Why not just use 3 (or 5)M2v3'S OR 3 M2v3'S and a pair of QS4v3's?

That's a popular option 'round these parts. Some people feel it sounds better that way, in fact. Others feel like they don't have room for a vertical center.

Can you put a vertical center on the floor or on an acoustical pad right in front of the TV stand?

Another option that has been mentioned from time to time is to have a phantom center with using only the two main speakers.

the closer the tweeters are to ear level the better, regardless of whether it is a center channel, bookshelf, or tower speaker being used for the center

This would not place the center channel speaker at ear level

http://www.axiomaudio.com/fmscc.html

Do you sit in a chair or couch when watching movies?

Sofa - the TV stand is appx 14" tall

Hi cvictorg,

The center channel speaker does not have to be exactly at ear level. The dispersion of good cone drivers and tweeters is generous enough that the center could be up to 30 degrees off axis and you'd still get good intelligibility and frequency response. Axiom's stand for the center places the center approximately at ear level for a seated viewer/listener.

I would not advise putting a center on the floor because boundary interactions with the floor could cause some tonal colorations and annoying reflections.

Regards,
Alan

Its just not a popular idea around these parts . There is also some factual basis for supporting this idea of using a matching vertical centre to your mains compared to a typical MTM horizontal and WM^TW design. Not only will matching a vertical centre provide the same power handling and sensitivity as the mains but will ensure matching tonal/voicing characteristics which is ever crucial to speech which as humans are very critical of and other soundstage shifts. Not to mention off-axis response which has been shown in some cases where the vertical matching centre is superior to the horizontal centre off-axis of that same brand. This is important if you are not sitting in the "sweet spot".

The biggest benefit of a horizontal centre is ease of placement and WAF (wife acceptance factor). This is a big plus and why most of us tend to use them.

I'm actually using dual M2s (one above and one below the display) in my setup and am very happy with it. Its really whatever you have the room for.

I get the feeling that the primary reason for having separate "center channel" speaker designs is that "the screen gets in the way" if you try to have a vertical center channel. As a result, the available space is wide but not high, the desired speaker orientation is different.

As a result of the horizontal orientiation, (as Andrew and Ian covered in the seminar) the design needs to be different in order to let the horizontal speaker behave similarly to the other vertical speakers despite being... well... horizontal.

Another advantage to a matching center if using bookshelf speakers is that most brands bookshelf speakers cost less than their corresponding center.

Dean. That was a bonus with the M2s. 2 to anchor the sound on the screen, they play lower AND at about the same cost as the vp100.

Vic, sure a vertical center identical to the mains or at least as similar as possible has definite advantages in creating a uniform front sound field.

Yes, if the only place that the vertical center can reasonably be placed is the floor, I've found that it works quite well. A suggestion would be to tilt the speaker slightly backwards so that the tweeter points toward your ear level.

If vertical space wasn't limited I would have the same speaker as my fronts (M60's). I did find much better intelligbility when I turned my VP150 upside down, since the drivers were more on an angle to my ears where I sit.

My friend has Pardigm Monitors and he tried a phantom center, but I can tell there is a slight hole under the TV, it doesn't image it well enough since he has his fronts somewhat farther apart. Bottom line, some situations a center can help if its matched properly.