Center Channel Height: How vertically off-axis can you be before a tilt is recommended?

[chris-lukowski]

I’ve seen a few sample photos where the 1723 Center is laid flat without any kind of tilt. While they do make tilting stands like the IsoAcoustics Aperta 300, they add considerable height to an already tall speaker (in this case adding another 3.5″ with the tilt engaged). Based on your experience, how many degrees off-axis can you be vertically before there is an audible difference and/or dialogue intelligibility takes a hit?

 

For example, if one sits 10 feet back and I place the center on a 22″ console, the acoustic center would be 27″ high, 11″ below MLP ear height for an angle of about 5°. Would a tilt mechanism make any sense here?

[Lukas]

Hi Chris,

Due to the MTM design, the listening window up and down is much higher than left and right. 5 degrees basically is no difference in sound. It is more a personal preference as with the toe-in on your main speakers.
I personally like having the speakers pointing directly at me for the most direct sound.