Center Speaker placement vs. TV (1 Viewer)

[Mark Abrams]

Just wondering where to place my center speaker with regard to a Samsung DLP - should the center speaker always be elevated above the TV or can it be placed below on the stand shelves? There certainly doesn't appear to be room on top of the TV to place it, from what I can see in the photos... Also, would the proximity of the speakers/magnetic fields be a problem for DLP sets??

 

[Citizen87645]

Center channel speakers designed for the purpose are shielded. In the case of DLP it's a different technology, unaffected by magenetic fields so it's a nonissue either way.

They make special shelves that can lengthen the top of the set for speaker placement. I think Circuit City sells one model. If you can put the speaker below the set that's fine too; some people prefer it that way.

 

[Robert_Lamb]

It should be at the same height as the tweeters in your other front speakers. It should also be approximately at your listening height. This is sometimes difficult to achieve.

 

[RAF]

One other way to get the same effect as having your center speaker at the same height as your L & R front speakers is to use a center speaker that can tilt up or down. That way if you place the speaker below the monitor you tilt it up and if you place the speaker on top of your monitor you tilt it down.

My M&K 150s work that way. The center speaker is identical to the L and R ones except for the angle of the drivers. To me it's just as important to have identical (or at least matched) speakers right across the front soundstage to achieve a uniform sound, especially for aural panning effects. Too often, in an attempt to find just the right placement for a center speaker one is chosen that is a lesser speaker because it fits better into the environment. Unfortunately, while all speakers can be considered important, the center speaker usually has to handle the bulk of the dialogue and should, therefore, be just as capable as the other speakers. Some even think of it as the most important speaker, although I still maintain that L, C and R speakers should be equally capable for the best effect.

 

[Mark Abrams]

Thanks for all the great input! I was thinking of putting it under the TV on one of the TV stand racks, but that will put it a lot lower than it has been in the past. I like the idea of tilting it upward. It I did put it somehow
on top of the TV (a Samsung DLP) I'm not quite sure how
I'd manage that yet... Also that would put it MUCH higher
than my L/R speaker tweeters.

 

[tonyKwok]

Mark

i would avoid putting the center on top of the DLP, considering how expensive your TV is compared to the center channel. I have a DIY center channel stand that I use to tilt my center up towards the listening position in my setup. I have a 50" LCD projection Tv. It sounds perfectly fine in my situation.

tony

 

[RAF]

I would also recommend the lower position tilted up toward your listening position instead of placing the speaker on top of your monitor. Before I added a roll down screen (110" Stewart 130Studiotek) and my FP, I only had a 45" Pioneer Elite RPM. This set is boxy and perfectly capable of supporting the center channel speaker without any danger of falling or damage to the equipment. I can't say the same for today's sleeker monitors (LCD, DLP, Plasma, etc.) When the huge screen arrived I decided the best option (the only one really since I didn't want to spend a lot extra for an acoustically transparent perf screen) was placing the speaker low, tilted up.