center placement

brittle
brittle Posts: 37
edited April 2009 in Speakers
No matter where I place my center channel speaker, I can tell exactly where the sound is coming from. Above or below the t.v., tilted or level, the voices are coming from that spot. Usually it doesn't bother me but sometimes it drives me nuts. A friend actually put his c.c. behind his t.v. because it bugged him so much. My c.c. is too large (LSiC) to put behind the t.v. Any suggestions or should I just learn to live with it?
Brittle
Pioneer VSX 94TXH AVR
Polk LSi-15 front
Polk LSi-15 rear
Polk PSW1000 sub
Polk LSiC center
Samsung HL67A750 DLP
Sony PS3
Post edited by brittle on

Comments

  • zarrdoss
    zarrdoss Posts: 2,562
    edited April 2009
    yes learn to live with it, maybe turn it down and turn the volume up more on your mains, or just get rid of it completely and go phantom mode.
  • danz1906
    danz1906 Posts: 5,144
    edited April 2009
    Try a Sound Pressure meter to set your speakers Volume.
    Linn AV5140 fronts
    Linn AV5120 Center
    Linn AV5140 Rears
    M&K MX-70 Sub for Music
    Odyssey Mono-Blocs
    SVS Ultra-13 Gloss Black:D
  • tecmo04
    tecmo04 Posts: 421
    edited April 2009
    make sure the angle is pointed directly at ear level. made a huge difference for me. you will never know its there after it is set up properly.
  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited April 2009
    How far do you sit back from the center and how far is the center from the picture? I have an LSiC and have never really noticed where the sound is coming from (above or below the picture) I am sitting about 14' back from a 50" set though....

    The point of the center is to lock the dialog into the picture (for those sitting out of the sweet spot of your main speakers). What is your seating area like in relation to your fronts and center? If everyone is in the sweet spot for your mains - phantom center may be worth a try....

    Michael
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
  • williamgauci
    williamgauci Posts: 88
    edited April 2009
    Have you read through your receiver sound menu configuration? I'm not familliar wih the Pioneer, but I know some have a feature that will help you lift or lower the perceived height of the dialogue in relation to your TV.
    _____________________________________________
    Yamaha 6080 Emotiva XPA-5 CSi A6 RTiA-7's RTi A1's Velodyne DLS-4000R
  • brittle
    brittle Posts: 37
    edited April 2009
    I sit about 8-9 feet from the screen (small living room), with the c.c. on top, it is flush with the front of t.v.. On the bottom, the front of the c.c. is about 8" in front of the t.v. I've tried angling it in both locations which helps but not enough. Turning down the c.c. volume is not the solution as it is set properly to match the side speakers. I will check the Pioneer manual but I don't think it has the height option. Thanks for the input.
    Brittle
    Pioneer VSX 94TXH AVR
    Polk LSi-15 front
    Polk LSi-15 rear
    Polk PSW1000 sub
    Polk LSiC center
    Samsung HL67A750 DLP
    Sony PS3
  • McLoki
    McLoki Posts: 5,231
    edited April 2009
    And the issue is that you can tell the sound is coming from above or below the TV?
    Mains.............Polk LSi15 (Cherry)
    Center............Polk LSiC (Crossover upgraded)
    Surrounds.......Polk LSi7 (Gloss Black - wood sides removed and crossovers upgraded)
    Subwoofers.....SVS 25-31 CS+ and PC+ (both 20hz tune)
    Pre\Pro...........NAD T163 (Modded with LM4562 opamps)
    Amplifier.........Cinepro 3k6 (6-channel, 500wpc@4ohms)
  • brittle
    brittle Posts: 37
    edited April 2009
    McLoki wrote: »
    And the issue is that you can tell the sound is coming from above or below the TV?












    yes, sometimes it doesn't bother me but the more I think about it the more noticable it becomes. Maybe I should try thinking less like most of society!
    Brittle
    Pioneer VSX 94TXH AVR
    Polk LSi-15 front
    Polk LSi-15 rear
    Polk PSW1000 sub
    Polk LSiC center
    Samsung HL67A750 DLP
    Sony PS3
  • quadzilla
    quadzilla Posts: 1,543
    edited April 2009
    How is your center in relation to your mains? I was told that as long as your center and the tweeters from the mains are within a foot horizontally of each other, and as long as the levels are set right, the sound field should merge across the front of the sound stage. It's how I have mine set up and that seems to have been some pretty accurate advice, at least so far as I can tell.
    Turntable: Empire 208
    Arm: Rega 300
    Cart: Shelter 501 III
    Phono Pre: dsachs consulting
    Digital: Marantz SACD 30n
    Pre: Conrad Johnson ET3 SE
    Amp: Conrad Johnson Premier 350
    Cables: Cardas Neutral Reference
    Speakers: SDA 2.3TL, heavily modified
  • Hillbilly61
    Hillbilly61 Posts: 702
    edited April 2009
    The tweeter in my center is at least 18" horizontally offset from my fronts. Horizontally, the drivers are a bit closer. I made sure to buy a center that is known to match the fronts. The dialog and front sound is as close to perfect as it comes to anchor the sound stage, but has a wide spatial sound eminating towards the left or right when they are supposed to be.

    The other day, my wife inadvertantly complimented me by stating the revised configuration causes her to think a sound from the movie is occuring from something happening elsewhere within the house. Like something falling over or, like last night, she thought a bluejay was squaking from the within the kitchen (we were watching the Last of the Mohekins). Cool!

    Another factor is that I made sure that the center and fronts were about equally efficient. My gain is kept to neutral all around.

    Hope this helps.