Have been watching as of late and noticed more and more comments regarding the use of the vertical center. Is it just a cost vs. issue or can you receive great performance from the m2 and or m22ti? Looking for experienced vertical users and in depth opinion commintators on this subject. Like the thought of experimentation and more product application.

MB

JohnK would fill in here, but my understanding on the major benefits of the vertical center channel are the following:

(1) Horizontal dispersion. A bookshelf or floorstanding speaker do not suffer from the horizontal lobing effects inherent in a horizontal multi-driver speaker, providing flatter, wider horisontal dispersion.

(2) As the flip side of (1), a vertical speaker does not produce vertical dispersion as wide as a horizontal center channel, which can be beneficial because it may reduce the undesitable direct reflection from the floor in front of the speaker or from the ceiling.

(3) If you choose as the center channel a model identical to the L/R mains, that will provide a "perfect" timbre match among the L/C/R channels. A highly desirable factor.

In return, with a vertical center channel, you cannot place all drivers as close to the screen as a horizontal can. Also, in many cases especially with a big-box TV, it is difficult to install a vertical center channel in the first place. However, the latter is often a non-issue with a wall-hung plasma or front projection.

I would agree with sushi's comments entirely and add to them.
If i were to setup a smaller HT system in which the primary use was HT and not music, i would be inclined to stick to the smaller 'satellite' or bookshelf type speakers for its design. In this instance, i would certainly use the vertical centre, again considering the components involved in the HT.
For example, if i had a small room (15x15ft), with an entertainment cabinet and a 40 inch TV, i would probably consider something like the M22 or M2s as mains, add a sub, QSx for surrounds and an M2 for the centre.
However, if my room were 18x25, i might change those main speakers to M60s so the larger sound and volume can handle the larger room size.
If i had that same size room but a front projection with an 8 foot screen, the little M2 as a centre channel could easily be lost against the large screen. I would be considering a much larger centre for such a purpose and if i stayed with a vertical speaker, then depending on the screen heights, an M22 or an M60 may not work out so well in the center of the room.
You would probably want to look at the horizontal centres to provide a wider sound dispersion in this instance.

In my present situation, i have a 50" RPTV and placing an M2 or M22 on top of the tv as the centre channel draws the vocals up way too high for my liking. The extra width of the VP150 also creates a wider soundstage across the centre in the front so i can move my M60s out further apart, again to fill a larger space.

It would be interesting to try a 'pair' of M3ti's or M2i's for the center.. Wouldn't this give some flexibility or sorts ? A bit of a savings cost wise as well.. Say, with nothing larger than the M22's for the mains, and a sub ?
Seems the quality Axiom sound has taught me to appreciate the softer more refinded side of the movie going experience.. There may be hope for me yet..

Michael, I'll adopt most of what sushi said. The ideal for a center speaker is one that sounds as nearly as possible the same as the mains. So, besides using a third speaker exactly the same(which is sometimes feasible, especially in a setup with a front projector), a smaller speaker having the same midrange and treble response is a good alternative. Obviously this speaker should be positioned vertically(God didn't intend that we listen to speakers flopped over on their side)where it has better horizontal dispersion than the typical MTM arrangement(the unique VP150 configuration appears to be a significant improvement). This is what appears logical and sounds better to me than any MTM I've ever heard. The height of the tweeter and distance above the screen has been no problem in my experience; with a small speaker the added height compared to a horizontal speaker might be a matter of 3-4", and would be zero if the speaker was turned upside-down. In any case, whatever the speaker, it should be tilted down if it's too high so that the tweeter points at ear level.

If I could just throw in a request for someone to try this... That's the config I'm interested in. With a (relatively) small TV, (27"), I'm wondering if setting an M2 on either side of the TV would ber acceptable for imaging, centering on the screen, etc., since I don't see a feasable way to put a single or double vertical center without it sticking out visually. Yeah, yeah, I know, I've been over this before...

kcarlile,

Those horisontal center channels are designed precisely for the situlation like yours. A horisontal center on top or below the TV would most likely provide a better results than an M2 placed on one side of the TV.

Ken, possibly sushi took you to mean just one M2 off to the side. If you put one up against each side of the TV that would work reasonably well, although it wouldn't anchor center channel info in the dead center. Instead of the mains forming a "phantom" center from their wide-spread position, you would have the M2s forming the phantom center from their narrower alignment. The center image would shift left or right, according to the position of the listener, but wouldn't go farther out than the position of the M2 on that side. Using the mains to create the phantom would allow the center image to shift as far out as the position of the main speaker on that side.

My experience is that a small vertical center doesn't really stick out that much visually.