Center Speaker Placement

[Cavediver]

I currently have a Sony KF50XBR800 50" rear projection LCD tv. I'm in the process of designing and building a cabinet for the tv and components. My first question is; is it better to place the center chanel speaker above the tv, slightly angled down or under the tv, slightly angled up, or does it matter?

 

[supervij]

Personally, I'd rather have the speaker above the TV and angled downward. Otherwise, the sound from a speaker below can be blocked by furniture (like a table), or even the first row of seats (assuming there is a second row of seats). Having said that, you also don't want your centre to be TOO high up, even if it is angled downward to you. The tweeter for my centre speaker is roughly 16 inches above ear level, angled downward, and it sounds pretty perfect.

Best bet is to experiment with different positions first. But I still think above the TV is better than below, depending on how everything is setup.

cheers,
supervij

EDIT: Here's one way of looking at it. Place an imaginary horizontal line through the middle of your screen. When seated, if your eye level is above this line, place the speaker above it. If your seated eye level is below this line, place the centre below the screen.

 

[Pyrrho]

Ideally, it will be the same height as the front right and left channel speakers (within 1 foot is considered to be okay). Above or below the screen does not matter (unless the bottom of the TV cabinet makes you put the speaker too far from the screen; it should be as close to the screen as it can reasonably be [ideally it would be in the center of your screen, but that is not possible]); what matters is that it is at an appropriate height; tweeter near ear level, close to the same height as the front right and left speakers. You should only angle it if you cannot get it as I say above. For more on speaker placement, consult www.dolby.com