Center channel blues

[Kisakuku]

I'm about to take the plunge and order Sierra Towers and a Horizon. My listening space is far from optimal in many ways (like having to place surrounds right next to the couch), but my main problem right now is figuring out where and how to place the center speaker. As you can see, neither the TV nor the center can be wall-mounted, as there is no wall behind them.

http://i.imgur.com/xKgCds.jpg (http://imgur.com/xKgCd)

Some dimensions:

Horizon center: 11" x 23" x 12.5" HWD.
“Compact” Horizon center: 8" x 26" x 14.5" HWD.

TV stand: 23" x 60" x 22.5" HWD.
TV: 32” H with base.
Window ledge: 40" H, 22" D.

Sanus SF30 stands : 30” x 11.5” x 14.5” HWD, 6” x 6.5” WD top.
Sanus SFC18 stand: 18” x 12” x 15” HWD, 8” x 14” WD top.

Ideas I've gone through so far:

1) Order a custom low-profile Horizon and fit it on a shelf in the TV stand, where my current center is. Cons: quite a bit more expensive, would barely fit and the top 1" of front baffle would be blocked by TV stand's metal frame, no space to angle the center upward.

2) Get a new TV stand, which can accommodate a regular Horizon. Cons: again expensive, the only ones that exist would place the center very close to the floor.

3) Put a center speaker stand in front of the TV stand. Cons: not enough space, would block the doors.

4) Mount the TV on a free-standing BDI Arena 9972 (http://www.bdiusa.com/theater/arena_9972.shtml) mount and put it behind the TV stand. Place the Horizon on the top of the TV stand. Cons: TV screen would be about 12" above the current ideal viewing position, would have to be tilted forward and would also overlap the window more.

5) Place the Horizon on top of two 30" Sanus SF30 (http://www.sanus.com/us/en/products/speaker-foundations/sp-steel/SF30) stands behind the TV and on top of the TV stand, use Auralex MoPADs or similar to angle it forward. Possibly use larger top platforms from Sanus SFC18 (8"x14" instead of 6"x6.5") for stability. Cons: TV would have to be moved almost to the front edge of the TV stand to accommodate the Horizon behind it.

6) Place the Horizon on top of two On-Stage SMS6000-P Studio Monitor (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MonitorStd)Stands extended to 59". Place the stands behind the TV stand and in front of the window ledge. Use Auralex MoPADs or similar to angle the Horizon forward. Cons: very tall stands possibly unstable, would have to move the TV stand 10" forward to fit the bases of the speaker stands behind it.

7) Place the Horizon on top of one or even better two 18" Sanus SFC18 (http://www.sanus.com/us/en/products/speaker-foundations/sp-steel/SFC18) (rotated 90 degrees if two are used). Place the stand(s) behind the TV on top of the window ledge. Use Auralex MoPADs or similar to angle the Horizon forward. Cons: the front baffle of the speaker would be 10" behind the plane of the TV screen with the speaker's lower edge only 3-4" above the TV. I could use 4" taller Sanus SFC22, but then the center would have to be angled forward even more than 8 degrees that I'm comfortable with.

8) Add about 6" to the top of the TV stand legs, enough to fit an angled up regular Horizon on the center speaker shelf, where my current center is. Use Auralex MoPADs or similar to angle the Horizon up 8 degrees. The TV height would be borderline acceptable without having to get a tilting mount, as the vertical viewing angle would be about 4 degrees. Cons: will require some precision band sawing to get the tops of 4 legs level.

I was very excited about option 7 until I realized how far behind the TV the center would sit. Now I'm leaning towards option 5, which seems almost ideal from the sound quality perspective. My concern is that the glass top of the TV stand is rated for 200lb. The TV is 60lb and the Horizon plus stands would be another 80lb even before filling them with sand, so that might be getting a bit too close to the max weight rating for my comfort. Also, the whole structure might be a bit unstable in this earthquake-prone area. Option 8 also seems good.

Am I missing any other possible placements? Would love any sort of input.

[buddhadas]

What about put the tv up where the plants are, and put your center where your tv had been? Is there any way to elevate those surrounds?

Jim

[Kisakuku]

What about put the tv up where the plants are, and put your center where your tv had been? Is there any way to elevate those surrounds?

Jim

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm hesitant to elevate the TV even 10" above where it is right now with that BDI Arena stand because of issues with LCD viewing angles / tilting etc. Putting the TV on top of the window ledge and thus even more in front of the window would be even worse plus it would further compromise day-time viewing. I've thought about it before, so I guess I should have put this into my list.

Surrounds will get replaced eventually, so their placement isn't a priority right now.

[hearing specialist]

I would say option #1, seems logical, imo. No way to center furniture and tv stand in the room?

[curtis]

How about building a shelf above the TV?

[natetg57]

How about setting the TV on top of the Horizon? The speaker is easily strong enough.

[curtis]

How about setting the TV on top of the Horizon? The speaker is easily strong enough.
That's a good idea. I keep forgetting about that option.

[Kisakuku]

I would say option #1, seems logical, imo. No way to center furniture and tv stand in the room?

It seemed the most logical option to me as well until I realized that such placement requires at least another 2" of clearance in order to angle the Horizon up 8 degrees. The compact horizon is 8" tall, the space between the speaker shelf and the top shelf of the TV stand is 8.5". Of course, I could buy another TV stand or mod the one I have, but at that point I might as well be trying to accommodate the regular Horizon.

Actually, that is another option that I forgot to list. I could add about 6" to the top of the TV stand legs, enough to fit an angled up regular Horizon on the center speaker shelf. The TV height would be borderline acceptable without having to get a tilting mount, as the vertical viewing angle would be about 4 degrees. Maybe this one is the winner? Added it to the OP as option 8.

Unfortunately, the couch can't be centered as there's a kitchen island barely visible on the left edge of the photo, so there has to be a walkway between the couch and the island.


How about building a shelf above the TV?

A bit more DIY than I want to do, but I've considered it. I'm not sure how I would mount it. I think it would have to be screwed into the the front surface of the window ledge and its top surface would be at 14" above the top of the ledge.


How about setting the TV on top of the Horizon? The speaker is easily strong enough.

I've thought about this too. I'm sure the speaker would be fine and it's just the perfect size to fit the TV base. However, that would raise the TV 11" and definitely require a mount that can tilt forward 8 degrees, at which point I'm back to the BDI Arena floor-standing mount and no longer need to put the TV on top of the Horizon.

[curtis]

I've thought about this too. I'm sure the speaker would be fine and it's just the perfect size to fit the TV base. However, that would raise the TV 11" and definitely require a mount that can tilt forward 8 degrees, at which point I'm back to the BDI Arena floor-standing mount and no longer need to put the TV on top of the Horizon.
Why would you need a mount?

If the TV were raised 11", would the bottom of the screen still be at or below eye level when viewing?

[JustaSheep]

Have you considered an extending wall mount at $70?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000WL6YY8/ref=dp_image_z_0?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics

I use this one. It's hard to tell from your picture but it looks like it will extend out far enough to escape the nook. It will also let you tilt, if necessary. My 55" plasma extends out 20" all day every day and the standard Horizon is sitting on top of my 23" tv stand. I think the mount will go out another 3 or 4 inches.

This was easily the best (and coincidentally cheapest) option for my situation.

[Kisakuku]

Why would you need a mount?

If the TV were raised 11", would the bottom of the screen still be at or below eye level when viewing?

The bottom of the screen would be at around eye level, but as my viewing distance is about 8', the viewing angle for the top edge of the screen would be around 17 degrees. My LCD would be pretty close to showing some degraded contrast and blooming at that point. I would definitely prefer to have the ability to tilt the TV forward


Have you considered an extending wall mount at $70?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000WL6YY8/ref=dp_image_z_0?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics

I use this one. It's hard to tell from your picture but it looks like it will extend out far enough to escape the nook. It will also let you tilt, if necessary. My 55" plasma extends out 20" all day every day and the standard Horizon is sitting on top of my 23" tv stand. I think the mount will go out another 3 or 4 inches.

This was easily the best (and coincidentally cheapest) option for my situation.

This I definitely haven't thought about. After doing some measurements, I don't think it would work. The arm would have to extend about 30". Also, the back wall of the "nook" is not parallel to the front surface of the ledge, making this even more of an awkward arrangement.

After some WAF-mandated deliberations tonight, I think option 8 is firmly in the lead, so I'm going to submit my order and start gathering supplies for TV stand modding. Thanks a lot for everybody's help!

[choirbass]

This would go against what you were initially thinking and may not be an option since it seemingly has already been ordered, but if possible what about foregoing the Horizon, and instead spending the now available funds on ordering RAAL upgrades for the Sierra Towers instead? You wouldn't need to vary and accommodate seemingly an only inconvenient placement so much, and your front channels would be the best they can be. It does seem more ideal that way, IMO.

[Kisakuku]

This would go against what you were initially thinking and may not be an option since it seemingly has already been ordered, but if possible what about foregoing the Horizon, and instead spending the now available funds on ordering RAAL upgrades for the Sierra Towers instead? You wouldn't need to vary and accommodate seemingly an only inconvenient placement so much, and your front channels would be the best they can be. It does seem more ideal that way, IMO.

I really enjoy the cheapo Heil AMT tweeters in my current setup, so all three Ascends were ordered with ribbon tweeters.

[choirbass]

I really enjoy the cheapo Heil AMT tweeters in my current setup, so all three Ascends were ordered with ribbon tweeters.

Awesome :)

[Kisakuku]

A belated follow-up. I ended up extending the legs of the TV stand by 5". Apparently, the manufacturer changed the thickness of the corner posts after I bought the stand, so the extension are a bit thicker than the original legs. The center is angled up 4 degrees with Auralex foam wedges from a ProPADs kit. I might add another layer to get the angle to 8 degrees.

Stock TV stand doesn't tilt, so the vertical viewing angle is a bit suboptimal, but I'm not seeing any extra blooming or contrast issues. The right tower is about 1.5' from the wall, an unfortunate compromise due to overall room layout.

Satin espresso Sierra Towers / Horizon with RAALs, Rythmik F15HP, Denon 4311CI, Sony XBR-55HX929:

http://i.imgur.com/u7NkTVv.jpg (http://imgur.com/u7NkTVv)