Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Height of Centre and L/R speakers

OK, been playing with these speakers all night and I just cannot find the spot.
I moved everything downstairs to my Temp room 11.5 x 15. I am 9.5ft away from the centre channel.
My tv is a 65" and the bottom is 29 " off the floor. Maybe it's a tad high. My M80's even in stereo just seem to be imagining a bit low. I have now got the centre channel stand on 4 2x4's and a 1" piece of starpping. Actaully have the back on two strappings. I am about 19" off the floor. Still sounds like voices are coming from the bottom of the tv.
Just wondering if that is why some have a front stage to raise there speakers.
I guess now that I am thinking about this I can take that dam TV off the wall and lower it 6 - 10 " and that would make stereo imagine feel like it is centred. Imagining is great, is stereo, sounds like I am using the centre channel. Just that when it's like the talking from their stomachs. LOl
As for the centre channel, I don't know I am 9 ft away maybe that is too close to the VP180. If I go much higher the speaker is going to be higher than the bottom of the tv. Thing is the stands made by Axiom for these VP180 are 18"

The front of the Center channel is 27" from the back wall about 25" from the front of the TV.
I should build a frame and move that TV about 12" further out to the front of the Centre Channel and lower both about 6 ".

It's like the centre channel is too in your face close. I have 4'6" behind to the rear wall. I fell like I wish that centre channel could move back in the wall under the tv things would be ok.

This makes me believe this room is just too small for a big speakers system.

Think I know what I can do, is build a frame on the wall and mount the tv 12" - 18" forward bringing it closer to the front of the speakers. Also drop it a bit. Try that then next would be move the seats back a foot also. Pretty sure now I know 7.x.x is not going to work in a room this size.

My first thought would be to raise the M80s and see if that helps. This assumes voices are split between mains and center, which I think is a safe assumption but I'm not 100% sure.

The advantage of raising mains rather than center is that the mains don't get in the way of the screen

Other option obviously would be to put the center above the TV rather than below (I've seen that more than a few times) but you already have a stand for the center...

Yes you're too close to the screen but hopefully that just means you need more drastic speaker adjustments to get voices coming out of the correct body parts.

Thanks
My Mains are 9'.2" apart, I sit in the centre and 10' back from each. My Centre CH is 9'
My Tv is ok for distance, thats not my issue. It's getting the imagining centred in stereo for my mains.
Sitting in my chair my ears are about 38 - 40 " height. Depending on if I am sitting proper or relaxed mode
Two the centre or my centre channel speaker it is 24" off the floor. To the centre of my tv it is 54". if I am watching say a news broadcast. I am using this because it is consistant that the news anchors etc mouths are displayed about centre screen.

it feels like the people talking like their voices are coming from their chests. hence raising the mains.

If I switch between stereo and dolby the Mains and centre seem to blend well.

I am thinking, If I can raise the Mains about 4" and drop the tv about 2" - 4" if would be perfect ( I Believe )
and if I can slide that Center channel back just under the tv and back a bit.
Also. my centre channel is 9" off the back wall, not sure I want to get much closer ,hence moving back a bit further and bringing the tv off the wall a 1' - 18". This would put the tv more closer to the front of the center and if I build a frame, it won't be boxing in the centre channel.

I guess this is alot of trial and error.

Some general rules of thumb are to have tweeters at ear level and then experiment from there. As for the center, you will probably need to angle it up or down depending on if it is above or below the TV. I used to have a VP150 above my projector screen years ago and it was OK, but when I moved it to below, it somehow sounded better. Both were angled (down when above the screen, and up when below).

My other though, and this is from a personal revelation in my current theater mainly... Smaller spaces really are "reflection chambers." You have almost every surface close enough that sound just bounces around the room like crazy. Instead of just getting primary reflections, a smaller room will also have strong secondary reflections as well. If you can do something, even temporarily, to absorb some of those reflections in the room, I believe that the M80s would really start to sing again...

My previous room was 10' x 15' and I had similar imaging issues. Before we moved from that house, I did an experiment with a (twin sized) mattress. I just put up on its side along the one wall. Wow. Big sound improvement. And then I tore down the theater getting ready to move. It was at that point that I knew that I wanted sound treatments in my next (current) theater.

With so many reflections, you have sounds canceling themselves out as they fly around the room.

So either find something temporary to do some absorption, or just live with the sub-quality sound for a while until you have a more permanent home for them.

Keep experimenting with toe in and distance from the front and side walls.
Just my $0.02.

Mains aren't the issue they are imagine correctly.
I have treatment up temp, I have the panels from a movie theatre. Three 4 x 8 sheets.

Going to put them up on short stands tomorrow night see if that works