Flat panel/wall mount LCD: where do you put the center ch. speaker?

[NTB]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
What intogamer said, although I'll elaborate a bit more. Purchase an adjustable speaker stand to hold it, don't sit it on the ground.

Why under and not over? I would think you'd want it closer to ear level.

Nate

 

[NanoStuff]

Originally posted by: Thraxen
Ummm... this problem is worse without a center since you are relying on two speakers that are potentially far apart to create the phantom center. You would also have to be sitting dead center between the two speakers.

The problem is far more severe when you try and incorporate a third speaker, particularly one that is not in-line with the others. I've found this is far more achievable with two speakers.

Your point about panning doesn't make any sense because any panned sounds will be panned between the center and L or R front speaker if that is the way the audio is encoded.

I don't see how that doesn't make any sense, if a sound is panned in-between two speakers, and you don't have correlation between these two speakers, the sound that is panned in-between these speakers will not appear to come from that location.

you seem to be claiming that spoken audio will be anchored to the center if you have one and not panned with the location of the on-screen speaker as it would be without the center

No, I don't think so. I'm well aware that spoken audio oriented at the center will be oriented to the same location without a center channel by applying it at equal amplitude to the left and right speakers.

 

[Thraxen]

Originally posted by: NanoStuff
The problem is far more severe when you try and incorporate a third speaker, particularly one that is not in-line with the others. I've found this is far more achievable with two speakers.

There's a big flaw with your logic... most voices aren't sent to the L/R channels unless there is some sort of panning, but even in that case they only come fron the center and one of the L/Rs depending on the direction the sound is supposed to be coming from.

I don't see how that doesn't make any sense, if a sound is panned in-between two speakers, and you don't have correlation between these two speakers, the sound that is panned in-between these speakers will not appear to come from that location.

I see what you are saying, but that doesn't really make any sense. If the audio is supposed to be coming from the center then that's where you want it to sound like it's coming from. And with a center you are only relying on a single speaker to do that for you. Then if the sound is panned then you are relying on the center and then the L or R speakers to do it, which should give you a more accurate pan than relying on the L and R to do the same effect since they are further apart.

Also, a lot of HT addicts will argue that using the center gives you better overall sound quality since the center handles most of the spoken dialog while the front L/R produce the music and other ambient effects instead of relying on the front L/Rs to do it all at the same time.

Afterall, there is a reason why a center is part of the various surround sound standards.

 

[NanoStuff]

There's a lot more to it than voices. If this was entirely a dialog problem, and the center channel was solely responsible for voices I'd agree that a center channel in this case would be hard to beat. The problem is that there are many sounds that are not center panned, nor are they in they at a 45 degree angle of where a left/right speaker should be. Unless you get a 25 speaker surround system to cover the gaps where there is no physical speaker in a 5.1 system, you are reliant on the method of phase correlation to create this surround sound. And then again if movie dialog or any other sound is exactly center-oriented, it will still have a level of ambience that will be dispursed beyond the exact center, and the L/R is required for this purpose, and once again phase correlation becomes very important; a center speaker will not substitute this requirement.

 

[Thraxen]

Originally posted by: NanoStuff
There's a lot more to it than voices. If this was entirely a dialog problem, and the center channel was solely responsible for voices I'd agree that a center channel in this case would be hard to beat. The problem is that there are many sounds that are not center panned, nor are they in they at a 45 degree angle of where a left/right speaker should be. Unless you get a 25 speaker surround system to cover the gaps where there is no physical speaker in a 5.1 system, you are reliant on the method of phase correlation to create this surround sound. And then again if movie dialog or any other sound is exactly center-oriented, it will still have a level of ambience that will be dispursed beyond the exact center, and the L/R is required for this purpose, and once again phase correlation becomes very important; a center speaker will not substitute this requirement.

Sorry, but you just aren't making any sense. Your point about sounds that aren't sent to the center works against your aurgument more than mine since it simply means the L/R channels are already busy before voices are even added. And if there is some "ambience" required for center anchored sound then the person that mixed the audio tracks will send some of the center sounds to the L/R/ speakers also, that point doesn't work against a center being present at all.

And who said anything about covering all the gaps? Obviously panning that occurs from the front to back relies on phase correlation... and truth be told if someone did create a 25 channel speaker standard it WOULD be more accurate. But that creates more work for sound mixers and would cost waaaay too much to implement in the home... not to mention the clutter. A center is in the specs of the various surround sound standards because it is likely most important portion of the sound stage.

 

[Kremlar]

I have mine above the TV.

http://www.chadwickcmeyer.com/tv

Dude, your center channel is off-center.

 

[TheShiz]

Originally posted by: ornament

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
I have mine above the TV.

http://www.chadwickcmeyer.com/tv

The fact that the center speaker looks off-centered bothers me quite a bit looking at the pic. Nice before and after pics though.

i think tv above the fireplace is a horrible idea, isn't it uncomfortable to look up at that? i'd rather watch tv on the before tv in the corner. get a stand and stick it at eye level

 

[TitanDiddly]

I can't answer this question until you make an angsty short film about it.

 

[GoingUp]

Originally posted by: TheShiz

Originally posted by: ornament

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
I have mine above the TV.

http://www.chadwickcmeyer.com/tv

The fact that the center speaker looks off-centered bothers me quite a bit looking at the pic. Nice before and after pics though.

i think tv above the fireplace is a horrible idea, isn't it uncomfortable to look up at that? i'd rather watch tv on the before tv in the corner. get a stand and stick it at eye level

My couch is 15 feet away so its not bad. Its also on an articulating arm so the TV is tilted down. The speakers are actually all lined up perfectly, the TV is off center
i can slide it back and forth on the mount and its slid a little too far left. Thanks for pointing it out ATOT, I moved it back.