My perception is that the setup of most home audio systems is dictated by fairly arbitrary constraints, things like the height of the TV stand, the height of the left and right speaker, and our cultural knowledge of what such a system is supposed to look like. So we have a left and right with tweeter near center line of the TV, and a center channel below the TV.
So the first question should be, is the "normal" configuration an optimal system, or can it be improved?
Next question: If we throw out all the pre-made furniture, and if we are use DIY speakers that can be made any way we like, what theory would give the best possible results for audio quality? My particular interest is arranging the left, center, and right channels relative to a TV. And the hope is that the resulting arrangement would be equally suited for stereo and multi-channel. The intent is to use it for stereo, movies, and atmos music.
Anecdotally Ethan Winer has shared his home theater setup, where he uses active studio monitors all placed at equal height, with a projection screen above the center channel. Is this acoustically superior? Or does it really not matter what height speakers are?
For context about my specific thought process, my speakers-in-progress were designed with the horns matching the vertical center line of my TV (65"). It seems ideal for stereo, which is where I've been at for awhile now. But if I add a center channel either above or below the TV, the horn center is approx 24" above or below the horns on the right or left. I think this might become noticeable.
At this point I can change anything. The height of the TV, the height of the speakers, the location of the horns within the speaker cabinet, the design of the center channel and the expected location of the center channel. So I'm just in search of a theory to guide my design.
So the first question should be, is the "normal" configuration an optimal system, or can it be improved?
Next question: If we throw out all the pre-made furniture, and if we are use DIY speakers that can be made any way we like, what theory would give the best possible results for audio quality? My particular interest is arranging the left, center, and right channels relative to a TV. And the hope is that the resulting arrangement would be equally suited for stereo and multi-channel. The intent is to use it for stereo, movies, and atmos music.
Anecdotally Ethan Winer has shared his home theater setup, where he uses active studio monitors all placed at equal height, with a projection screen above the center channel. Is this acoustically superior? Or does it really not matter what height speakers are?
For context about my specific thought process, my speakers-in-progress were designed with the horns matching the vertical center line of my TV (65"). It seems ideal for stereo, which is where I've been at for awhile now. But if I add a center channel either above or below the TV, the horn center is approx 24" above or below the horns on the right or left. I think this might become noticeable.
At this point I can change anything. The height of the TV, the height of the speakers, the location of the horns within the speaker cabinet, the design of the center channel and the expected location of the center channel. So I'm just in search of a theory to guide my design.