A centre speaker is often regarded as the most important speaker in a home cinema 5.1 speaker set-up due to the fact that much of the conversation, in a film, for example, happens front and centre on your screen, meaning that the centre channel is the one reproducing it. For this reason, a centre speaker must integrate well with the front speakers. Ideally, you should choose the same brand to tonally match with the rest of your equipment and deliver optimum stereo integration and imaging. A factor to consider when purchasing is the height of your speakers. Typically the speaker will be positioned beneath a TV, so ensuring it does not block your television is essential.
