I have a Dolby 3-Stereo (3.1?) speaker setup, but the center speaker is lots louder than the other 2?

Question

Because I don't really know much at all about surround sound or speaker system thingys in general, I don't know if this is normal or not.

My Left and Right speakers are by Pioneer and the centre speaker is by B&W (or, that's what it looks like to me). I just looked at the back of the speakers and the B&W one is 150w and the two Pioneer speakers are 75w each. Will this make a difference?

So, is it normal for the centre speaker to be louder than the left and right ones?

and if not, what could be causing this difference between speakers?

Thanks

Answer 1

The normal 3 speaker arrangement is for the centre speaker to be a sub-woofer, for the big bass tones.

Your amp should have separate settings for each speaker. It is common practice to set the outer speakers for the same frequency response and output. The centre speaker is set to suit your room acoustics.

Answer 2

This depends on a few things. What surround mode and what programming you are playing? What is the sensitivity of the speakers (not watts. Watts telling you how powerful a speaker is is a myth).

If the center speaker is more sensitive you must recalibrate the output settings using the test tone and turn the center speaker down or vice versa.

If you have done that and it is still much louder then try a different surround mode. The surround mode you are using may just send most of the sound to the center speaker.

If it is a 5.1 recording like on a DVD movie the director may want most of the sound comming from the center speaker.

If you are using a 3 stereo mode and the center is much louder I expect that the B&W is much more sensitive. (louder at 1 Watt meaning that It starts out louder than the others and stays proportionately louder as the volume is raised. You may be able to set the volume on the center lower in the setup menu. List the model number and make of the receiver and speakers and I'll see what I can find about settings.