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Covering TV for 2-channel listening


CoryGillmore

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I was surprised to see so many recommendations to attach your TV to the wall, in order to get it back a bit.  Wouldn’t it be much easier and less expensive to just move the speakers ahead 4”-6”?

 

Years ago, I read that it’s very important for the speakers to “see” each other.  This means that between the speakers, there should be nothing ahead of a line between the front of one speaker and the front of the other speaker.  I’ve always set up my systems with this in mind, generally by making sure the TV and the electronics stack were fairly close to the front wall (the wall behind the front speakers), and then placing the La Scalas for smoothest bass response.  

 

The Scalas are 24” deep and the La Scala IIs are 25” deep, so it’s pretty easy to have them sitting ahead of everything between them, while keeping them within 6” from the front wall.

 

As for sound absorption, keep in mind that the different wavelengths of sound make a big difference in what gets absorbed.  With a high frequency  sound, the wavelength might be only an inch long, so an inch of absorption material could absorb much of it.

 

With a deep bass note, its wavelength could be 10, 20, or 30 feet long, so a sound wave like that would not even “notice” a 1” sound absorbing panel or comforter.  A thin blanket is even less effective.

 

On the subject of sound absorbing materials, there’s an inexpensive DIY way to make sound absorbing panels.  Just take or make a frame of the appropriate size, and use old towels, neatly folded with a minimum of air gaps.  I read this a couple of years ago, so I’ve forgotten exactly how the guy secured the towels to the frames, but he may have used thread or thin wire.  The guy describing this in an audio magazine used a meter to check the relative effectiveness of various materials, and the tightly packed towels were as effective as any of the store-bought materials.  The top layer can even be dyed or painted to match or accent the decor of the room.

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With my system, covering the wall hung 65 in TV makes a noticeable difference.  When people come over to listen and I'm in the process of covering the TV, I get some quizzical looks which I have come to expect. The "tell" is when I slowly remove the cover across the face of the TV.  Everyone agrees that the difference is noticeable as it comes off.  Hoodoo? Who knows, but its cheap and easy to do.  A friend recently gave me a very thin quilt made from Album Covers of my favorite band.  Now it not only works well, but looks great as well.  I would say that the change is not dramatic, but more than enough to make it worth the effort.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
28 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said:

Yep, looks much better now. And horns like being pretty spread out. I'm sure it sounds so much better.

 

Shakey

 

 

 

Yes sir. And it’ll sound even better once I get this couch thing sorted. See there’s an HVAC return vent right in the very spot my couch needs to sit. So now I have it pushed back behind the optimum spot so that I don’t cover this vent. So I intend to get a smaller couch that also sits up off the ground a bit and doesn’t have a skirt. So I can place it over the vent without blocking it. 
 

If you check that before pic, on the right side you can see a half wall. Well my current seating position is seated directly under that 10 foot wide door frame. But I need to pull my couch forward so that when I lean back by head isn’t technically in the other room. But the floor vent is impeding me from doing so. 
 

So it already sounds better than it did but it will only get better. 

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On 9/20/2021 at 9:02 AM, Islander said:

I was surprised to see so many recommendations to attach your TV to the wall, in order to get it back a bit.  Wouldn’t it be much easier and less expensive to just move the speakers ahead 4”-6”?

I like to keep my CWIVs as close to the wall as possible. I've done a lot of trial and error and I've found that the bass is best when the speakers are as close to the wall as possible. 

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On 8/22/2021 at 4:02 PM, 001 said:

hanging the TV on the wall , behind the speakers could solve the issue  , by drilling holes into the wood paneling  to attach  wall bracket , another way would be to screw a  plywood section into the sheetrock , then screwing the bracket into the plywood to avoid drilling holes , the difference in the sound will be noticeable

I will be wall mounting my TV this week. The extra foot and a half will enable me to position my speakers a bit closer to the wall.

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On 10/17/2021 at 9:41 AM, YK Thom said:

I will be wall mounting my TV this week. The extra foot and a half will enable me to position my speakers a bit closer to the wall.

I have mine pushed up against the wall regardless of of the position of my entertainment center. My entertainment center is definitely further up than my Corns and yet the Corns still sound their best as close to the wall as possible. I know people say it’s best to have your speakers ahead of the plane that your other wall object are on but in my case and for my preferences, they do just fine “behind” the other objects. 
 

I did relocate my subs and I also turned the giant gaming PC to the side. I’ll post another pic when I get home this evening. 

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