WHY does the centre channel HAVE to be below or above the television?

[mannisrai]

As you can probably guess, i hardly know anything about home cinema. I'm just wondering why the centre channel MUST be by the television; either below it or above it? Why can't it be away from it?

What's the actual reason? Please don't just say "cuz it has to be"

 

[toyota man]

As you can probably guess, i hardly know anything about home cinema. I'm just wondering why the centre channel MUST be by the television; either below it or above it? Why can't it be away from it?



What's the actual reason? Please don't just say "cuz it has to be"

because it would obstruct your vision if it was infront of the screen centre speaker as it implies is inbetween the front left and front right above or below is as near as you can get

 

[GSB]

It is to if you like make it easier for the brain to asimulate that the dialogue is coming from the screen,if your center was anywhere else the sound wouldn't appear to come from the tv.

 

[GSB]

Whats your problem with placement,will your tv cabinet not accomadate it...can you post some pix?you might find that a solution is sugested.

 

[daveh75]

Because a centre is used for mainly dialogue and needs to be placed centrally to tie that dialogue to the characters.

If you can't accomadate it centrally , then you're better off without (and using 'phantom' setup) as placing it off axis will just sound odd/disjointed

 

[mannisrai]

Thank you guys for all your quick responses

I put a post similar to this about a week ago, this is currently my setup, ignore the speaker positions as i've taken them all down as i'm still puzzled. Basically, the problem is, the TV is in the corner and it can only be placed there. So shall i just get rid of the centre channel and go with the setup below? I don't want a soundbar, as then i would just be going round in circles again, after most people on here told me not to.

 

[GSB]

I have a very similar room layout as yours,here's what i have,

Under my tv is the center,

The front L/R speakers are either side of the tv cabinet,one is where your sub is,mine is in the opposite corner along the front wall.

My rears are in similar positions to yours,but not as far back,they sit on units.

If you can hang around a bit i'll take and post some pix.

 

[mannisrai]

That would actually be very helpeful, if you could post some pics.

Had these Tannoy's for over a week now, and haven't been able to enjoy them

 

[GSB]

just tried,and failed... :rofl:http://www.flickr.com/photos/28735983@N03/8987279248/

 

[mannisrai]

ahh noo would you mind just copy and pasting them in? just open them in your browser and copy and paste?

 

[mannisrai]

Oh i can view them now, thanks

 

[GSB]

Hope they help...sorry there are a few others to sift thru tho.

 

[mannisrai]

what does a phantom setup consist of?

Thanks for your resopnse.

 

[bigboss]

All you need is, a TV riser stand like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Large-Clear-Acrylic-Monitor-PC-Computer-TV-Stand-Riser-/140916124712#vi-content

What are the dimensions of your centre speaker?

 

[bigboss]

Check this thread:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/home-cinema/tv-on-centre-speaker

 

[bigboss]

Or get a proper TV cabinet with dedicated space for a centre speaker.

 

[robjcooper]

Phantom set up is down mixing the Discrete Front L&R and centre channels into a straight stereo feed, thus removing the need for a seperate centre. However the front surround effect will never be as good as having a seperate centre as 'locking' the dialogue to the screen will be totally dependent on how good a stereo image you can get from positioning your left and right speakers to give the effect the mono main dialogue from the original centre track is coming from the screen.

To get an idea how important a part of the 5.1 mix the centre is, try watching a film without the centre operating......