Stereo Center Channels for Accurate Voice Placement

[Gruvejet]

Perhaps it's my configuration/setup, but I can't stand that all voices emanate from below the TV and not where the voice is actually coming from. I angled my center channel speaker upwards, which seemed to help slightly. Why don't they make 2 speaker stereo (High & Low) center channel speakers that can position the voice exactly from where its positioned on the screen? I'm wondering if the concept of having 2 center speakers on top and below the TV plugged into the same speaker terminal would do the trick? Theoretically, it should position the voice directly in the middle of the TV, which is better than below.

Is it me or does everyone else have this issue?

My Rig:
Marantz SR6009, Martin Logan Scripts, ML Cinema Theater i Center Speaker, Focal wide and rear speakers

 

[lovinthehd]

Ideally you have a transparent screen with an identical speaker to your L/R behind it.....tvs make that difficult The typical center channel speaker to accommodate a tv is inherently compromised. Some have been known to do the above/below center channel thing, tho.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Any pics?
Placement can have a big effect on this.

 

[TLS Guy]

Perhaps it's my configuration/setup, but I can't stand that all voices emanate from below the TV and not where the voice is actually coming from. I angled my center channel speaker upwards, which seemed to help slightly. Why don't they make 2 speaker stereo (High & Low) center channel speakers that can position the voice exactly from where its positioned on the screen? I'm wondering if the concept of having 2 center speakers on top and below the TV plugged into the same speaker terminal would do the trick? Theoretically, it should position the voice directly in the middle of the TV, which is better than below.

Is it me or does everyone else have this issue?

My Rig:
Marantz SR6009, Martin Logan Scripts, ML Cinema Theater i Center Speaker, Focal wide and rear speakers

The best location for a center speaker with a standard TV, not projector, is above and not below the screen.

Take a look at the screen and you will see that people's heads are almost invariably much closer to the top of the screen than the bottom.

 

[Gruvejet]

That’s a 75” tv and it’s in a nook, which is why the L/R are so close together.

 

[Gruvejet]

Any pics?
Placement can have a big effect on this.

Posted a pic down below.

 

[Gruvejet]

The best location for a center speaker with a standard TV, not projector, is above and not below the screen.

Take a look at the screen and you will see that people's heads are almost invariably much closer to the top of the screen than the bottom.

Agreed, but most (including mine) are not wall mountable. Or at least very difficult to mount.

 

[lovinthehd]

That’s a 75” tv and it’s in a nook, which is why the L/R are so close together.

The whole nook thing isn't doing you any favors acoustically. The L/R speakers are still relatively close....how far away is your seat? Seems to me a friend had a similar ML center and it was angled for placement on the floor and worked well enough...where is it aimed at in relation to your ears elevated like that? It's still aimed too low? I'd pull all the speakers more into the room myself....

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

HD is definitely right about the nook. But I doubt there’s an easy alternative. For the dialogue thing, I would try moving the speaker all the way to the front edge. Or placing some absorption directly in front of the center. The reason you might be hearing the dialogue from below, might be that your hearing the reflection off of the bottom surface.

 

[Huey645]

I had the option of either having the center channel either above or below the screen, or at least I did until I bought a tv too big for the entertainment system and had to lose the bridge. I have always preferred the speaker below the screen, angled up towards the listener. But everybody is different.

I don't have the right speakers to do this, but my receiver has a feature called Dialogue Lift, and it does just that, raises the dialogue so that part of it is coming out of the Atmos speakers and part is coming out of the center channel. Might be something to check out if you want to add a couple of speakers.