I is a three way design with four drivers. This allows for greater dynamics and wider horizontal dispersion that a lot of other designs. It is extremely well braced and very dynamic. The only center speaker that I know of that doesn''t have a maximum wattage rating for driving it. I can sit any where on my couch and not be bothered by a lack of dispersion.
Most center channels require a pretty close sweet spot to perform their best.
This center channel was so good that it even got reviewed in Stereophile magazine which is purely audio. It takes into account how the different boundaries are going to effect its sound and compensates for it. The other switch is for sound track emphasis in the vocal reproduction. Aerial knew that a lot of dolby digital movies are over done especially in the vocals which creates a bright sound. This center channel is very dynamic with no port.