desired loudness, but it shouldn't stress the receiver significantly and it might provide you with the sound balance you're looking for.

Answer 2

The problem is the Bose speakers - they have a well deserved reputation for appalling sound quality.  The Denon is a fine A/V amp, but the Bose speakers are crippling it.

Ditch them and buy a decent speaker setup - you'll be glad that you did!

Answer 3

in my humble opinion the double speaker would be a waste of money. You need to balance your speakers not just set them at 10. Go to the setup menu and play the test tones and adjust so that all 5 speakers have the same volume at your listening position.

The cube speakers are very poorly designed and have a hard time with male vocals. ( one 2.5" paper cone tweener) its too large to be a tweeter and too small to be a midrange.