AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Speakers › No room for a center channel! Pics inside...
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

No room for a center channel! Pics inside...

post #1 of 17
12/17/12 at 4:21pm
Thread Starter 
Hi all...

I don't have room for a center channel speaker!



I'm not sure what to do... Is it possible to put two speakers on either side of the TV and run them both through the center channel? Am I going to be stuck with running a phantom center? Any advice would be appreciated!
Reply
Reply

AVS Top Picks

post #2 of 17
12/17/12 at 6:05pm
Could you mount one flush with the ceiling above the tv? The t. Already looks obstructed so below isn't an option...
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 17
12/17/12 at 9:12pm
Wow! I cant believe you have to watch football with all that stuff blocking the tv...

Anyway, I would mount a pair of monitor speakers on the wood pillar trim on each side of the fireplace, using mounts like this

http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-Clamping-Mounting-Surrounding-3LH/dp/B000X9O8SI/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1355807161&sr=1-10&keywords=speaker+wall+mounts

That pushes the speakers out from the wall, and allows you to angle them in for better imaging. You should be able to get solid stereo imaging, which will make the lack of a center less of an issue. Yes your receiver will down mix the center to the L/R, but it will only sound good if you have good imaging from your stereo pair.

If you cant place speakers on the floor, you really dont have any other options for decent sound...
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 17
12/18/12 at 5:46am
Thread Starter 
Lol ya the obstructions are only there until Christmas smile.gif

I always thought that the distance between the left and right speakers should be the same as the distance from the primary listening location to the TV. If that is true, then the speakers end up being quite a bit further apart than the wood trim on either side of the fireplace. I would have to put them on the ledge that runs the length of the wall, probably angled down a little bit. They would probably be more or less centered in the little arched alcoves.

At that point, is it possible to put two more speakers directly on either side of the TV and run dual center channels? Or is it better to just not have the center at all?
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 17
12/18/12 at 7:55am
Is there not another wall that you could put the TV on?

That way you could lower the TV to a better viewing angle, have a centre speaker, and have the fireplace on while watching TV and not be staring at a fire being blinded...

Nothing wrong with looking one direction to see the TV and looking a different direction to see the fire (although you probably have the 2 directions for viewing as fire and window frown.gif).
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 17
12/18/12 at 8:53am
Looks like you sit pretty far from the TV. I don't think you need a center channel. Try it without.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 17
12/18/12 at 9:11am
I would abandon all hope for that room. Keep the TV and use it as a backup TV viewing room and find another room.

It's a very nice looking room. Putting up speakers anywhere will stick out like a sore thumb. Let your wife have the room.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 17
12/18/12 at 9:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Turick View Post

Is it possible to put two speakers on either side of the TV and run them both through the center channel?
You can, but there will be some comb filtering. It won't be severe, but it will be there. I'd start with a single speaker on one side and see how that works. With your eyes closed you'd hear the sound coming from that side, but with eyes open your visual cues will over-ride your audio cues and the sound will seem to come from the center of the screen. Our brains are hard-wired to do that.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 17
12/18/12 at 9:39am
Since you only need a center channel when watching a movie I would put one on a stand right in front of the fireplace and move it out of the way when not in use.
Course I have no wife to keep happy. My son does that. He's not married either.

Banana plugs, quick and easy hookup.
Edited by XStanleyX - 12/18/12 at 9:46am
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 17
12/18/12 at 10:17am
Hi!

I have a set of brand new speakers that might work in your set up & space constraints - only problem is , I am in England! Can look into shipping them out to you if need be? They are the Celestion AVS-501's. Just trying to help!

Bazzy!
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 17
12/18/12 at 1:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by XStanleyX View Post

Since you only need a center channel when watching a movie
I won't even watch the weather listening to the TVs internal speakers. For that matter I've never even heard those in my current TV, and I've had it for two years.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 17
12/18/12 at 1:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KidHorn View Post

I would abandon all hope for that room. Keep the TV and use it as a backup TV viewing room and find another room.
It's a very nice looking room. Putting up speakers anywhere will stick out like a sore thumb. Let your wife have the room.

That is sound advise and I'm not even married. LOL I cringe whenever I see a TV above a fireplace. If this room is your only option then maybe on-wall speakers. Those generally are designed to blend in with a flat panel TV and, while not the best solution, would sound better than the TV's speakers.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 17
12/18/12 at 1:42pm
I would do an angled in-ceiling speaker as your center channel. Probably an 8-inch.

- Brennan, OSD Audio
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 17
12/18/12 at 4:24pm
Maybe I'm going blind, but where are your front L/R speakers? I can't see them in the picture.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 17
12/18/12 at 5:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mtrot View Post

Maybe I'm going blind, but where are your front L/R speakers? I can't see them in the picture.

Maybe inside those wreathes? Haha
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 17
12/18/12 at 6:10pm
You can try phantom. I messed around with it a little. Wasn't that disappointed when sitting directly in front of TV equal distance between the mains. Put the mains in the cabinet for WAF. Now, if you sit on one side of the other you may have issues as that scenario was disturbing to me.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 17
12/20/12 at 6:20am
Thread Starter 
This actually isn't my living room, it's a friends. They heard my audio set up (which isn't all that amazing -- some decent in wall speakers and an Outlaw LFM1-plus sub) and wanted a 5.1 set up too. But they really don't watch a terribly large amount of movies in that room -- lots of sports & news. I'm starting to think that they'll just have to run 4.1.

That being said, the budget for the LCR was originally $200 for a center and $200 for some bookshelves. So if I roll the center channel budget into the LR budget, I can spend $400 on the bookshelves... does anybody have any good recommendations at that price point?

Also, I meant to get pictures of the back walls. There isn't a lot of room to mount the rears and running audio cable is going to be a real pain. They asked if there was a wireless option, but I'm not sure. All the wireless speakers I've seen came bundled with a receiver that had a built in transmitter. Is there some external wireless transmitter I can hook up to the receiver to run the rears?
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Speakers

AVS Top Picks

AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Speakers › No room for a center channel! Pics inside...