Center Channel: Top vs Bottom?

[Andy Safholm]

I have some vintage Klipsch KG 4's and the new RC35 center. The question I have is should I move the center from the top of my tv to the bottom in between my two floorstanding speakers? If so, was is the optimal height from the floor to the bottom of the center channel? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Andy

[L.J.]

I have some vintage Klipsch KG 4's and the new RC35 center. The question I have is should I move the center from the top of my tv to the bottom in between my two floorstanding speakers? If so, was is the optimal height from the floor to the bottom of the center channel? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Andy

Why not try both positions to see which sounds better. I believe the closer you get to ear level the better. You can also place feet or something under your center to aim it either upward or downward(depending on placement) so it's aimed directly at the sweet spot. Experiment until you find the best location.

[jamison]

maybe a dumb question but do you want to try to align the tweeters of the center with the tweeters of the mains? im thinking yes since the sound will not take a jump up or down when moving from the center to the mains and visa versa? I have Klipsch RF-7 and the RC-7 i love the speakers but my center sits up about 2 feet higher than the mains due to neccessity. I do notice it ... i have the center tilted downward slightly.

[kexodusc]

Yes, the tweeters especially should be as close to alignment as possible. Woofers too, but they generally won't suffer as much off axis deviation in response. Ideally the center channel would be smack dab in the middle of the screen in most systems. That's obviously not practical though. Tilting can help some (actually a fair bit).

[bfalls]

I also have a pair of Kg4s and use a KV3 for the center channel which is a very good match. I find top positioning works with the KV3. I purchased a KLF-C7 a few years ago and hated the way it sounded in the same position. It seemed no matter how much it was tilted downward the sound seemed to go over my head. Bottom positioning was better, but not as good as the KV3. I wondered about the new Reference series centers, but read post stating the RC3 II series sounded better. My bedroom system consists of:
Kg4 mains
KV3/KLF-C7 center
RS3 front and rear surrounds
SW8 upper bass
ACI Saturn sub lower bass
Yamaha RX-V2095 receiver
Pioneer 563A Universal DVD
Pioneer CLV DVD/LD/CD Combiplayer
ADP-1 modulator for LD AC3 playback
Marantz M-700 momo amp for Saturn sub
Sony KV36XBR250 TV

[MCF]

the 1000 year old question..which is better, Top or Bottom. Well, I'm lucky...my wife lets me try them both all the time and to tell you the truth, each has it's advantages....HEHEHE!!! Seriously, try both and see which you like....if you don't like one, try the other!!

[nightflier]

For as long as I can remember, I've had my center chanel (a rather hefty and wide Axiom VP150) on the top of our widescreen TV, angled downward towards the listening position. Just recently, I decided to try something different and for this speaker it really improved the sound.

I now have the center channel on a dedicated stand (DIY with particle board and weighed down with stones inside the stand). It is in the center, and the platform is angled upwards just a tad with a thin rubber mat between the stand and speaker. The center channel sits just high enough so that it's top is just a hair under the screen, but covers up the plastic bottom of the TV.

I saw that many higher end speaker manufacturers that also sold stands for their 5.1 sets had this setup and so I thought I would try it too. I find that this sounds much better than when it was sitting on top of the TV. This is probably so because the stand is more inert than the top of the TV was, rather than the location being superior. However, this is as close to the center of the screen that I can get it without blocking the picture. If you have a projection screen, you could maybe mount the center behind the screen, but that's not an option for most of us.

Unfortunately it does have some drawbacks:
- I had to give up another 10" of space in front of the TV
- with the children and pets, this isn't ideal
- It blocks access to the cabinet below
- The speaker blocks the TV remote sensor (I use a little pocket mirror now)

So provided these are not issues in your case, the best height would be where the top of the speaker reaches the bottom of the screen.

[s dog]

I have some vintage Klipsch KG 4's and the new RC35 center. The question I have is should I move the center from the top of my tv to the bottom in between my two floorstanding speakers? If so, was is the optimal height from the floor to the bottom of the center channel? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Andy

I have the klipsch SC-3 center speaker which is a pretty good size center. Because it is so heavy i done the same thing that nightflier did and it has worked out very well for me.

[Andy Safholm]

Thanks for the great information. Have a good day.

[bfalls]

In my living room system I have Legacy Focus mains and Silver Screen center. When my Pioneer PRO-100 went South I purchased a Hitachi 57S715 which doesn't have a flat top, so I couldn't put the 45lb Silver Screen on it. I now have it on a stand under the screen. It sounds fine, but I'd rather have it above for space considerations. I've looked for shelves which clip to the front edge of the screen and have adjustable legs to evelate the rear on the screen's sloped back, but I still don't feel comfortable putting the 45lbs on top. I'm considering making a stand which will connect to the Hitachi's base and run up the sides and back, but for now mounting below does just fine. The only problem I see is the center partially blocks the TVs speakers for normal (internal speaker) listening. The stand I'm using also has casters so occasionally I'll move the center.