For the third option, the credenza looks really good but the Center Speaker seems below the ear level. Will that make any difference to the hearing experience ? What do you think ?
Thanks
Ray
Hello Ray, I'm here to throw you a curveball. I've been annoyingly ranting and raving, particularly to those with flat panels. Its just something to consider, or ponder over. IOW, I'm just trying to be helpful, and please feel free to ignore. But, here goes, paraphrasing a former post of mine:
The best is three towers in the front. Very few do this. I've been ranting and raving for a long time about this.
Now, if you have a large DLP sitting on an AV rack, you can't, and that's quite understood. If you have a flat panel mounted on the wall a few feet high, you absolutely can, and IMO absolutely should.
get a modular rack for $200, and put it anywhere you want, just not up front. Even the closet if you want. A URC (extremely reputable) RF-20 remote + blaster is only $75 last I checked. A 35 ft Mono HDMI is about $40.
By having the identical tower, you will be:
- perfectly matched as matched can be, in all speaker characteristics
- even plane of tweeters/drivers for perfect and even panning
- completely bypass horizontal lobing issues inherent in a horiz mtm design, which usually means a sweetspot at less than 20 degrees.
- horiz cabinet means vertical dispersion as opposed to horiz dispersion. Sound likes to travel along the path of least resistance (smallest dimension), so to speak.
- less stuff/mass/material in-between your speakers that would otherwise destroy stereo, or m-ch, imaging.
- better video immersion without all the lights up front
- best of all, money in the pocket
If it indeed must be horizontal, the best designs will be such as top mounted tweeter (ie B&W), WTMW (ie Revel, AV123), or coincidental (KEF).
Now, if you have only one loveseat, for 1-2 viewers, not as big of a deal, assuming you sit straight on. If you have more than one couch, my suggestions just only regarding center design will benefit you greatly.
-jostenmeat