Speaker Placement

[aphex]

So since I got my Athena Micra 6 speakers about 1-2 years ago, I've had the front R&L speakers on their side next to my center channel on the top shelf of my tv stand. Never really minded the close placement, but I'm wanting to improve things a bit.

I don't have much room for speaker stands (I have some old ones in the closet but the base is fairly larger than I like), but I'm gonna mess around today and see if I can make them fit.

How far apart from the center channel should they be?

Also, is wall-mounting the speakers an option of the TV is a DLP and with the stand the screen of the TV is about 2.5' off the wall (the speakers would end up about ~2' behind the tv)?


EDIT: I see Target has the Athena Micra Specific Stands, but $70 is kinda pricy IMO.

 

[aphex]

Ok, I pulled out my Atlantic Stands and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to mount it on there. The Athena micra only has a single large screw hole in the very bottom, while the atlantic stands only provide support from the rear, or from 4 small points. If i attach the wall mounts to the Athena's, I might be able to mount them to the Atlantic's rear support bar, but it sticks the speaker out too far, and there's nothing to grab onto (its like putting two holes up against each other).

So, what other options are there?

Example of how the Atlantic Stands mount - http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p...4235361_AV_500X500.jpg

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Dolby has a little guide here about speaker placement
http://www.dolby.com/consumer/...inment/roomlayout.html
(I believe I have some other info in the sticky thread as well).

It's not so much a distance from the center channel question as a distance apart based on where you're sitting. An equilateral triangle with the speakers and you at the aphex... I mean apex of the triangle.

You're also going to want to keep the front three speakers equal distance away from the seating position.

 

[aphex]

Awesome, thanks for the info. Looks like stands will be my best bet then.

Any ideas on alternatives to the Atlantic stands?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: aphex
Awesome, thanks for the info. Looks like stands will be my best bet then.

Any ideas on alternatives to the Atlantic stands?

I haven't really shopped for speaker stands to know if there are any really good options out there for you.

If I were in your shoes I would try my best to modify the existing stands.

Do you have a picture of the atlantic stands?

 

[aphex]

Actually, just spent a little while working on them and was able to modify them just enough to work perfectly for my needs

Thanks for the help thus far, much appreciated! One more bit of info if I may ask - Is it ok to keep the center channel on the top shelf of the TV Stand (about 8" below the tv, roughly 6" below the other two front speakers). I could slide my TV back a little and put the center channel right infront of the base (would make it 2" below the screen), but I didn't know much of a difference it would make (its also a balancing act to make it stay there)

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Ideally you'd have the front three speakers at ear level, but it's all about compromises. Unless you're running a front projection setup with an acoustically transparent screen and can put the center behind the image, you're going to have to have it below or above the screen. You can try to angle the center to point toward the listening level to try to improve things. Since your center is below the screen, that would mean angling the center up a bit to that it's aimed at your ear level at the seating position.

The 6" difference of putting it in front of the TV probably isn't going to be a big deal. You could certainly try it, but if that means something might end up falling on the floor, it's probably not worth the trouble. Maybe try it temporarily and decide if you think there's any significant difference before wasting time on making that a permanent solution.