j123vt_99

ok... sorry for all the questions, but you guys have been a big help... i currently have a projection tv so obviously the from of the screen is like a foot away from the wall... i'm thinking about getting book shelf speakers and mounting them on the wall to the left and the right of the tv (About 3 feet off the ground).. any problem with that?

also, i'm, thinking about putting the center channel speaker on a mini shelf behind the tv rather than on top of the tv... the shelf would be above the tv, but technically the sound would be about a foot behind the picture... any problem with that either?

also if anyone has a recommendation for good speakers let me know.. i was looking at the polk monitor 30 and 40 for bookshelf speakers..

Brian Shannon

There would be no way to put a speaker "behind" the tv and have it sound good. It should be inline with the other speakers and as close to the front of the screen as possible. In some small way the sound from the center channel would be arriving slightly behind the sound from the other speakers and might not sound correct.

j123vt_99

so what if all 3 are mounted against the wall.

Brian Shannon

Ideally all three speakers would be inline and inline with the screen. I realize that is not always possible but it is something that you should try to achieve. If you have speakers that can be placed on stands or on top of the tv, you can move them slightly to check to see if they sound good in that position.

Spiky

Preamps or receivers with distance settings for each speaker can help. But Brian is right, the closer the 3 speakers are to a perfect line across the front, the better. With my new setup I've lowered the center speaker to be in line with the mains and I can hear the difference already. Imaging is better.

visitor Q

I would agree with this, but I would also add that the "perfection" in a listening environment would be to have all the speakers in the array equi-distant to the listener, which could mean that depending on how far away the fronts are from the center to the side, the center may actually need to be placed just a bit further back than the fronts (not the listener) to achieve that effect. Picture a circle and each speaker aligned within the circle. ... this would theoretically enable the sound to hit at the same point and level.

When and where ever possible, this should be done. Having a center channel imaged over your head (since it might be resting flat on a TV higher than the listener) leaves dropouts that kill imaging (even after compensating with a receiver). Angling the position will definately aid this.

visitor Q

The only problem that I could see with this is reflection. If the fronts are spaced out in an open area, but the center has to work through the TV (even just a portion of it) or other objects (shelving), the sound (direct or reflected) from each speaker up front may hit you at different times. The difference may be slight, it could very easily be identified and well, just downright distracting if not set up right.