center channel placement question (1 Viewer)

[Jonathan_P]

Hi - I'm very new to home theater - I just bought a pretty nice tv and receiver. I have speakers that I like (dront & surrounds) and now I'm shopping for a center channel. Does anyone make a center channel speaker that you can set your TV on top of - with a deep enough cabinet to support the television? It seems to make sense that there would be, I jusdt can't find one. My furniture situation is making cneter channel placement a little challenging.

Thanks in advance,
Jonathan Portnoy

 

[Pete Little]

Try Innovative Audio. Their website offers well made TV cabinets with built in center channel speakers, if you desire.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Jonathan. Welcome to HTF!

It might just be my slant, but I'm more about making a system sound good rather than fitting into a decore.

One of the important things about your front 3 speakers is they should be as close to identical as possible. More and more have actual dialog coming from the L/R speakers if the actors are shot wide. Having a mis-matched center will cause the transistions to sound funny.

So what options do you have for a center speaker from the same brand/series as your L/R speakers? That is the best way to go.

You should also know that speaker cabinents resonate with sound. In general, you try to isolate the speaker from the floor/surroundings so it can vibrate as designed by the speaker company. Putting a weight on top would muffle the vibrations and .. not let it sound as good as it could.

While you CAN build a pedestal/box to use as a TV stand and put a speaker inside - this is also a bit like talking through a tin-can. The 'box' will now produce an echo. If you DID do this, try leaving the back of the enclosure open and consider some sound-absorbant material for the sides to prevent the echo's.

(All these reasons are why most of us put our center speakers on TOP of the television.)

Some people have built small stands that actually put the center speaker in front of the TV and pointing upwards a bit so that the sound is directed at the listeners head. You compensate for the different center & L/R distances with the adjustments on your receiver (time delay and center-level adjustment.)

Hope this helps.