I'm trying to figure out if the VP180 is better placed below or above the TV? If I put it below, the TV is raised pretty high. If it is above the TV should I point it down towards the listening area or would I be sacrificing sound quality?

Altogether point it at the listening position either way, top or bottom positioning.
Most all Dolby recommendations say tweeters sitting closest to ear level.
So above T.V. would elevate the rear of speaker so tweeters aim at ear level.

Cheers.

Based on my experience, to me, the sound quality depends more on where the front of the speaker is in relation to the screen itself. I just got rid of an old RP CRT that I had for many years, but, because it was essentially a piece of furniture, I was able to place a center channel on top of the cabinet itself and as per spec, line the front of the CC with the screen. Of course, the newer thin monitors make that virtually impossible.

Back a couple of months ago I bought a new 65" 4K model and decided to do a wall mount. At the same, I purchased a cabinet in which I could place my movies and on top of which I could place my VP180 which is directly underneath the screen. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any type of cabinet or shelving that had a shelf big and deep enough to hold a center channel the size of the 180 underneath the monitor and in the cabinet itself, hence, my only option was the above.

The front of the speaker is now sitting approximately 20 inches in front and directly underneath the screen and even with the proper delay applied and even though the speakers and tweeters are lined up better with the L/R, than before, I still feel now the speaker elevated, aimed slightly downward, flush with the screen, sounded better.

I put my VP180 below my 65" TV.



The problem you get with large enough TV's is they are large and how high do you hang them on the wall. If you put them too high on the wall then your neck is craned up to see the picture. If you place them too low then you are looking down and I find it uncomfortable and unnatural for long periods. But the TV dictates where the speaker goes.

In my case having full height left and right speakers, there is no way that the VP180 could ever be aligned with the tweeters unless I went projection and a transparent sound screen. I just got an ikea TV bench that is large enough for the speaker to sit on. I probably could have lowered the TV by a good 3-4" but it didn't work out well for plug and cable locations if I did.

My set-up is pretty similar to yours in the picture, only difference being is I have equipment racks on each side of the cabinet on which the VP180 sits. Although my TV is elevated similar to yours, I purchased a bracket that allowed me to tilt the screen towards the seating area and eye level that helps negate some of the issue of looking more upwards, and being and LED LCD 4K set, the sweet spot.

It's really personal preference. If you can tilt the thing to point at your ear level, so much the better.

Whatever you do, make sure the speaker is not in a cabinet, which will cause some horrible boundary effects. I have mine above my 60" on a platform angled down towards the seating area.