Laying front speakers horizontally

[4sfed]

Hi guys,

I am looking for some input into a problem that i am trying to resolve.

Due to a redesign of our entertainment unit, and under strict orders from the better half, i am no longer able to have my two front main speakers up on stands in the normal vertical alignment. We are in the process of installing a “floating” cabinet under the TV which is about 5m long, height of about 40cm and a depth of about 60cm.

At present i have B&W v202’s as my 2 front mains (almost 20yrs old), with a B&W centre channel + surrounds, with a DIY dual 10” Sub. I use my system probably 80% for 2channel and 20% HT use.

As i am no longer able to have the 2 front main speakers sitting in their normal alignment, i will need to have something that lays flat much like a centre channel under the TV.

After doing quite a bit of research, my understanding is that laying a speaker flat that is built to go vertical will cause all sorts of phasing issues and generally be a bad idea.

So i was thinking, would there be a benefit to building 2x centre channel style speakers (in a d’Appolito configuration) and using 2 of these as my 2 main front speakers? Having a bit of a look around on the web i came across this unit by Troels Gravesen: 8008-Center

I was really hoping that somebody may have some ideas, advice or suggestions on what the best way around my predicament would be?

Thanks in advance!

[gooki]

Try your current speakers horizontally first and see if you can hear the difference.

[AllenB]

When you lay the speakers on their sides, the response holes caused by lobing around the crossover region become issues in the horizontal plane where they may have a greater negative effect. Furthermore, you will be limited in how you point them toward the listening position and so won't be able to set the correct toe.

On the other hand, you will be faced with diffraction and reflections from the cabinet. You'll have to decide which problems you will fix, which you will treat, and which you'll ignore. The D'Appolito approach combined with some absorption around the speakers would be one way to go.

Is there any chance you could chop the bottom third off the cabinets, converting them to sealed and augmenting with subs?

[Paul W]

The 3-way you linked seems like a reasonable solution to your problem because the vertical TM pushes the dual woofer operating range lower; so horizontal woofer spacing is a lesser issue. The 3-way is a much better approach than the typical horizontal MTM.

If you have measurement and crossover skills, consider a slightly larger mid (like the MCA-15) with an even lower XO frequency. For L&R speakers, you could position both woofers toward the inside of your cabinet, or use a single 10-12" beside the TM...but this still requires measurement and XO development. Lots of possibilities.

[18Hurts]

You can pull the tweeter out, plug the hole and place it above the woofer

Give it a shot, a few screws and you can play around with setting the speakers
up horizontal.

[ODougbo]

How much room do you have? These are 15 ½” tall and are excellent for HT. A lot of bang for the buck for $133 per kit. I built 10 so far, gave/sold them to friends; they all love them. The fellows at Madisound did a nice job with the crossover but need to work on the advertising a bit. Attached are pics of the speakers and crossover supplied (no cabs.) I have one left, using it for center now.

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/mtm-speaker-kits/hds-home-theater-kit-parts-only/

Originally Posted by 4sfed

Hi guys,

I am looking for some input into a problem that i am trying to resolve.

Due to a redesign of our entertainment unit, and under strict orders from the better half, i am no longer able to have my two front main speakers up on stands in the normal vertical alignment. We are in the process of installing a “floating” cabinet under the TV which is about 5m long, height of about 40cm and a depth of about 60cm.

At present i have B&W v202’s as my 2 front mains (almost 20yrs old), with a B&W centre channel + surrounds, with a DIY dual 10” Sub. I use my system probably 80% for 2channel and 20% HT use.

As i am no longer able to have the 2 front main speakers sitting in their normal alignment, i will need to have something that lays flat much like a centre channel under the TV.

After doing quite a bit of research, my understanding is that laying a speaker flat that is built to go vertical will cause all sorts of phasing issues and generally be a bad idea.

So i was thinking, would there be a benefit to building 2x centre channel style speakers (in a d’Appolito configuration) and using 2 of these as my 2 main front speakers? Having a bit of a look around on the web i came across this unit by Troels Gravesen: 8008-Center

I was really hoping that somebody may have some ideas, advice or suggestions on what the best way around my predicament would be?

Thanks in advance!

[4sfed]

Originally Posted by AllenB

Is there any chance you could chop the bottom third off the cabinets, converting them to sealed and augmenting with subs?

You mean chop off of my current speakers? I would like to avoid this as they are original B&W's so if anything i would make new cabs for them to test it out.

Out of curiosity what are we trying to achieve by doing this?

As a side note - i already have 2x 10" sub so the augmenting with a sub is already taken care of.

[4sfed]

Originally Posted by Paul W

The 3-way you linked seems like a reasonable solution to your problem because the vertical TM pushes the dual woofer operating range lower; so horizontal woofer spacing is a lesser issue. The 3-way is a much better approach than the typical horizontal MTM.

Well thats good to know that my theory wasnt too far off the mark!

Originally Posted by Paul W

If you have measurement and crossover skills, consider a slightly larger mid (like the MCA-15) with an even lower XO frequency. For L&R speakers, you could position both woofers toward the inside of your cabinet, or use a single 10-12" beside the TM...but this still requires measurement and XO development. Lots of possibilities.

Understand what your saying but unfortunately the aforementioned skills are non existent i would be relying solely on others expertise to determine this for me as much as i wish i could do it.

[4sfed]

Originally Posted by 18Hurts

You can pull the tweeter out, plug the hole and place it above the woofer

Give it a shot, a few screws and you can play around with setting the speakers
up horizontal.

Yup sounds good - i can definitely give this a shot over the weekend and see how it goes.

[AllenB]

Originally Posted by 4sfed

Out of curiosity what are we trying to achieve by doing this?

I thought there was a height restriction. It would be the same as repositioning the tweeter only if you do unscrew it and float it instead, you'll probably create more problems than you'll solve.

You may be able to get away with a smaller box in a closed configuration (wants checking though), and a closed system may integrate better with your subs.