Using AVRs in a 2.1mode

square_wave

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2006
Messages
3,339
Points
113
Location
Edinburgh
2 quick questions to AVR experts.

If I use an AVR in 2.1 mode, Only 2 speakers ( L and R ) + a sub

1. Can I enable phantom centre mode so that I get a good centre image as well ?
2. Will I get to hear the rear and centre channel info in the L and R front speakers ? Or do I lose any information ?

AVRs in question would be :
- Marantz NR1609
- Denon X1600h

Finally, will the above receivers work well with Elac Debut B 6.2 bookshelf speakers ?
 
Last edited:
2 quick questions to AVR experts.

If I use an AVR in 2.1 mode, Only 2 speakers ( L and R ) + a sub

1. Can I enable phantom centre mode so that I get a good centre image as well ?
2. Will I get to hear the rear and centre channel info in the L and R front speakers ? Or do I lose any information ?

AVRs in question would be :
- Marantz NR1609
- Denon X1600h

Finally, will the above receivers work well with Elac Debut B 6.2 bookshelf speakers ?
Hi,

1. It's nothing to enable. Place the speakers equidistant such that the vocals are from the center. Easiest way is to hook up a computer, switch foobar to Mono mode and then play some Vocals oriented song. Get the vocal dead center by moving speakers back and forth and you are done.

2. Nope. In 2.1 mode the receiver will down sample everything to stereo. So only front 2 channels. Set them to small to enable crossover for the sub.

MaSh
 
1. Can I enable phantom centre mode so that I get a good centre image as well ?

Hope, you are referring to when you don't have a dedicated center channel.. Have never tried this, It should work.

2. Will I get to hear the rear and centre channel info in the L and R front speakers ? Or do I lose any information ?

Yes. If you set all other speakers as NO in AVR speaker settings, then the mutli channel content is down mixed to 2.0.. No info is lost..

AVRs in question would be :
- Marantz NR1609
- Denon X1600h

Finally, will the above receivers work well with Elac Debut B 6.2 bookshelf speakers ?

I would pick Denon x 1600, for it has Audyssey Multi EQ XT, which is a higher version than Multi EQ, found in Marantz NR 1609..
 
Phantom Center is the best center, as it’s a virtual center. Depending on where how high you keep your L/R Speakers, you can manage that from the center of the tv panel which is not possible with a regular center placed below the TV.

downside : only works for one person. Hope you are the only audiophile at home ;)
 
Phantom Center is the best center, as it’s a virtual center. Depending on where how high you keep your L/R Speakers, you can manage that from the center of the tv panel which is not possible with a regular center placed below the TV.

downside : only works for one person. Hope you are the only audiophile at home ;)

With good directivity speakers, phantom center and sweet spot also widens.
 
Technically my previous statement was senseless ! Peoples sound doesn’t change with their body size , so ignore it. But hope you got what I meant
 
Well, it worked pretty well. Got myself a pair of Elac debut2 6.2 bookshelf speakers and connected it to a basic Marantz 5.1 AVR. Excellent centre imaging. No need for a centre speaker. Also, in the initial setup, you let the avr know you don't have centre, rear or sub woofers. It downmixes everything to stereo. With the connection via eARC, volume and shutdown of both TV and AVR happens with the TV remote. Very convenient. Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs.
 
2. Will I get to hear the rear and centre channel info in the L and R front speakers ? Or do I lose any information ?
Good question! I had raised this question a few days back here in forum. Our @MaSh clarified very well. Then I found this article of Multichannel soundtracks on a stereo system: you may be losing more than you think which was helpful in understanding more. Synopsis of this article:

1. Without a center speaker, the center channel is mixed in stereo and distributed between the front left and front right speakers. The sound level is reduced to half (-3dB) in order to deliver the original signal at the right volume with two speakers. This is where things get tricky, and if the audio engineer decided to further reduce the sound level during the downmixing process (maximum reduction of -6dB), then the amplifier will have to comply with this obligation.
2. Without surround speakers, following the same logic, the metadata of a 5.1 soundtrack will be mixed in stereo and distributed between the front left and right speakers. Sound attenuation may vary from one movie to another as well. It is even possible for the surround channels to be completely excluded from the restitution.
 
Which AVR, 1609?

1509. I realized that after studying the power supply design in these basic lines of AVRs, they are not the way to go if you plan to do higher than 5.1, and into things like atmos etc. So decided to stick to the basic one.
 
Last edited:
Good question! I had raised this question a few days back here in forum. Our @MaSh clarified very well. Then I found this article of Multichannel soundtracks on a stereo system: you may be losing more than you think which was helpful in understanding more. Synopsis of this article:

1. Without a center speaker, the center channel is mixed in stereo and distributed between the front left and front right speakers. The sound level is reduced to half (-3dB) in order to deliver the original signal at the right volume with two speakers. This is where things get tricky, and if the audio engineer decided to further reduce the sound level during the downmixing process (maximum reduction of -6dB), then the amplifier will have to comply with this obligation.
2. Without surround speakers, following the same logic, the metadata of a 5.1 soundtrack will be mixed in stereo and distributed between the front left and right speakers. Sound attenuation may vary from one movie to another as well. It is even possible for the surround channels to be completely excluded from the restitution.

I am sure there are some compromises. It is all about how finicky you are about your home theatre.
 
Well, it worked pretty well. Got myself a pair of Elac debut2 6.2 bookshelf speakers and connected it to a basic Marantz 5.1 AVR. Excellent centre imaging. No need for a centre speaker. Also, in the initial setup, you let the avr know you don't have centre, rear or sub woofers. It downmixes everything to stereo. With the connection via eARC, volume and shutdown of both TV and AVR happens with the TV remote. Very convenient. Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs.

Hi,
Could you add some info on the elac debut 2.0 speakers as well? I was looking to purchase one to pair with my marantz pm5005 or Norge concerto gold 1000. Also where and at what price you purched it?
 
Hi,
Could you add some info on the elac debut 2.0 speakers as well? I was looking to purchase one to pair with my marantz pm5005 or Norge concerto gold 1000. Also where and at what price you purched it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLvodAEiveA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiIOnSFptgA

Details above. It works for me due to my particular needs for movies and gaming. I have a separate music system. It works pretty well for music also. These speakers are extremely good value for money.

Can you directly check with dealers for pricing ? Hifimart also stocks them.
 
Last edited:
Get the Award Winning Diamond 12.3 Floorstanding Speakers on Special Offer
Back
Top