Due to contraints of room size I have no option of having the TV between the speakers.
Somewhere in the depths of my pea sized brain I read somewhere that it’s not really a good idea and if possible either move it or cover the TV with a towel or something. Always receptive to a tweak or 2 providing it doesn’t cost me anything … 
I tried it and JEEEEZ!
Now, my gear compared to many here is very modest, an Atom driving P3ESR’s but I tell you guys, I’m impressed with the difference.
An immediate improvement in clarity and soundstage, maybe more after an extended listen.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, try it, you may like it.
1 Like
That in a nutshell, describes room treatment- though different treatment has different effects, and some more dramatic than others, like this one.
Yes, a few years back, whenever I noticed a pic of someone’s listening space that had the TV between the speakers, I would subtly mention that it should have a pull down fabric cover, or something, just like covering the windows in one’s listening room. Glass is the bane of sound waves.
But alas, I had to stop myself from offering up that advice due to the many replies I would get that were slightly less than hospitable; and claiming that the sound in their room was just fine with the TV there, and uncovered.
I’m very glad that it worked out for you as it did for me. One can even purchased an electric movie screen that would roll down at the touch of a button. And I’m sure there’s lots of smaller used ones around some people that have moved up to 80 and 100 inch TVs. There are also a lot of electric roll up blinds available these days.
Happy listening.
Dave
I seem to remember that back in the 80’s Ivor Tiefenbrun, founder of Linn Products, preached the banishment of TV from the listening room, on the grounds of the potential to induce external resonances in the sound chain. It is why I have had no TV in my listening space in all that time.
Your experiment seems to confirm the wisdom of that proposition.
I think that was the theory of only having a single pair of speakers in the room … no telephone, TV speakers or even a digital watch! He claimed that the drive unit in the speaker of any other device would effect the sound… erm 
Several years later, Linn developed a home cinema AV system and there was no mention of it effecting your HiFi 2 channel sound when listening to just music.
We have no TV in the listening room, which happens to be the living room, simply because we prefer to banish the tv to other areas of the home. When in that part of the house, we just dont want to see, or hear TV. I kinda like it that way – but it was my wife’s idea and insistence all the years I know her (13 now).
How far back behind the front of your speakers was the front of the TV?
I think the further forward you have the TV the more damage it has the potential to do.
Only about 8” or 20cm. (Front of speaker to TV and about the same from the side of speaker to TV)
I’m sure a larger distance would be better but I just dont have the space available.
Shame. My TV is about 800mm back and causes no issues. But then I also have a 500L fish tank in the room so maybe I am easy to please.
Me, too, though as much for aesthetic as SQ reasons. Large flat screen TVs are not the most attractive objects when switched off.
We do have windows at both ends of our lounge and I have noticed the sound does subtly improve in the evening when the fairly heavy curtains are closed.
Roger
My speakers are each side of the fireplace so effectivly are in an alcove, but pulled into the room as far as possible. The TV is on the wall above the RH speaker and fills the alcove width, the depth being about 30 CM.
It works well with no hint of compromise. The garage is directly behind this so all cables are not on show. What I do find is, when the TV is on and all TV sound goes through the LSs, is a feeling of the image being shifted a bit towards the right. That’s subjective as you expect sound to come directly from the image. If the TV was on the wall between each speaker it would be further into the room and dominate it. The speakers do enough of that anyway!
Is there a method behind what cover is best ?
I think I have a large enough towel, the sort you would buy on holiday to put on the sunloungers at the pool in the morning. I fear the tropical colours and design might distract.
I have some tarpaulin in the garage that I could cut up but that could scratch the screen.
I have some old bedsheets that I can fold, but what colours best ?
Curtains would make me morbidly depressed, although using net curtains will allow me to still watch Emmerdale.
Very loosely speaking (pun not intended), the thicker and softer the fabric the more effective it is likely to be at reducing the high frequency reflections from the screen. But you can try anything and once something found tgat seems most effective perhaps then try getting something nice looking in a similar fabric and making a neat slip-over cover readiliy removeable and replaceable.
It could be worth trying a pillow held in place with fabric draped over.
Thank you. I do have a large enough thick fluffy black towel I could try.
We have our screen on a moveable frame between the speakers. When listening proper I try and push it back, central and perpendicular to the plane of speakers. This has a noticeable effect.
I mostly try and utilise this influence and have found some positives in soundstage, timing and other hifiness. If off at an angle away the beaming does put out imaging issues.
I shall try later.
Indeed. It’s why I dont use my stereo speakers for TV; our mind wants the voices to emanate from the faces that are speaking them – from the screen itself. I find my Bose sound bar much more satisfying for that reason; it’s directly under the screen. Voices are located appropriately.
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.