Are most centers designed to angle the sound?

[pdawg17]

I have a Studio CC for a center and am curious if it is designed to angle the sound straight ahead or if they tend to be designed to angle the sound down (since they usually sit on top of the TV)...is it just dependent on how the tweeter is facing or if not, how can I tell? Is it just a matter of angling it so from the listening position it sounds like the voices are coming out of the TV? If I line up the cones with my head position (tilt it downward), I can still tell the sound is coming from above the TV (it may be my self-conscience knowing the speaker is there though)...

[kexodusc]

Depending how far back you sit, most speakers have a window of sound where the response is quite consistent. The further back you are, the less you should be able to tell it is on top of the TV. A lot of the spacial localizing cues are actually caused by reflections as well.
Many people use felt, or rubber bumpers ($1 at a hardware store) to place underneath center channels and tilt them downward.

[Timn8ter]

You've discovered the problem of the center channel in an AV setup. Our hearing is the most sensitive when the source is in front of us on a horizontal plane. This means we can't help but notice the sound is coming from on top or under our displays. Some people with front projector systems will used acoustically transparent screens and accept some loss of resolution for having the dialog actually come from the screen.
If you can sit in the "sweet spot" between your mains you may be better off without a center channel, otherwise you'll have to accept the compromise.
Another challenge with center channel designs is that people want the box to lay down to match the rectangular shape of the television. This is contrary to how speakers typically work. They are designed with horizontal dispersion in mind. When you lay them on their sides the dispersion is now vertical. The solution is usually to use two mid-woofers with a tweeter in the middle, slightly above or below the mid-woofs. This arrangement will usually have good horizontal dispersion and since the listener is seated vertical dispersion is rarely an issue. Sometimes a designer will feel the need for more horizontal dispersion and actually angle the mid-woofs out but this introduces a whole new set of response problems.
As for aiming, you'll want the tweeter pointing to the center of the listening area. My TV is 5 feet tall so I angle my CC down and have the tweeter below the woofers.

[canuck1995]

I have a Studio CC for a center and am curious if it is designed to angle the sound straight ahead or if they tend to be designed to angle the sound down (since they usually sit on top of the TV)...is it just dependent on how the tweeter is facing or if not, how can I tell? Is it just a matter of angling it so from the listening position it sounds like the voices are coming out of the TV? If I line up the cones with my head position (tilt it downward), I can still tell the sound is coming from above the TV (it may be my self-conscience knowing the speaker is there though)...

I had the same problem before because the way my TV was setup I have to place the center channel under the TV. I don't know which receiver you use but the one that I have has an output for "presence" speakers. What it does is "lift" the sound to another set of speakers which I positioned about 6' above my TV which tricks the ears into believing that the sound is coming out of the TV. The presence speakers is outside the front speakers by a few inches. The only catch is once it is active I cannot use the back surround.

[musicman1999]

i was unhappy with the sound when i had my center channel speaker perched on top of my tv.sitting on top of a big plastic box just didnt seem to sound that good.my av shop custom built a stand for jm labs cobalt center.when tilted up slightly it is aimed directly at the seating position and the top of the speaker is just about an inch below the bottom of the screen.i have been very happy with the sound since then.

bill