Center channel height recommendations Martin Logan Theater

[audiodogster]

I am still building my budget hi-fi setup and want some opinions on my center channel placement. I have a huge Martin Logan Theater center channel (43 inches wide, 11.5 inches deep) that I have about $0 in but I need to put $120 into it to fix damage from shipping (the reason why I have nothing in it, I got a full refund). I am looking at buying some Martin Logan electrostats for the fronts to pair with this center channel, have a line on a pair of SL3. So the issue is, I have to make some compromises to mount this center channel because I am using a motorized 120 inch screen that'll roll down from a shelf on the wall. I plan to mount the speaker to the shelf as mounting it behind the screen is not an option because I have a large painting behind it (5'w 7'h) This means the center channel will be ~9.5' in the air and about 14 feet from the listening position (horizontally, 15' diagonally to my ear height at the listening position). It will be tilted down, approximately 24 degrees from level. Is that too crazy of an angle or should I figure out better placement for acoustics?

 

[Wildcat]

That does seem rather high. You must have tall ceilings.

I would almost think it could be mounted below the screen, pointing upward a bit. 9.5' seems awfully high to me. But, the only way to do this right would be to try it in either location and see how it sounds.

I would be careful of the SL3, though. If the panels are original, they are likely getting weaker over the years, and will not put out the sound level that they should. Hopefully you can hear the panels hooked up and operating. Listening from top to bottom closely on my Sequel IIs, I could hear spots in the panel that were not putting out much sound at all. A seller might say they sound OK, but the deterioration is gradual, and not noticed until the panels are replaced. I picked mine up for nearly nothing, but given all the work they need (which I may not have time for), I am actively shopping for a much newer model.

 

[KevinJS]

I agree with @Wildcat. I'd have the centre under the screen tilted up. With 14' between the screen and MLP, maybe mount it on a stand a few feet it front of the screen. You'll want the electrostats well away from the front wall in any case. I'd suggest looking for a pair of Theos, and not just because that's what I use. The woofers in them are passive, meaning less to go wrong.

 

[swechsler]

I agree with the placement below the screen (I have a similar size screen, although it's not a roll-up. I have my center channel mounted directly below and it sounds great). Consider that with a large screen installation like this, the audience is closer to the bottom of the screen than the top..

One additional thing to keep in mind is that as dipoles, electrostatics normally need to be placed away from the wall. Do you have enough space to do that?

 

[Wildcat]

Some of ML's home theater surround stats seem to be designed with close placement to walls in mind (and for centers especially, as they come with a wall-mount bracket). But it's the main L/R stats I would be concerned about having room for and placing correctly.

 

[swechsler]

Some of ML's home theater surround stats seem to be designed with close placement to walls in mind (and for centers especially, as they come with a wall-mount bracket). But it's the main L/R stats I would be concerned about having room for and placing correctly.

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant - I was talking about the L/R speakers, especially since the SL3 was not designed for home theater (not that that should prevent you from using it for that - as long as you have the space).

 

[classic carl]

I would put the center channel speaker at ear level on a stand beneath the screen. Mine sits on top of one of the subs in my 2 channel system, which happens to be at ear level when I'm sitting in my chair. They are never on at the same time.

 

[audiodogster]

I agree with Kevin and Wildcat. How much damage has been done to your center channel? Perhaps you might be able to do a repair, sand and paint yourself back to new? I had a Paradigm center that had high gloss black that fell off the shelf onto the floor. I had filled the hole/damage, sanded it down, taped it off and sprayed it and it turned out 9/10...

The tweeter stem as ML calls it was crushed, no other damage. I haven't had a chance to really listen to it yet but I think one of the tweeters might be messed up although it is a fabric dome so it might be fine. At the very least, the tweeter assembly needs replacing, about $25, the tweeters are about $85 each. I don't know if the electrostatic panel has degraded, it is a first gen CLS unit, I think the SL3 is as well. I will pass on the SL3 as I wasn't aware of those issues, that sounds expensive to replace.


Yea I think I will look into how to mount it down lower. I'll have to rethink my turntable location but that isn't a huge deal, I may just put that in a separate room anyway for isolation.

 

[audiodogster]

And yes, I can probably have speakers 3 feet out from the wall if needed. The wall behind will have built in bookshelves full of books so I don't think the typical dipole reflection problems should be that bad.

 

[Wildcat]

I think the minimum ML calls for (at least in recent models) is at least two feet from the rear wall. Of course, more distance is better. Those books will actually help diffuse the angle of the reflected sound from the back, so, that is actually a good thing to have.

The electrostatic panel on the center channel should be OK. The SL3 could work OK as well but, it is a much older product, so that is why I suggested giving it a listen beforehand. Specifically, listening up close along the full height of the panel, to see if there are any major dead spots in them. Sometimes vacuuming or even washing the panels in a shower can help restore them a little (check the martinloganowners.com forum) but the conductive coating just degrades over time. It also depends on how it was cared for--was it covered when not in use? Did it sit uncovered in front of a sunny window in a dusty room?

Speaking with a factory rep last year at an audio show, the newer panels have diaphragms which are coated using different methods now and are in essence a "lifetime" coating. I did not ask at what point this happened, but it would be helpful to know, for those of us looking at used ML models.