[wfujosh]

I realize that's probably the optimal placement, but I'll be moving soon, and found a entertainment center that I really like.


The problem is that it's shaped like a rectangle, divided into an even four spaces.

http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/04/26/66...21_500X500.jpg


My center speaker would go into one of the top panels (fits really nicely in fact).


Now as you see, it will be off-centered. I *could* move the TV all the way to whichever side the speaker will be on, but I'd rather not do that.


Is this a bad idea? Will the off-centering be tremendously noticeable? If it would, I may just scrap the idea.


BTW - I would not be able to put the center on top of the tv.


Thanks for the comments.

 

[iqwertyi]

Calibrated prperly, it shouldn't be noticable.

 

[Bigus]

I suppose there are worse things you could do. Remember, there are always going to be compromises made in the installation of any system, of any price, in any room. It is up to you to decide which compromises are the most important and most tolerable... according to your eyes and ears. The center being "off" center will shift the dialog and soundstage a bit, but only you can decide if the auditory penalty is worth the visual appeal such a configuration offers. Which is worse to you... dialog and soundstange skewed slightly, or a center speaker sitting on a wall shelf above the TV?


Some people make great sacrifices to the audio system for the sake of visual fidelity. Some do exactly the opposite. Who is to say which is right and which is wrong (or better/worse)? Personal preference is the key. We could tell you that a center not being centered is obviously wrong, but then we could also tell you that placing it below the TV is wrong, using a horizontally oriented center is not optimal, your TV is too small, having your AV components in direct view might be distracting, etc. etc. etc. We could do the same for anyone's system, no matter the cost. There are always some aspects that will be sub-optimal.


So long as you listen to the result and are satisfied, that's all that really matters. If you can't "audition" this TV stand before purchasing it, then it obviously becomes more difficult to make this decision. I've personally never tried such a configuration, so I can't give any advice on just how much the imaging will be skewed. Is there any way you can try this out for yourself and see how you like it?

 

[wfujosh]

Bigus, thank you for the poignant response. I appreciate it.


As for auditioning it, I could definitely build it and take it apart.

 

[TrojanHorse]

The Home Theater Police are going to TRACK YOU DOWN!


If you conside that the ideal location is smack in the middle of the TV screen, it might make you more comfortable to make a few additional changes.


Why can't you put it on top of the TV? There are stands available that will assist you in making that possible if it's simply not enough flat space on the TV (of course, people will tell you that's not ideal either). At the end of the day, try it and if it works for you, then it's fine.

 

[reason1]

I think putting a speaker in a box is always bad news. Give it a listen though and maybe you can calibrate it. Only you can tell if it works for you.

 

[bfisch]

I can tell you from recent experience that it does make a difference, but to my ears, that difference was small and I adjusted to it.


After moving, I needed to reconfigure my set-up a bit, and this resulted in my center channel being about a foot off-center while waiting to get some new cables so that I could align everything "properly"


Everything is now as it should be, and the sound is better, but I could have lived with it the other way for the sake of aesthetics. I think having your mains set up correctly is probably more important overall.


B

 

[Redskin]

Try going to a big store like Circuit City where I am sure they will have a wide variety of center channel speakers that are dead center as well as many others that are off center. Listen to one that is centered and have them switch to one that is off center. Decide for yourself if the difference bothers you. It won't be the same as what it will sound like in your home, but it is a start, before you purchase and put together your tv stand.


Greg

 

[John Robert]

Quote:

I think putting a speaker in a box is always bad news

IMO, this is a bigger concern then off-centering your center. You will suffer a lowering of SQ, even if the front baffle extends beyond the edge of your shelf.


Sounds like putting the speaker on top of the TV would solve a couple of problems...


John

 

[Swampfox]

Quote:

Originally posted by reason1 I think putting a speaker in a box is always bad news. Give it a listen though and maybe you can calibrate it. Only you can tell if it works for you.

For my first HT set-up I tried a B&W 600 series (cc3) in the center of a stand below the TV. The dialog always hard to understand. It improved by setting the speaker on the top of the TV.

 

[filecat13]

Since you already have a center speaker, you may not like this idea, but you can use a phantom center to eliminate the placement problem. This is where you do not use a center speaker, rather you set the center to "none" on your receiver or pre/pro and the FL and FR create a phantom center for you. It can be very effective; perhaps better than a center that's boxed in and off-center.


Another choice is a virtual center in which you have two center channel speakers placed on either side of the screen and, properly calibrated, they create a virtual center channel at the midpoint between them. If you're using a pre/pro and amps, this is easy to do. Run a "Y" RCA adapter out of the center channel output and run the two cables to separate amp channels to power the two centers. Incidentally, in the case of a virtual center, using actual center channel speakers is not necessary or even desired. Use regular floor or bookshelf speakers.