Aiming the Center Speaker

I know the best bet is to simply try it and I will... however I'm wondering if anyone has tried such and if so was it helpful. As you can see by my Avatar the center speaker is very low and I'm guessing it would be even worse mounted above the screen. I have always been bothered by the directionality of the vocals as they appear (and are) coming from the bottom of the screen. So far the only thing which worked at a large degree was the Sherwood R-972 with its 3D remapping. For one reason or another I won't be using the R-972.

It sent a portion (perhaps 1/3 volume) of the center channel to the fronts which raised the vocals and at the same time the vocals didn't become left or right directional when sitting in the outer seats. This was the issue when using a phantom center. I have been aiming the center upwards to roughly hit the middle of my ear. Which helps somewhat but I'm wondering what if I over shoot and point the sound a couple of feet above ear level... what will happen?

Will the EQ process simply increase the volume and the vocals still sound like they are coming from below or perhaps will the increased volume above my ear level make the vocals sounded lifted (to any degree)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Fitzmaurice 

Aim it at your head in the LP. Doing so from above or below the screen doesn't make any difference. So long as the speakers aren't grossly out of position the center sound will seem to come from the center of the screen, as your visual cues will over-ride your audio cues.

Here's a shot of the center...

VR-12 Specs (from the Boston website)
Lynnfield 1" VR Tweeter
Dual 6.5" full-range
4.5" midrange
5-way rear binding posts
Black Ash finish (w/grill)

Unfortunately, from the viewing distance the visual cues lose pretty much every time. 

Well as I am testing a receiver (Marantz SR6007) I went ahead and over shot the center speaker. Guessing it might be aimed a couple of feet above my head now as before it was aimed right at it (based on a laser pointer).

I haven't had a chance to test it out but I can say test tones and Audyssey's EQ tones sound much better matched (to the other speakers) than ever before. All of the speakers are timber matched Boston Acoustics. I stand outside of the room and in the past I could always easily tell when the center speaker was getting tested. This time it was hard (if possible) to pick when the center was active. Level wise it dropped the center -6 versus the fronts and before if I remember correctly it was typically around -4. I guess the center actually got louder... first guess not being aimed at the sweet spot I would have thought it would have been quieter. Perhaps less of the sound is getting directed to the ground now...

To put a bow on the thread I'd say it was well worth it... aiming the center speaker above my ear level (roughly three feet). It lost enough directionality that it's no longer bothersome... a distraction. I'm guessing to a large degree the most benefit was derived from having less of the center speaker sound path being directed towards the floor. As I stated before the tone itself appears to have changed. Matching the other speakers much closer. If your center speaker is mounted low and the vocals feel way too low it might be worth a try...

Well I must say over aiming the center (upwards) has really helped. So much so I'm going to over shoot even more and see where the point of diminishing returns kicks in. I figure at some point it has to cause more harm than good... perhaps the vocals will appear to be coming from the ceiling. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex-labdriver 

Works good on the bottom shelf near the floor of my space-challenged system by pointing up towards head level from 11' away.

I have always aimed the center at my head. In this case I have been experimenting with aiming it over my head (attempting to lift the vocals). By aiming it roughly three feet over my head the center sounds almost identical to the others (they are all matched). I think before I was getting reflections off the floor...

Shooting over my head raised the vocals enough it was no longer bothersome (previously I would find myself looking downwards towards the sound). Now I'm shooting upwards an additional few feet (over my head) and I'll see what happens. Hopefully, it will raise the vocals even more. You can see here how it was originally aimed....now it's pointed upwards an additional twenty-thirty degrees?

Here you can see how much more aggressive I'm trying (pointed upwards). After my test material I'll have a good read on whether it helps or hurts... I'm guessing it will be fine... a little improvement.