All,

After reading this site for the better part of a year, I thought that it was finally time to participate.

I will be taking delivery of a Definitive Technology ProCinema 800 (http://www.definitivetech.com/loudspeakers/procinema/procinema_800.html) system shortly. I am excited to hear the performance in my 14'x15' family room, but as with all things, there is a wrinkle. I will also be taking delivery of an entertainment center, where my 50" plasma will be housed. This is a compromise between my fiancee and I, as she wants shelves to put pictures and other junk on, so the home theater isn't the only thing that draws attention in the room. The link for the entertainment center is here (http://www.raymourflanigan.com/catalog/details.asp?ID=11257#), and I have attached a very rough drawing of the room.

The surrounds and sub are no problem, but my question is, can I stick these speakers in the top shelves of the entertainment center without sacrificing too much sound quality? What worried me was seeing the passive radiators on the sides of the L, C and R speakers. I don't want them to sound like they are stuck in a cave. Thoughts?

Need three posts in order to post a link to something...

Might as well give some other info about my setup:

Panasonic TH-50PX80u 50" plasma TV
Denon AVR-2808Ci Home Theater Receiver
Oppo DV-980H DVD Player
Verizon FiOS Service

There we go! Check the original post for the link to the entertainment center.

With the ProCinema 800 setup, you shouldn't have too much of a problem putting the speakers in the cabinet. Just make sure that you angle the speakers toward your main listening position, so the drivers are aimed at your head. One thing that you might need to consider is bracing of the speaker. I'm not sure how light the speakers are in the 800 setup, but you don't want the speaker enclosure itself rattling against the wood of the cabinet.

Hope you enjoy your system!

Thanks for the quick response! I know that a large percentage of these home theater questions can be answered by saying "Well, it depends on what sounds good to you". I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't attempting a known no-no in home theater setup.

Thanks again for the input.

Don't put them in the top shelf, put them on the shelf that puts them at ear level while seated!

Hmm OK, but I was also told to keep the L-C-R tweeter height consistent as well. Keeping the Center Channel below the TV is not an option, so I was planning on keeping the L-C-R speakers up top, and directing them down towards the ears. Does the alignment of the L-C-R tweeter height make less of an impact than their vertical distance above the ears?

Hmm OK, but I was also told to keep the L-C-R tweeter height consistent as well. Keeping the Center Channel below the TV is not an option, so I was planning on keeping the L-C-R speakers up top, and directing them down towards the ears. Does the alignment of the L-C-R tweeter height make less of an impact than their vertical distance above the ears?

It's a trade-off situation. Ideal placement is L-C-R at consistent height, preferably at ear-level when you're seated. But, this is usually not possible (unless you have an acoustically-transparent projector screen, or an unusually high-mounted flat panel). Most end up with the center channel a little lower or higher than the front speakers.

If you plan to listen to any 2-channel music, then I'd agree, have the left/right speakers positioned lower, so they're at ear-height. However, if it's JUST for HT use, it may not be as big of an issue to have all three speakers up higher. Maybe not ideal acoustically, but you may not mind, and your fiancee will appreciate the lower cubbies for the knick-knacks (you need to make the fiancee happy, because I guarantee you'll want to upgrade someday, and giving her a little now may help you in the future ;)).

One of the key things with this hobby is you can experiment and do trial-and-error to determine which setup sounds best to you, and especially in your own room. There are "rules", but they're rarely hard and fast rules that must never be broken.