# Need some suggestions on beginner theater



## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

So i currently have a samsung 8000 series led 55" tv with a rocketfish voltage stabilizer and a samsung bluray player. I am looking into surround sound and i was leaning toward the SVsound scs 5.0 package and an onkyo tx-nr616. The issue is that my tv is mounted over a mantle and only has a few inches of space below it approx 6 if i move the tv so that its all the way up to the ceiling. the scs center channel is too tall at 7". Does anyone have any suggestions on center channels that dont take up much room as far as height goes and are still reasonable. I know the soundbars are pretty small but i was trying for a 5.1 system. Does anyone recommend any soundbars or should i continue to stay away? I am trying to stay under $1000 which is why im not springing for the sub with the scs package, but i want decent stuff so i figure a good receiver and speakers for now maybe a sub shortly or a cheaper one for now maybe the dayton 1200 that has been mentioned in other posts.

Thanks,

Brad


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## 94vg30de (May 16, 2012)

Do you own the place where the TV sits or do you rent? Why is it above the fireplace? That seems like a not-nice place to put it... 

Either way, if you can't move the TV, my approach would be two-fold. 1. Make a bracket that mounts the Center channel immediately below the TV, bumped out from the wall/fireplace as much as possible. 2. Get the shallowest center channel you can get your hands on. The further out the face of the speaker is, the weirder the baffle-step response is going to be.


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## coaks6 (Jul 29, 2012)

I own the place and its really the only possible place for it the way the room is setup its a rectangular room with the fireplace on one side and its open to the rest of the downstairs on the other side. i attached a picture of how its currently setup. I do need to move the tv up a couple inches to center it but it would have to be touching the ceiling for me to have 6 inches below it. Any new thoughts or sticking with what you said before? Thanks for the ideas


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## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

Your other option is go with a 4.1 system and skip the center. High quality left/right speakers that are properly located may reproduce dialogue clearer than settling for an inferior center to get something that will fit or using a less than ideal center placement.


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## hjones4841 (Jan 21, 2009)

phreak said:


> Your other option is go with a 4.1 system and skip the center. High quality left/right speakers that are properly located may reproduce dialogue clearer than settling for an inferior center to get something that will fit or using a less than ideal center placement.


The "phantom" center will certainly work, but the image will shift as the listener moves off the centerline of the two front mains.


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm a little ghetto so I would look into mounting the center from the mantle. If you cringe at that idea then maybe look into an in-ceiling speaker (assuming you have access) you could also hide that HDMI cable at the same time.


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## 94vg30de (May 16, 2012)

I would be thinking about something like the Overnight sensation (https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/updates/overnightsensationcenterchannelbipolewhatwhen), where the width visually matches the width of the mantle/tv, but the height is narrow. Basically, looking for a center channel that is a short array, or at least physically approximates one. Google search for "line array center channel" produces this among others: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/142434/line-array-as-center-channel


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