Height placement of RC-7 center speaker

[D-bucket]

Given a choice of placing the RC-7 center speaker on a shelf of a tv stand below the plasma tv or on a wall shelf mounted above the tv, which would be more preferable? Neither placement seem to line up optimally with the height of the main front left & right speakers. On the stand below the tv, the center speaker seem about 2 feet too low and mounted above the tv it seem about 1 foot too high. Or is either placement ok with the speaker being tilted either up or down to toward the listening/viewing position?

[DrWho]

short answer: high position is better

This is actually an interesting topic, but it's late so I'm going to make it short. Basically, our ears are more directional to sounds below us than to sounds above us. It's just the way they're built. Also, when going about our normal lives we are always bombarded by recorded material above our heads (shopping centers, movie theaters, live concerts and all that)...so it just sounds more normal to hear it from above.

If at all possible I would try both positions and determine for yourself which you like best.

[gcoker]

No matter which way you place it angle the center at the

seating position. If your within two feet of your main speaker

height then you are fine.

[Shade]

Definately go for the position above the TV. I had my RC-7 mounted below the TV for a while, and it was a big improvement once I moved it above the TV. Even if it's a bit higher than you like, it'll still sound better.

Also if you haven't built the wall shelf yet, an alternative option is a wall mount tv stand. You can swivel it into position, adjust the angle, and they usually have wire management. You can get them at Home Despot for a resonable price.

[D-bucket]

Thanks, I think I also was leaning toward the placement above. The thing that had me somewhat concerned is that all of the other ht setups that I have seen & heard, the center speaker was always below the tv and I hadn't had a chance before to actually hear or see a placement above. I had considered trying the placement both ways myself, but I was reluctant to try any temporary placement above the tv even for testing purposes because of the potential for being unstable. I decided that the only way I would even proceed was if the mount above the plasma tv was permanant and very secure.

[colterphoto1]

Problem with below placement is floor reflections if you have hardwood or reflective floor. I thing the 'most' correct answer would be - whichever position is closest to the center of the LR main speakers for the purpose of localizing sounds. For many big screen owners, I think top mounting would not be the best alternative.

For what reasons is top mounting generally preferred over bottom mounting? (let's take floor reflections and aiming toward the listening area OUT of the equation for now.- Assume that there is rug or other floor covering and that speakers can readily be aimed at the listeners ear) Now is top mounting STILL better?

Michael

[cjgeraci]

Ahhh, RC-7 and a plasma. I would have put my RC-7 above my plasma in my family room system except that my plasma is now mounted above our fireplace, directly onto a brick wall. I could have mounted a shelf onto the brick, above the plasma, but the RC-7 would have stuck out much further than the plasma - and it would just not look right.

So, it may not be the best sonic match, but my RC-7 is now on my hearth, which is about two feet lower than optimal. It is slightly raised towards the ear and provides nice coverage even at that low height. Besides, if I want a perfect matching front height-wise, I can just go downstairs to my primary system (Belles).

So, if it looks ok, I say go for it above. But, if it is going to look odd, the RC-7 below is not a terrible, terrible place to be.

Could be worse.....you could have a substandard center.

Carl.

[wmilas]

Carl, I'm playing with the placement of the center speaker atm also. Like you I plan to mount the plasma over the fireplace to the stone there. A Couple of questions if I may.

1) I was thinking of putting the center on the mantle, but this makes the center too high and the plasma even higher. I take it this will probably sound way off since the front and center speakers are far off height wise?

2) Like you I've considered putting the center on or near the hearth. I take it you move it if you ever turn the fireplace on? Also what did you do in this case to hide the wires?

3) Got pictures?

Wayde