Effect of 340c vertical separation from mains?

Hey guys -

In short, I'm curious how much of a sonic difference it would make for music and movies to have the tweeter of the 340c almost 14 inches lower than the center of the CBM-170 mains. At what point does the vertical separation become noticeable?

My specific instance: I have the 170s on 30in stands now and have the choice of a 28in (currently ordered) or an 18in stand for the 340c.

Woodtech 28in stand = 4.25" difference (center of 340 to center of 170)
Woodtech 18in stand = 14.25" difference, but angled upwards (same)

I obviously would prefer the 28in'er, and can make it work with the front projection setup, but the video side gets some significant benefits (pj placement) if I can shift the 340 down to the 18in'er.

Longer explanation in my setup thread (sorry for double post, but the original stand ships probably tomorrow so if I'm going to cancel it I need to decide soon):
http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/sho...p?t=872&page=3
(post #25)

Some say that having the center down low doesn't sound right. It's not because the center is lower than the mains, it's more because for some reason, our brain perceives sound coming from above or behind the screen as more natural than sound coming from below. That being said, I know people who have their centers in all 3 of those positions with success. Your best bet would be to rig up something the same height as both of the stands and try it out to see what sounds best to you.

damn! I wanted an easy answer, heh. If it wasn't for the restrictive placement of the projector I would definately go with the 28"er. Maybe I can use the 18"er and raise it with a wood box or something to make it essentially a 22"er or something...that may work....hmmm.

Anyhow, the only rule I've heard is to keep the vertical separation under 2 feet, but I didn't know at what point it became noticeable or intrustive....

When auditioning setups with MTM center channels, I've always preferred the center on top angled down at the sweet spot. This also (for me) helped the hollow sound I otherwise experienced when centers were inside the TV stand angled up. It also put less of a distance gap between the tweeters.

I use 30" stands for my five 170s, but I'm 6'1" and have a poofy couch. If you're in the 5'5" crowd with a slim couch you might want 24" or 26" stands.

going with eddie's suggestion, when i got my ascends i just pulled out the empty boxes from all the gear i had purchased and stacked them at various heights so i could listen and see what sounded best before i bought stands. my 340c is only a couple inches lower than my front 170's and i prefer it that way.