Center Speaker

[zoso0928]

I have my center speaker below my tv right now.. I was thinking about mounting it above it..Does this make any difference and does anyone else do this? TIA

[HAMP]

I'm not following my own advice, but you should have your tweeters from the (left <-> Center <-> right) lined up.

[DragonSarc]

as long as its tilted down to the listeners it should be good and you should have any problem

[LordoftheRings]

Originally Posted by DragonSarc

as long as its tilted down to the listeners it should be good and you should have any problem

I totally agree with that.

* It's been said by several people that it is best to have your tweeter within a foot or so (closest is best) from the height of the tweeters inside your two front main speakers (L & R).

Normally, putting the Center speaker below tour TV display or screen will be the closest to that theory. And if you have a projector with a screen, it is obvious that putting your center speaker on a dedicated stand is the very best, as it is free on any close surfaces and is correlated to the same free space as the twon front L & R speakers (in most cases, but not all).

When you have a display like a Plasma or a LCD, it is hard to positioned it above them (you need a shelf above your TV). But by doing that, even if it's tweeter is perhaps 20 inches or more above the tweeters from the ones in the front L & R speakers, and you aim it directly at your ears by the right amount of down tilting, it will sound very good as there is nothing on both sides of it and above it. So it has a lot of free space around.
By comparisonj, putting it below the TV, it'll usually end up or in a cabinet of the TV stand, or on the top of that cabinet.
Now, its tweeter might be only few inches from the ones in the two front L & R speakers (perhaps only 6 or so), but here's what's happening though; that center speaker is often enclosed in a shelf of the cabinet, with not only closer to the floor, but also with the top of that cabinet above and also from the two side walls inside that cabinet. Furthermore, if it is only an inch or so inside, and not exxtruding its front face freely forward, you'll end up with some serious issues in many cases.
It would be best in that situation to bring it forward by perhaps few inches, so it is not obstructed by any low, high, or side surfaces from the cabinet at all. And that is very IMPORTANT.
Better still is to have it on the top of the cabinet, like when your plasma is on the wall. But here also, as well if on a shelf above your display, you want it to be right on the front outside edge and by even an inch or two pass that front edge.

*** Just try what I said here, and you'll see what I mean, and by applying the right and proper positioning of your Center speaker you'll be way ahead in a much more easier to understand dialog from your center speaker.
Trust me, I know so.
{So many people are not aware of this and if they follow my instructions, they'll say "Wow! That's about time I'm understanding what the actors are saying! Finally! My audio experience just climb another higher notch in audio nirvana level!"}

~ I had mt Center speaker mounted above my display before, with its tweeter at 56-57 inches above the floor (or 24 inches higher than the tweeters in my two front Left & Right speakers), and I tilted down exactly at my ears from my main listening position; and it sounded simply fabulous, with superb articulation, tremendous bass (it can do 26 Hz), and always easy to understand EVERYTHING, even a fly coming from it!

Now, that same Center speaker is inside a cabinet, with surfaces all around (but the spaces between all the walls, and even the rear, and my center speaker are all fully fill in with high density foam), and it simply doesn't sound as good as before when more freely positioned above my display. And that's even with all the care I took to eliminate all surface's reflections, and even with its tweeter at only 13 inches from the ones in my two front R & L speakers, plus aiming it directly to my ears by tiliting it up, and even with it's front face being about an inch or so forward of the front face of my Auddio/Video cabinet!

Experimentation will always get you much ahead than anything else of what people might say or try to make you believe.
In life we tend to be dictated by the practicality of things. But if we apply those rules to our Audio hobby, all Hell break loose! If we don't take charge and go beyond the reasonable, we'll always remain there; at in unreasonable audio experience level with less than satisfactory results, FACT!

This is only regarding the Center speaker positioning; there is also the Subwoofer(s), the front main Left & Right speakers, the two Side/Rear surround speakers, the two Back surround speakers, the two Front Width speakers (Audyssey DSX), the two Front Height speakers (Audyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Locic IIz), and the Tactile Transducers (the very best ones are "Odyssee Motion Simulator" from D-BOX Technology Inc. based in Longueil, Montreal, Quebec province, CANADA).

Anyway, another time in another thread in response to another member...