Adding a center channel to a Trans Am

[jk13]

Cableguy obviously knows his stuff and I won't dispute any of it. I was just giving you the easiest way of doing it with the least cost involved. No processing, no time alignment, just level control on a mono signal for the center. I am a huge fan of raw unmanipulated sound when it's done correctly. Tune it once and be done.

Both cars I listed above are "both front seat" soundstage cars. Tweeter angles are the same on each side as well as center speaker angle(s). IASCA and USACi always had a judge in both seats back then--and I have both seats filled much of the time too. My friend is or was a judge for both organizations at one time or another. The only "processing" I had in my car was an EQL and a 24XS crossover. Stereo two channel signal only. All front stage crossovers were passive other than the 50Hz bottom end for the 8s from the 24XS. 4 ohm L and R with an 8 ohm center helped knock the center volume down where it needed to be, plus using drivers with no tweeter in the center to keep the L and R more prevalent and nicely separated. Like I said, a lot of planning.

In a 5.1 home theater you want the majority of your information coming from the center channel (because that's where your visual focus is--the screen) and just the wider and off-screen sounds coming from the sides/surrounds. In a car playing stereo music the reason for a center channel is ONLY to help localize certain instruments to "center stage". Especially vocals. One singer, one point source for their voice. As someone mentioned above it all starts with great left and right imaging and separation. You want to be able to tell that your guitarist or backup singer is not stacked on top of your lead, which is what would happen with too strong of a center. To accomplish that the center channel will need much less power and/or drivers than L&R.

[bassl0va]

Why not put the effort/money into making the stereo imaging better? I bet you'd have a better final sound anyway.
In home audio center channels work best when it uses a speaker that is identical to the left and right speakers, otherwise it'll most likely sound different.

I dislike center channels though...

[Austin42156]

Thanks , you guys have been really helpful!

[n8ball2013]

So heres my question. You have no four channel amp listed. Do you have one? If not why not? You may be able to achieve what you are trying to do without a center channel. also how do you plan on powering that center channel with no amp? You also say you are trying to image better but yet list coax speakers right behind your seats. Thats not exactly good for imaging.

[White Lightning]

Sorry I missed that boss before I gave my suggestions ... I was using my POS phone and not my Laptop.

I thought that car has speaker loactions in the dash (left and right) and rears on the B-pillars (left and right) ...

But then again, I did listen to a SQ Camaro that same year model with dirvers in the doors ...

But still ... If you was dead set on a center channel, I'd pick up a headunit that is 5.1 capable before I done anything ...

... just saying