KEF Ci3160RL-THX Horizontal Placement

[jimk1963]

Rebuilding family room wall to place KEF Ci3160 horizontally under or over an 82" Samsung TV (which is 41" tall). Looking for guidance in placing the new speaker - above the TV or below the TV.

Room particulars: 9 foot ceiling; we sit 14 feet from the TV wall, which is 13 feet wide. A 13 foot wide built-in credenza sits under the TV and houses 2 15" subs and all the electronics. The credenza is 13 foot wide x 28.5" tall x 25" deep.

Currently: Bottom of the TV sits 4 inches above the credenza, i.e., vertically it occupies 32.5" up to 73.5" (from the floor). Existing center channel in-wall speaker (B&W CWM7.4) sits above the TV, bottom is 3" higher than TV (so vertically occupies 76.5" up to 92" from the floor).

If I place the KEF speaker above the TV, horizontally, the center of the speaker would be about 81" above the floor. The downward angle (81" high, 168" to the listener) is about 24 degrees, well within the speaker's off-axis capabilities. Seems reasonable, although I'd rather have the speaker at ear level. TV height wouldn't have to change, our upward viewing angle would remain at ~5 degrees.

If I place the speaker below the TV, the center of the speaker needs to be as low as possible so the TV isn't raised more than necessary. With 8" of TV raise, the speaker would sit about 1 1/2" above the credenza surface and 1 1/2" below the TV bottom. TV viewing angle rises to about 7 degrees, still manageable. But my concern/question is regarding the speaker's proximity to the 25" deep credenza top surface. The downward-firing sound will bounce off the credenza surface, but am unsure what this will do to the frequency response. Will this create a big problem? If so, is there a minimum height I would need to keep the speaker above this credenza top surface to avoid issues? If the answer is something like 1 foot or more, then below-the-TV placement is out because I don't want to be craning my neck upward to watch TV. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

By the way the LR's will be Ci5160's.... one pic shows its guesstimated cutout location (Left side).

Original TV placement - note the experimental speaker box for the Ci3160, just made it so I could play with the speaker before installing it into the wall.

TV and B&W in-walls have been removed - placed the speaker horizontally to show what it might look like in the wall, an inch or two above the credenza. Speaker cutout (Left side) is Ci5160RL-THX, which will sit at same height as TV.

 

[Koeitje]

Whatever you do don't put it above your TV. It needs to be sort of in line with your fronts. Just imagine a car driving by on screen. Do you want to have that sound like the car is going over a little hill .

 

[jimk1963]

Whatever you do don't put it above your TV. It needs to be sort of in line with your fronts. Just imagine a car driving by on screen. Do you want to have that sound like the car is going over a little hill .

Thanks for the input. We‘ve lived with the over-tv CCH placement for 7 years, not as bad as we feared but yes, not ideal. The only other option is below the TV, which will be exactly the same distance from the LR speakers as above the TV. Instead of over a little hill, I guess it’s through a little ditch lol! My main worry though is the 25” deep credenza shelf. Thinking it will cause a boomy boundary effect and ruin the dialogue. Sucks not having an AT screen sometimes.

 

[Koeitje]

Thanks for the input. We‘ve lived with the over-tv CCH placement for 7 years, not as bad as we feared but yes, not ideal. The only other option is below the TV, which will be exactly the same distance from the LR speakers as above the TV. Instead of over a little hill, I guess it’s through a little ditch lol! My main worry though is the 25” deep credenza shelf. Thinking it will cause a boomy boundary effect and ruin the dialogue. Sucks not having an AT screen sometimes.

Well, also consider that when you have a close up of an actor their mouths are usually at the bottom of the screen. I just find it odd to have the sound come from the top. I probably would find that more annoying than any boundary effect.

 

[jimk1963]

Decided on below the TV, center channel speaker cutout is 4" above the credenza, so the speaker center point will be ~8 inches above that surface. Hopefully enough to mitigate some of the boundary effect boominess. Tomorrow is primer/paint, Friday the 5160's and 3160 and TV go up on the wall. New sheetrock was installed using construction adhesive and screws, per KEF's recommendation. Insulation added to all the stud bays except for the speaker bays. For those I will install a small amount of lightweight material right behind the speakers only. My biggest concern is placing these 40 lb monsters into the tight openings without damaging the wall. KEF's mounting design is robust, for sure, but it's a high-wire act to manipulate 40 lbs with virtually nothing to grab onto as it goes into the wall. Basically have to rely on the bottom piece of drywall to hold up the entire weight of the speaker. Gulp.

 

[lwbbones]

How did this work out? I'm looking at the exact same layout and have been stressing about the boundary effect from the credenza also. I'm considering placing my 3160 in the cabinet below instead. Are those subs in the corners?

 

[jimk1963]

How did this work out? I'm looking at the exact same layout and have been stressing about the boundary effect from the credenza also. I'm considering placing my 3160 in the cabinet below instead. Are those subs in the corners?

Worked out well. Bottom of CC is 4” above the credenza, placing the center firing points about 8.5-9” above the credenza surface. Both Dirac and Audyssey EQ’s reported no significant issues with the CC placement, easily EQ’ing the transfer function. My only caution is that these speakers are serious power hogs. Read the specs and believe them. Four ohms, a bit lower at some frequencies, and hungry for power. Sound awesome, just don’t be surprised at the heat generated by your amp(s).

 

[lwbbones]

Thanks for replying, glad to hear it's working well. I figured those speakers might require some help, am planning on buying a Buckeye 3 Channel Purifi amp to power the LCR. My boundary might be helped even further because I'm bringing the TV forward 1 foot, so only 1 foot of credenza top to worry about.

Many months ago when I was doing the planning, I was trying to see if putting the sub in a cabinet was reasonable. I feel like your layout looks familiar from that time -- did you post about that too?

This was my layout, I'll revisit it now I know I have more options. Thanks again!

 

[jimk1963]

Thanks for replying, glad to hear it's working well. I figured those speakers might require some help, am planning on buying a Buckeye 3 Channel Purifi amp to power the LCR. My boundary might be helped even further because I'm bringing the TV forward 1 foot, so only 1 foot of credenza top to worry about.

Many months ago when I was doing the planning, I was trying to see if putting the sub in a cabinet was reasonable. I feel like your layout looks familiar from that time -- did you post about that too?

This was my layout, I'll revisit it now I know I have more options. Thanks again!

View attachment 302072

Don’t recall posting about my layout previously, but could be. I wander back and forth between here and AVS. My built-in is 25” deep instead of standard 24”, so it can fit my Hsu VTF-3 MK5 subs. The subs sit directly on the floor, with the sub faces placed close to the cabinet door speaker cloth. Both sub ports are on the front side as well. My hope was the cabinets would not influence the frequency response too much, seems to have worked out well. The corner sub is of course boomier than the opposite sub, but no surprise there.

 

[quattro98]

With these setups, what do you think about moving the LR down so the horizontal difference across the LCR is minimized? I don't see a need to have the LR centered on the screen.

 

[Descartes]

How do you reinforce your wall to put a 5160 horizontally in wall to be placed under the TV!