Monday, August 22, 2011

center surround sound speaker

 Hello everyone,
 I have a question about the center surround sound speaker.  our center speaker is sitting on the fireplace mantel while the others are placed in the ceiling I have been troubled about this for the last couple of months since it seems as if everyone else has theirs placed in the ceiling centered over the fireplace.  So today my husband called the electrician explained to him my concern he stated that normally the center speaker is placed on the mantel for a better sound  and,  that they would place it in the ceiling if we would like, but he suggested that we go to our local stereo system shop and ask the same questions about where the center speaker should be for the best sound first  .  So my question is for anyone who has the ceiling surround sound installed with the center speaker in the ceiling,   How does it sound ?    And  Do you think the sound coming straight at you when looking at the TV would make a difference.   Thanks guys for your responses I have to make a decision and call the electrician back.

5 comments:

  1. We have surround sound, but only 2 speakers are in ceiling. Three are in the wall surrounding our TV. The reason? We asked our PM, Guardian, and some others in the business, and here is the answer we got:

    That center speaker is the "main" speaker for voices and such. Putting in the wall and having it face us is how every TV is made. Speakers facing you. Putting them in ceiling, the sound goes down, not at you. We were told this would effect the quality of the sound.

    Guardian did tell us we could upgrade the speaker package if we wanted all the speakers in the ceiling. The upgrade would take it from flat speakers, to adjustable ones. We'd be able to angle the speakers to throw the sound at us. It was too much money to upgrade. So we put three speakers in the wall, and then 2 in the ceiling behind the couch. =)

    We're very happy with it.

    I'm sure that is why yours is on the mantle. Same thing. That is the "main" speaker.

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  2. I have a piece of furniture that the TV sits on, the center channel is a few inches below where the TV is. This would be the preferred setup. Other options are the in-wall (above), which the sound isn't quite as good as an actual speaker cabinet. The only in wall/ceiling speakers I recommend are for the rear or side surround channels. The front (in my opinion) should be actual speaker boxes.

    I would (under no circumstances) put the center channel in the ceiling.

    In-wall front channels are OK, especially for movies (because 90% of the sound comes out of the center anyway) But if you want to listen to music, in-wall can't hold a candle to your typical speaker box.

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  3. After seeing a picture of your setup, I would suggest putting your center channel at an angle pointing straight ahead or slightly down to match ear level.

    Again, don't waste time / money putting a center in the ceiling. Everything else is good. Enjoy.

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  4. @Gregg - our speakers will all be in the ceiling. All the speakers are able to be adjusted directionally to optimize them. I asked questions and did some research because I too was worried about it. Will let you know how ours sound once we are in and settled.

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  5. I hope you had your question sorted out already. Some set up their center speakers higher than the natural eyeshot, but keeping it in line is always best. Ideally, the center speakers should be along the same plane as the TV. You could put them behind the big screen, so that the sound would go directly to your ears.

    Louisa Hemstreet

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