# LCR alignment



## Clint (Feb 7, 2010)

I currently have three 2-way speakers (and a sub) behind an AT screen, aligned vertically, i.e. each with the tweeter above the mid, TM. I'm replacing them with somewhat larger speakers with a tweeter between two mids, MTM. How should I mount the new speakers?

Horizontal Horizontal Horizontal
Vertical Vertical Vertical
Vertical Horizontal Vertical
Other?

Screen is 10' wide. Current mounts are spaced 4' apart at ear height. New speakers are 18" long/tall. Prime seat is 15' back. Thanks.


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

Clint said:


> I currently have three 2-way speakers (and a sub) behind an AT screen, aligned vertically, i.e. each with the tweeter above the mid, TM. I'm replacing them with somewhat larger speakers with a tweeter between two mids, MTM. How should I mount the new speakers?
> 
> Horizontal Horizontal Horizontal
> Vertical Vertical Vertical
> ...


Vertical Vertical Vertical always.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

If they were designed to be used vertically,(and not horizontally as centre speakers) then that's how they should be mounted..


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## glaufman (Nov 25, 2007)

Vertical. 
Sometimes, even centers that are supposedly designed to be used horizontally sound better (over a larger listener area) as verticals... YMMV on that.


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## Clint (Feb 7, 2010)

Actually, VVV has been my plan all along. I just wanted other opinions.

Though I did wonder if a HHH would give me a wider sound field and if that would be an improvement or not. As MTM speakers, the tweeters will be in the same location in either orientation. Would it not be better to have the mids spread out along an axis at ear height? Why would having 3 mids above and 3 below that axis be better?


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## glaufman (Nov 25, 2007)

Mids spread can create lobing effects across whichever axis they're spread over. In general, more seating locations are spread further across the horizontal axis than the vertical axis, making lobing (generally) more damaging in the horizontal direction than the vertical one.


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## Clint (Feb 7, 2010)

Sorry, what's "lobing"?


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## glaufman (Nov 25, 2007)

Sorry, this isn't really the right term technically... but what I was trying to refer to is the tendency of two drivers spaced slightly apart from each other playing the same frequencies having a cancellation effect in certain places and an additive effect at other places. It makes for an uneven frequency response at certain locations, and differeing responses across many locations... this is an inherent flaw in many horizontally designed MTM (midrange-tweeter-midrange) center channel speakers... The centers that have a tweeter on top of a mid, then flanked with 2 woofers (3-way design) generally don't suffer from this as much, nor do so-called 2.5 way designs where the mid on one side or the other has it's frequency range limited to try and stay out of the frequencies that would interfere (based on the space between the drivers)... tapered array's work in a similar manner though I don't remember the technicaly difference between those and the 2.5 way design...


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## subzero (Jan 25, 2010)

Even centers that are supposedly designed to be used horizontally sound better.


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