I can finally afford to upgrade my speaker system! Up until now, I've been routing the center channel output from my AV amp to the factory speakers on my TV (which are really great speakers but NOT voice matched to the mains, and you can tell! :) What are your expeiences with positioning your center channel speaker(s)?

On the one hand, I've often read that my monitor's screen should be vertically centered at eye level for the viewer. My screen is currently positioned in accordance with this guidance. Btw, I have a rear projection 50" 16:9 ratio screen, centered at 40" which places the top of the set 54" above the floor.

I've also read for many years that all the tweeters from the front channels should ideally be located at the level of the listener's ears. My main L&R are currently positioned in accordance with this rule, with the tweeters 39" above the floor.

On the other hand, I've often read that all the tweeters from the three front channels should ideally be located on the same horizontal plane above the floor.

On yet another hand, it seems that most HT setups have a single center speaker perched on top of the monitor. With the screen of my TV centered at eye level, this places the top of the set 15" above my ears, and any speaker's tweeter at least a couple of inches above that.

On the fourth hand, (better start using feet soon) the factory speaker enclosure below the screen of my rear-projection monitor is just begging to be used for the center channel. "But I've read" that "experts prefer the (single) speaker above the screen," not below.

Finally (whew!) my amp has two channels (A+B) to drive a PAIR of center speakers. But "I've read" in one of the Crutchfield guides that dual center speakers are "usally not recommended," although they don't say why.

My budget will allow me to buy two center speakers if the situation warrants it. So, what have you tried and how does it sound?

1) Has anyone performed surgery on his/her TV set to install voice-matched drivers in the factory "holes?"

2) Has anyone raised the mains until their tweeters are level with the center above the screen?

3) How about a pair of speakers above and below the screen?

4) What's wrong with (my personal theoretical favorite) a pair of speakers immediately to the left and right of the screen, with the tweeters on the same plane with my mains and my ears?

Any insight you can provide is greatly appreciated!

-Bruce

This message was edited by Bruce Burson on 11/17/01 04:54.52.

Bruce,

I run my mains 10 degrees toed up and I run my center
toed down roughly 10-15 degrees. I followed the sound
plane to the sweet spot with a laser, that is how I
positioned my speakers and it works for me.

Bruce, the reason it's recommended to not use multiple speakers for one signal is that anything other than identical distance from speakers to ears tends to produce cancellation effects. However, if you have the room to spread your mains out a bit, try the side-flanking positions with two centers.

My center is directly below my picture, and it works fine for me. Above would place it near the ceiling, and it would definitely be a longer path.

Unless you specifically listen for the exact direction of a sound source, once you start watching a movie, it all seems to sound like its coming from the picture, so relax and enjoy.

Larry

Really, all you need to do is align the speakers tweaters to a point in the room you define as the 'sweat spot'. Using a laser is great, you would need to attatch it to the front of the speaker baffle and make sure it's level and plumb. Otherwise, a good guess is normally ok for 'regular' installs. But one thing for sure is, delay plays a large part in the imaging of the system. Make sure you use the feature in your reciver to delay the sound from the necessary speakers to have it arrive at the same time (to your ears)

Multiple speakers are definatly not a great idea as Larry mentioned, they create a lobing in the coverage pattern of the speakers and I've seen it so bad that the sound was actually 10 db lower in level for someone sitting only 2 feet off axis of the speaker. (that's twice as soft!)

Matt, I don't know how you use your time in front of the TV, but if you have a 'sweat spot', you're definitely getting more from your home theater than I am from mine!!! : - )

Larry

Ok Larry, nice to know your the spelling Nazi of the group....Don't quite see how this benefits anyone here though.

Matt: relax a little... we're here for the good times, too... .

Bruce: all good questions. And everything you've read is true (or not, if you're a Firesign Theater fan). I keep my centre on top of the unit that the TV is in, which puts it about a foot above the set. Further, it is pushed back more than a foot to allow for WAF. I do have an adjustment for distance/delay, as Matt points out, and I believe it actually helps. However, even without it, when you add the natural imaging of the mains, everything sounds natural, just as Larry said. My centre speaker is about 1 notch higher in volume than my mains. ... Mike

Yeah, I know....didn't mean to come off as a jerk.

Sorry If I offended anyone...

"You can trust me, because I never lie, and I'm always right!"

George LeRoy Tirebiter

Matt, you cool.