Need tips on setting up L & R speakers to get good phantom center.

[Subzero11]

I sit about 10 feet away. How do the speakers have to sit minimum and do they have to be facing straight forward to my upper-body and I'm in-between them or do they have to point inward a little kinda like a triangle pointing to one point being my head ? thanks

 

[Pyrrho]

As far as a phantom center goes, the right and left speakers should be equally distant from the screen (which you want anyway), and you should sit directly in front on the screen (i.e., equally distant from both speakers). As for toe-in or not, that depends on the particular speaker, and is not a question of whether there is a phantom center or not. First consult the manual for your speakers for suggestions, then the manufacturer's web site. Or just try it both toed-in and straight out into the room. Most speakers are best aimed at you or nearly aimed at you (either with a little less toe-in than directly at you, or a little more toe-in than directly at you), but not all speakers are best that way. Normally, tweeters should be at or near ear height. Again, this can be somewhat variable, but it again has to do with the speakers, not whether you have a center speaker or not.

 

[markw]

Also keep in mind that to enjoy a phantom center the two flanking speakers need to be exceptional at imaging and also, the "sweet spot" is in a very narrow area between them.

 

[j_garcia]

Basically, this isn't a question that someone else can answer. You have to experiment in your particular setup to find out what works best. We can give suggestions, but in the end a particular one may work best or none of them. The "triangle" rule is quite old and does not apply to all speakers. I have two sets of speakers currently each slightly different styles of speakers. One sounds better set wider and toed in slightly behind the listening position and the others sound better closer together with only a slight toe, far wider than the listening position because they throw such a big stage. So there are a ton of factors that come into play.

 

[Buildsafire51]

Everything written above is correct. If you do not have a Center Channel Speaker then the best you can is to put the speakers equal distances from the sides of the TV and they should be around 70% of the distance you sit from the screen apart... If you sit 10 feet from the screen, the speakers should be about 7 feet apart from each other. Try playing with toeing them in a little, like maybe 10° - 15° toed in.
I hope things work out for you!

 

[herbu]

put the speakers equal distances from the sides of the TV and they should be around 70% of the distance you sit from the screen apart... If you sit 10 feet from the screen, the speakers should be about 7 feet apart from each other. Try playing with toeing them in a little, like maybe 10° - 15° toed in.

Then, after you've tried that, put them where your wife says is OK.

 

[jliedeka]

I agree with everything said above. Speakers with narrow baffles (say <10") tend to image better but that's just a general rule.

In my experience, the speakers should be a little closer to each other than they are to you. If you are using them for movies, you really don't want them too far from the sides of your TV so audio won't sound like it's too far away from what you are seeing.

Toe-in may or may not be required. With my last set, I didn't have them toed in until a particular piece of music showed a deficiency. After toeing them in about 10 degrees, I found their best sound. I've been living with a new set of speakers for about a year and don't have them toed in at all.

Jim