Center speaker placement (1 Viewer)

[DaveKahler]

I have my fronts positioned at ear level, and I'm going to add a center to the mix soon. However, if I place the center on top of my tv, it would be ~1.5ft above the other two speakers. Is this a common configuration? I'm worried about it raising the soundstage too much, but I don't have anywhere else to put it.

Thanks!

 

[Neil Joseph]

Speakers on the front soundstage hardly ever end up with their tweeters all at the same level if left to their own devices. Angle the centre speaker downward slightly by placing small rubber feet or another such device at the rear underside of the centre speaker. Try to aim the tweeters so that they intersect your ears while in the seating position.

 

[Frank Carter]

My brother uses a rubber door stopper to get the correct amount of tilt for his center.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I also use rubber door stops to position my center speaker. At less than a dollar, it was the best "bang for the buck" tweak I ever implemented in my setup.

 

[Kevin McCurdy]

The rubber door stop is a neat idea. I do have a question though, most of the center channels I've owned have an adjustment screw(s) to adjust for the proper angle.

Is there some advantage in using the door stop instead or is it mainly for use with CC speakers without the adjustment screw(s)?

 

[Frank Carter]

No, it's just for those who have center's that don't have a built in adjustment .

 

[Bob McElfresh]

A few other bits of advice:
- Pull the center speaker forward so it over-hangs the face of the TV by about 1/4 inch. Even with feet, the face of the TV can acoustically couple to the face of the TV. so you need an over-hang. NEVER push the center back so that you have a shelf in front. This will simply reflect a lot of sound upwards.
- Get a pen-style laser pointer. Tape the button down to get a continous beam. Roll the pen on a table and watch the spot of light across the room. If the beam makes little circles, the beam is NOT aligned with the pen body. Get another one. When you find a laser pen where the beam is parallel with the body, use the pen to see where the speaker is pointing by simply holding it against the side of your speaker. This will tell you if you have the right angle to hit your head at the primary listening position.
- You can use pink-rubber erasers to make feet or change the amount of angle on the center speaker. Paper-back books have also been used to great effect. A half-inflated wheelbarrow innertube ($7) also works.
- You can also use the laser pen to judge the amount of toe-in for the L/R speakers. You can make the two speakers intersect 2 feet in front, exactly at, or two feet behind the primary listener. Try all 3 and pick one that sounds best. (everyones speakers & distances are different so there is no definitive setting for everyone.)
Very Important: Once you have played with the speaker angles/position, grab the SPL meter and check that all speakers still produce the same volume at the listening position. Speakers throw sound like the beam from a D-cell flashlight: very intense in the center with a sudden drop-off. Changing the angle of your center/left/right can really affect the volume.
Hope this helps.