Q Can a center channel in a 5.1 system be placed in the ceiling over the screen pointing downward, or does it have to be placed underneath the screen facing outward? - Clint, Bowie, Md.

Clint -

The ideal place for a center channel is actually in the middle of the screen. Of course, that’s impossible unless you put a speaker behind an acoustically transparent screen.

The next best place is immediately above or below the screen.

The reason for the location is because the center channel generally contains the dialog or other on-screen sounds. Because of the directionality of non-bass frequencies, the human ear can actually tell if the sound is coming from about the right place, so it will sound “wrong” if the sound comes from somewhere else. Above and below the center of the screen are close enough that it doesn’t matter.

We do use ceiling-mounted speakers (L/C/R and surrounds) in some instances. When we do, we always make sure the speaker is angled toward the viewer, so that the directional sounds don’t go straight down into the floor, and then get distributed in a fairly random pattern around the room. Angling the speaker toward the listening area will make sure the sound appears to be coming directly from the screen. However, in order to make this work, you need to have the L/C/R ceiling speakers as far forward in the room as possible. Otherwise, the ear will localize the sound to be too high.

Note that, from a purists viewpoint, this isn’t ideal. But from an interior design viewpoint, it may be desirable for any number of reasons.

Also note that several companies have been experimenting with front height channels - that is, a left and right front channel that’s roughly above the normal L/R speakers. These manufacturers believe that the additional height channels will increase the perception of the soundstage, offering a fuller sound than possible with just a flat speaker arrangement. Of course, height channels are not practical with ceiling mounted L/C/R speakers!

This is a common problem that I keep seeing in our custom installation, especially mounting over the fireplace.  Would anyone be interested in a Custom Center Channel Mantel?  We are in development with a prominent speaker manufacturer, and would like to get thoughts of people in the industry.

Clint,
Listen to Rob Schultz… He’s right on the money across the board.

Dave

Jay,
Save your energy… Take a look at the line of Artison speakers which integrate the center channel into the front L/R main speakers. Great stuff!

Not enough information… type of display?....is this over the fireplace?...is this your main theater or secondary?...

Generally, speakers up front are recommended to be at or near ear level.  Contrary to manufacturer claims, it is a poor choice to select in-ceiling speakers for front mains/center in a home theater set-up.  If this is not a fireplace scenario, mount the display/screen about 36-40 inches of the ground and place the center speaker directly underneath.  For your mains, you can either place them horizontally, similar to center, or vertically to L/R of the screen.  Depending upon your equipment and the situation, if you placing the center below the display is rather low, you may be able to use a dual center speaker option with one placed directly above and directly below the screen.  This will, in effect, image the sound of the center channel directly between the two speakers, which, in this case, would create the illusion of the sound coming directly from the center of the screen.

If you have no other choice, ceiling mount them, but just recognize you are going to really sacrifice audio performance.  Best of luck.

Troy D. Janda
Private Theaters
http://www.privatetheatersfl.com