Rob, welcome. The first point is that the 7' separation is about the least that should be used with a 10' listening distance. The typical suggestion is that the speakers should be separated about the same amount as the listening distance, so the separation should be increased by at least 3'.

Secondly, since reflections or refractions from the TV appear to be at least part of the problem, the speaker drivers should be at least a few inches forward of the TV surface, to lessen those effects.

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Enjoy the music, not the equipment.