What speaker setup looks best? - Updated

[hanoverphist]

Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
naked speakers add architectural interest

the fabric grilles are just bland

so -- #2

but they also take focus off the tv, which is what should be the main focus. that speaker in front of it would drive me nuts too. i say covers on. the sound loss is so negligible it doesnt even make a difference.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

1. Normally I'd say naked, but in the case of mismatched speakers (especially when compared to everything else in the setup), you're just clashing all over the place, and it really makes it a bit of an eyesore. The grills help cut down on this by giving the illusion of a matched set.

 

[thepd7]

definitely with the covers

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
1. I like the look of naked speakers, but only if they match what's around them. Without the grills they clash in this situation.

Leave the grills on, or get matching speakers and leave the grills off.

 

[Tiamat]

1

You don't want to show people that you willingly purchased a horizontal MTM speaker for center duty.

 

[Toasthead]

Originally posted by: dNor
1, easily.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Leave the grills on and move those main speakers out about 2' away from the side of that stand...they are too close together.

This.

Normally I would say naked speakers because they look 100x better, but I can't in this situation. First they draw attention away from the TV, second the center doesn't match, and third they don't match the color of the entertainment center.

Also move those speakers out off the wall, second move them out from the entertainment center, and third give them some toe in. Also get the correct center for those speakers, so they are timbre matched. If the front 3 are not timbre matched they throw off the sound more than anything else.

edit: with those speakers that close to the wall and entertainment center you will get some nasty reflections. You also will have sound pushed out in non-optimal ways. The general rule of thumb is form an equilateral triangle with listening position at the tip, and speakers on each end of the base with the tv bisecting the base. Also you will want to toe them in/out, ie angle them so they are not at a 90 degree angle.

 

[abracadabra1]

1

I have nearly those identical speakers (plus the sub), except I have an earlier model. You need to get some proper spacing between your speakers and your listening point. Placing the speakers right next to the media station is not the way to go (at least when we're talking about optimizing sound quality and overall performance).

P.S. Who makes that TV stand? Design is clean and appears very nicely made.

 

[IEC]

I have my Infinity Primus P152s clothed.

They work fine.

 

[clamum]

Pic 1.

 

[Rudee]

I'd get a proper flat panel TV mount and ditch that thing you have it sitting on. Looks rather tacky IMHO.

 

[imported_Imp]

2

But use 1 for the sake of the speakers. Those grils are there for a reason.

 

[slightlyhuman]

a

 

[Zim Hosein]

Which setup?

Picture 1.

 

[Baked]

Don't go grillless unless you have some nice looking cones to show. In your case, your speakers look ugly as hell w/o the grills. In addition, you're gonna fry those 2 components packing them in such tight space. Bad idea.

BTW, my naked speaker.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Baked
Don't go grillless unless you have some nice looking cones to show. In your case, your speakers look ugly as hell w/o the grills. In addition, you're gonna fry those 2 components packing them in such tight space. Bad idea.

BTW, my naked speaker.

Mmmmmm.....kevlar.

 

[sdifox]

leave the grills on, but definitely move the speakers further out sideways.

 

[spidey07]

*facepalm*

Who cares what it looks like? OP - use your ears, place your speakers properly...it can take a while before you get them right. 2-3 weeks is normal to place them properly.

 

[vshah]

i think it'd look better if you wall mount the center above the screen

 

[Ballatician]

Grills off on the sides. Leave it on for the center.

 

[thespeakerbox]

1, because you bought ugly cabinets

 

[TridenT]

1

 

[thomsbrain]

2 looks best to me, but not to anything with a vagina. So you better leave those grills on. Also, unless you have total control over the space (no pets/kids/parties), then it's asking for trouble to not use grills.

 

[SlickSnake]

I do not like your speakers covers. I don't really like the covers on my Interludes, either, but generally I use mine, so don't feel too bad. The towers covers on yours that wrap around the base look really tacky, and I would ditch the covers on those. And the placement is bad on the towers as others have said. But I would leave the cover on the anemic 2 way center channel and flip it upside down and place it behind the TV offset a little on one side or the other so the tweeter isn't totally blocked by the base, and move the TV forwards. Just up the volume a little on the center channel to compensate for being behind the TV. I placed my center behind my TV in my bedroom HT and above the TV in the living room HT.

Seriously though, I would consider buying a matching step up 3 way center channel, if it's available. 2 way center channels generally are just really weak on the crisp dialoge you want a center channel for. But you could use that 2 way for a center behind you in a 6.1 configuration, and the fact it don't match wouldn't even be an issue. Or mount the center just above the TV on a small shelf, or on a large one if you want to put other stuff on it.

And the HD-DVD player is ROCKIN! :thumbsup:

 

[SphinxnihpS]

baked has nice speakers!

i have b&w dealer here too!