Center Speaker Placement Issue (1 Viewer)

[Kyle Schmel]

Hi all. I'm new here but was hoping for some help/opinions...

I'm looking for some opinions on a problem I'm having with my home theater set up.

I want to set up 5.1 using in-ceiling speakers. I realize in ceiling speakers aren't ideal for sound quality but due to our open concept living space it is ideal that the rear speakers are installed in the ceiling and my wife prefers the look. My set up:

The TV (60") is going to be mounted above the gas fireplace.

Here's the problem. We have a roof truss that runs directly on center above the TV which is exactly where I'd want to put the center speaker. The visual:

My options for a center speaker are:

1) Install the center slightly off center.
2) Install 2 in ceiling speakers to share the center channel. They'd be installed some equal distance from center. Do you guys think this would look bad?
3) Mount a surface mounted center speaker above the TV. It might only be 6" from the ceiling and 6" from the top of my TV. We have 10' ceilings. The fireplace has a 6" trim around that rough opening. It doesn't leave much space. I considered the speaker between the TV and fireplace but then my TV is a bit high. Here's a sketch I did (dimensions in inches):

What do you guys think?

 

[schan1269]

Worst idea. Will sound horrible. Don't even bother.

Buy a soundbar and mount it with the TV. There are hundreds of passive LCR bars.

Leon in Michigan makes them to match your TV.

 

[schan1269]

By the way. Every single TV wall mount manufacturer also has mounts to mount your speakers to the TV mount.If you can put your TV on the wall, you can put a LCR bar with it.Or buy speakers and use wing mounts(What they are called) to flank the speakers on both sides and the bottom. The Def Tech XTR series is meant for this very, exact, purpose.