• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Low clearance below TV for Center

notabenem

Active Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
Messages
183
Likes
118
I have a rather low clearance below the TV (<16cm). A (decent) center with 5" woofers won't fit.
I was wondering, how about using 2 bookshelves on each side of the TV wired in parallel and connected to the AMPs CENTER channel?
Certainly it is going to be more expensive than a single center, but It would allow bigger woofers, easier placement. Not sure about the sound and the load on the AMP though. Do you think this is a good or bad idea?
 

HooStat

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
856
Likes
933
Location
Calabasas, CA
You are better off getting a smaller speaker and setting the cross over to the sub higher. Or find a way to mount the speaker above the TV. Or just go with a phantom center (i.e., left and right but no center). I did the latter for many years and it works fine, generally. Depends a bit on your room and listening distance.
 

dougi

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
May 31, 2020
Messages
845
Likes
763
Location
ACT, Australia
Wiring in series would be better for loading and use 4 ohm speakers to get 8 ohms overall. Careful placement would be key as you are effectively using them to again rely on a phantom image between them. Worth a try.
 

Haint

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2020
Messages
346
Likes
452
I have a rather low clearance below the TV (<16cm). A (decent) center with 5" woofers won't fit.
I was wondering, how about using 2 bookshelves on each side of the TV wired in parallel and connected to the AMPs CENTER channel?
Certainly it is going to be more expensive than a single center, but It would allow bigger woofers, easier placement. Not sure about the sound and the load on the AMP though. Do you think this is a good or bad idea?

No idea about 2 bookshelves wired as a pseudocenter, but you could just buy a height adjustable universal pedestal/tabletop stand. They're basically a free floating wallmount bracket attached to a heavy pedestal stand, Amazon has a dozen different models. The largest ones will adjust high enough to accommodate a fullsize bookshelf in vertical.
 

napilopez

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
Messages
2,109
Likes
8,420
Location
NYC
I have a rather low clearance below the TV (<16cm). A (decent) center with 5" woofers won't fit.
I was wondering, how about using 2 bookshelves on each side of the TV wired in parallel and connected to the AMPs CENTER channel?
Certainly it is going to be more expensive than a single center, but It would allow bigger woofers, easier placement. Not sure about the sound and the load on the AMP though. Do you think this is a good or bad idea?

I do t know if it's any good or if it's available where you are but the new Polk R350 center measures just 5.4 inches(14.1cm) tall. Surely there are other slim centers?
 

More Dynamics Please

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Nov 18, 2020
Messages
562
Likes
752
Location
USA
If you have clearance above the TV there are various shelf mounts including some that attach securely to the TV's VESA mount allowing you to place a center speaker immediately above the TV like the example illustrated below:

flatscreen_shelf_1.jpg
 

newmedia

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2019
Messages
14
Likes
2
I had 2 large floor speakers used as center. My receiver is Lexicon RV-8 . The speakers are jamo concert 7 wired in series. It sounded great setting the center crossover at 30. Now I use 1 jamo concert 7 speaker do to different set up.
 
OP
N

notabenem

Active Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2021
Messages
183
Likes
118
How about a 4 inch(10 cm) by 10 inch (25 cm) coax car speaker which you put in an appropriate box? Even a good chance these would work on an open baffle with a little sound deadening foam behind it.

https://www.crutchfield.com/g_400/All-Car-Speakers.html?tp=105#&nvpair=FFSpeaker_Size|4x10

View attachment 120583
Interesting for a DIY project. Are these drivers any kind of decent? I like their size/shape though. Definitely a space saver!
EDIT: Those are CAR speakers. Can I drive them from my HIFI amp?
 

Blumlein 88

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
20,521
Likes
37,050
Interesting for a DIY project. Are these drivers any kind of decent? I like their size/shape though. Definitely a space saver!
EDIT: Those are CAR speakers. Can I drive them from my HIFI amp?
I haven't heard these particular ones. Some can sound pretty good. Yes, you can drive them from your hifi amp. Good ones are rated for 50 wpc or more. Plenty of car amps do have that much real power. I have used a pair of 6x9's in my garage driven by an old 45 wpc receiver in years past.

If you wanted to really nail it, use some software to measure their Thiele-Small parameters and put them the right kind of box. Most are made to open into a large open space on the back side. Which is why they can work on an open baffle reasonably well. Since you don't need them to go below 80 hz. you also can let your system do some EQ on the low end to even things out if you don't over-extend them.
 
Top Bottom