Does a center channel speaker really work in a tv stand?

[RobinKidderminster]

One of my first posts was "compromise". Many say a HC is best with identical speakers whilst for music floorstanders may be better. A sub is IMO less effective with music or at least needs to be turned down significantly.

Secondly, it will not sound the same as the demo. The room is the most important part of the equation so in truth the only good demo is at home. (Tho I've never had one!). I am pretty sure that a little room treatment can go a long way and different settings, sometimes against the accepted advice, can effectively compensate for some issues. If you can swap all your kit for a home trial then its worth a try but otherwise make some setting changes and give your ears a day or two to adapt before fine tuning. Consider fine tuning with room treatment too. Furnishings. Speaker position. Seating position etc. My earlier posts have documented my attempts at simple modest bass traps etc., and although not a perfect solution it certainly changed the sound within the room. Every system is different and every room is unique and I guess this is where our 'hobby' starts.

 

[Jeff]

I had the good fortune of speaking at length with the Bowers and Wilkins rep. He told me that the worst thing I could do for my HTM61 was putting it in a confined space. Too bad I bought a nice tv stand with a dedicated shelf for the center channel speaker that leaves the speaker enclosed. I took his advice and temporarily set the tv on the floor and moved the center channel speaker up to the top shelf where the tv had been. I also turned off the fancy sound altering features that the receiver manufacturer is so proud of. I am now passing the signal through my receiver totally unaltered. Night and day difference! Music with the two fronts and movies with the fronts and center sound so much better it is like I have an entirely new system. It was all so simple I am surprised that the staff at Best Buy didn't know to tell me to do this. I had been messing with Audessey with all of the MultEQ XT, Dynamic EQ, etc. etc. etc. The Bowers and Wilkins rep said he set the receivers up in the Best Buy showroom with all of that turned off.

 

[macdiddy]

B&W themselves say its okay to place the center spk under the tv in a confined space (see page 9 of their online brochure), mind you I would never trust pictures in a brochure showing where speakers can be located.

Now that you have turned off all "fancy sound altering" features, will you be trying the speaker back under the tv to see if the problems you had before have been solved.

I must agree with the rep on one thing in that I also turned off all "sound altering" options (like Audessey) on my amp and prefer the sound that I get.

*music2*

 

[bigboss]

Audyssey does not alter sound. It is a calibration software with room correction.

 

[Jeff]

B&W themselves say its okay to place the center spk under the tv in a confined space (see page 9 of their online brochure), mind you I would never trust pictures in a brochure showing where speakers can be located.

Now that you have turned off all "fancy sound altering" features, will you be trying the speaker back under the tv to see if the problems you had before have been solved.

I must agree with the rep on one thing in that I also turned off all "sound altering" options (like Audessey) on my amp and prefer the sound that I get.

*music2*

I guess you could say that a picture of the speaker in a confined space is the equivalent of saying that it is okay. That was the way I took it and the reason I did it. I mentioned that to the B&W rep I spoke to. He acknowledged the picture but reiterated that the speaker would sound much better if I took it out of the enclosed space. As a side note he also said I would benefit from having the tweeters closer to the height of the front left and right tweeters.

 

[Jeff]

Audyssey does not alter sound. It is a calibration software with room correction.

What does the calibration do that does not alter the sound? I thought, among other things, that Audessey makes equalization adjustments, which in my mind alters the sound.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Use Audessy to set distances etc and then use direct to turn off processing. I always find least is best.

 

[Jeff]

Use Audessy to set distances etc and then use direct to turn off processing. I always find least is best.

Can you use Direct for movies or is it primarily for two channel stereo?

 

[Jeff]

Use Audessy to set distances etc and then use direct to turn off processing. I always find least is best.

What are the functions of Audessey that are still utilized when playing in Direct?

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Direct (for me) is best for cinema. Audessey sets up distances, although measurement is easy to check and volumes of each channel, which may need tweaking too. Direct will cancel the freqquency adjustments. Personnaly I find the Yamaha equivalent gives a flat unexciting sound. Experiment. No laws here

 

[Jeff]

Direct (for me) is best for cinema. Audessey sets up distances, although measurement is easy to check and volumes of each channel, which may need tweaking too. Direct will cancel the freqquency adjustments. Personnaly I find the Yamaha equivalent gives a flat unexciting sound. Experiment. No laws here

I read on other forums that Direct any crossovers you may have set for various speakers. I haven't been able to verify this with any manufacturer's literature. Do you know if that is true? Also, if you use Direct for movies, how does the system handle me only having a 3.0 system when the movie may gave been recorded as 5.1?

 

[bigboss]

Audyssey does not alter sound. It is a calibration software with room correction.

What does the calibration do that does not alter the sound?  I thought, among other things, that Audessey makes equalization adjustments, which in my mind alters the sound.

It compensates for deficiencies in your room. You can always tweak it to your preferences only Audyssey is complete.