Center Dash Speaker? Yes or No?

[81-F150-Explorer]

I don't use diodes and it doesn't seem to matter to the left and right channels. I'm listening to Jay And The Americans at the moment and I have full stereo. But then when the DJ came on he was in the center channel. Then Day Tripper came on and the instruments are spread across the speakers and the vocals are mainly in the center.

Here's a shot of the setup in the shop (the neighbors are away at the moment) and I've circled the Bose left and right speakers and drew an arrow to the center channel speaker. (And if you look closely this thread is on the left monitor and the MPC is open to ash trays on the right one. )

A center channel set up that way works nicely. But there is another way to do it and that is with a dual voice-coil speaker. You wire left to one coil and right to the other. Higher tech, but the simple way can be quite effective.

That's a cool setup. Most of mine is in the closet or the shed.

 

[Gary Lewis]

That's a cool setup. Most of mine is in the closet or the shed.

Thanks. But what you are seeing is a small part of the library. To the right is a shelving unit with every TSB from the late 70's to the late 90's as well as several other documents. And there are two other shelving units with more documents on them.

I really should get my "card catalog" up to date and keep it there, both so I know what I have as well as in case I lose everything like happened to our neighbors.

[JimJam300]

Back in the dark ages we created "center channels" by taking the negative wire from one side and the positive wire from the other to a speaker. That way anything that was in both channels played from the center channel but things that were in only one channel didn't play.

So if it was me I'd put a center speaker in and play with it. Can't hurt. In fact, in my shop I have a center channel hooked up that way and it works very well.

That's interesting, I just looked up the wiring scheme for what you're explaining. I've been staring the dash pad support in the face for a while now thinking about putting a speaker there, so I think I'll do this.

[Gary Lewis]

Back in the dark ages we created "center channels" by taking the negative wire from one side and the positive wire from the other to a speaker. That way anything that was in both channels played from the center channel but things that were in only one channel didn't play.

So if it was me I'd put a center speaker in and play with it. Can't hurt. In fact, in my shop I have a center channel hooked up that way and it works very well.

That's interesting, I just looked up the wiring scheme for what you're explaining. I've been staring the dash pad support in the face for a while now thinking about putting a speaker there, so I think I'll do this.

You can always disconnect it. But you might like it.

[81-F150-Explorer]

You can always disconnect it. But you might like it.

I was thinking the same thing.

[ratdude747]

I don't use diodes and it doesn't seem to matter to the left and right channels. I'm listening to Jay And The Americans at the moment and I have full stereo. But then when the DJ came on he was in the center channel. Then Day Tripper came on and the instruments are spread across the speakers and the vocals are mainly in the center.

Here's a shot of the setup in the shop (the neighbors are away at the moment) and I've circled the Bose left and right speakers and drew an arrow to the center channel speaker. (And if you look closely this thread is on the left monitor and the MPC is open to ash trays on the right one. )

A center channel set up that way works nicely. But there is another way to do it and that is with a dual voice-coil speaker. You wire left to one coil and right to the other. Higher tech, but the simple way can be quite effective.

That's what I tried with my vintage Sharp headunit. And likely what fried the LH channel.

I ran the center speaker at a higher impedance (double) than the door speakers and crossed it from LH- to RH+. I had the left door speaker between LH common and LH+, and the right between RH common and RH-. Before it fried, the center speaker always seemed to overdrive the other two speakers... After that experience, when I changed to the current headunit, I abandoned the center speaker idea.

 

[Gary Lewis]

That's what I tried with my vintage Sharp headunit. And likely what fried the LH channel.

I ran the center speaker at a higher impedance (double) than the door speakers and crossed it from LH- to RH+. I had the left door speaker between LH common and LH+, and the right between RH common and RH-. Before it fried, the center speaker always seemed to overdrive the other two speakers... After that experience, when I changed to the current headunit, I abandoned the center speaker idea.

Larry - Unless you were running 2 ohm speakers I don't see how adding the center channel fried an output. But what am I missing?

[81-F150-Explorer]

Larry - Unless you were running 2 ohm speakers I don't see how adding the center channel fried an output. But what am I missing?

It depends on how the speakers are wired.

Wired in parallel, two 6 ohm speakers will reduce the ohms to 3.

Wired in series, two 6 ohm speakers will increase the ohms to 12.

Why the Ford 2 speaker radios are 6 ohm approximate, and why the Ford 4 speaker radios are wired in both series and parallel inside the radio to also equal 6 ohm. (as used in our 1980-1986 vintage vehicles. Other years will vary )

4 speaker radio: The radio at 6 ohm output, two front channels in parallel = 3 ohms, then the two rear speakers in series with the front, increases the 3 ohms to 6 ohm.

The mismatch of ohms may have done it. You should use matching ohm speakers with each other.

[ratdude747]

It depends on how the speakers are wired.

Wired in parallel, two 6 ohm speakers will reduce the ohms to 3.

Wired in series, two 6 ohm speakers will increase the ohms to 12.

Why the Ford 2 speaker radios are 6 ohm approximate, and why the Ford 4 speaker radios are wired in both series and parallel inside the radio to also equal 6 ohm. (as used in our 1980-1986 vintage vehicles. Other years will vary )

4 speaker radio: The radio at 6 ohm output, two front channels in parallel = 3 ohms, then the two rear speakers in series with the front, increases the 3 ohms to 6 ohm.

The mismatch of ohms may have done it. You should use matching ohm speakers with each other.

The final setup was a pair of 4 ohm Sony Speakers and a 16 ohm center speaker (after the stock 6 ohm and an 8 ohm speaker both overdrove; 6 ohm was obviously a terrible thing to try per below).

That radio had a 6 wire speaker setup... L and R had what was in effect a +, a -, and a center tap (which in a traditional 4 speaker setup would connect to two speakers). What I did was on one side I ran the door speaker between + and center, and on the other I ran the door speaker between center and -. I then used the two disused wires (a + and a -) to drive the center speaker, idea being that having a connection from each, it would average the stereo signal to the door speakers. It never sounded particularly good (or loud), and one day I lost the LH channel entirely. Was it the setup? Or was it a dying radio? Dunno, but either way when I installed the current unit, I didn't even consider using the center speaker again.