Covering a TV behind your speakers?

Is there a detriment to having television on while listening?..Especially Plasma? Tube invaders? Cartridge?

Try using a regular TV cover (so you have a ready-made base and don't have to sew it yourself) and sew it around with an acoustic foam or fabric. Something like this plus this. Choose lightweight materials for paneling, and when choosing the cover, also pay attention so it doesn't damage your TV screen from the inside. Such a construction turn out budget-friendly and could really work

Funny thing, @cat_doorman

I always say that the apparent sound stage is limited in the same dimension as the room treatment.

If you want better depth, treat behind the speakers and behind the listener. Want more width? Treat the sides. Height.... same idea. :)

Best,

E

I sometimes watch movies through my 2 channel system (no HT) so the TV is mounted on the wall between the speaker that are pulled out into the room several feet. I just started looking into this while planning some room treatments. I wasn’t sure how much it would matter so u was going to leave it to the last phase of treatments and maybe experiment. It just so happens that my TV developed a picture issue and needs to be replaced. After I pulled it off the wall I noticed an increase in soundstage depth. I suspect a sliding cover or curtains or removable panels or something would be an improvement in theory but cumbersome in practice.

I have a mic coming soon to take some baseline room measurements as the project goes forward. It’ll be interesting to see if mounting the new TV will show up on the measurements as well as my ears. I might just treat around it. I was on the fence about treatments before. Intellectually I knew an untreated room would make it more difficult to get my system to live up to its potential, but it’s still hard to pay $$$$ for a bunch of fabric and foam wall art. A little change in soundstage I wasn’t even looking for makes it easier to believe. 

@bkeske thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

@devilboy 

As I was trying to figure out how much this (acoustic treatmernts) would work, I purchased some acoustic absorption panels, and for diffusion, finally chose some architectural 3D/sculpted polymer type 'tiles'. A box of them, approx 18"x18" cost me about $70 for ten (? cannot remember exactly). The are primarily for a 3D architectural surface 'decoration' on walls, etc., and can be painted, which I did for my fireplace opening between the speakers to blend-in the brick surround at the opening. The ones on the walls I just kept unpainted, or white. But, while studying my options, I saw others had used them for audio diffusion purposes as well, so took a shot.

They do work, as there is a difference with and without. As it is also my living room, they are also fairly non-offensive in looks. Are they as good as true purpose built audio diffusion panels? Probably not, no, but they do help and do work. I may consider replacing them with a true audio product in the future, but right now I'm pleased with the results.

@bkeske  May I ask what you are using for diffusion?

@devilboy

I tried both between my speakers, so it was essentially picking the one which sounded best. To me.


Absorption was kinda like a magnet in between my speaker and seemed to flatten and kind of soften the imaging and soundstage. Diffusion did the opposite, providing for a wider and deeper stage. I have both absorption and diffusion behind each speaker as well (the rear and rear sides).


Best thing to do is experiment. If you can.

@bkeske  Thanks. I thought so. Like you said, it also depends on the room. 
I think I'm going to get some diffusion or better yet, make something myself on the cheap and try it out.

@devilboy 

Isn't it better to use diffusion in front of your TV instead of absorption?
I have a TV between my speakers. I've been using a blanket over it when I listen however I'm questioning that method lately.

I suggested the same in an earlier post, and would tend to agree. But, it may also be up to your room and speakers. That said, it is wrong to assume absorption first, or only.

in my case, as I said, I will not put a TV  or any other equipment between my speakers, and for me, diffusion worked better than absorption for the overall soundstage improvement. 

Isn't it better to use diffusion in front of your TV instead of absorption?
I have a TV between my speakers. I've been using a blanket over it when I listen however I'm questioning that method lately.

As you can see from my Virtual System, my TV is further back on my rack so it's closer to the wall. I was thinking of putting some sort of diffusive panel in front of it when I listen. 

Thoughts?

For real sound deadening, I made a screen out of three large terrycloth towels and a 1X2 wood frame. All black, and it fits the tv perfectly. It hangs from 2 brackets on the top. Most people don’t even recognize that the tv is covered. For music-only there is quite an improvement in spaciousness, clarity and imaging.
Some testing that I remember reading about said that terrycloth towels were better than commercial products for sound absorption. Try this. Hold up three bath towels and speak to someone. Great attenuation.

Typically improves depth of soundstage and if your speakers are 4ft from the back wall or closer,  hanging a drape on the entire wall helps.  Look hokey.  WAF could be a big problem 

I use a heavy  Canadian Hudson Blanket over my 50 inch TV which is at a 90% degree angle to my  speaker and that makes a difference .
Also the stripes on it is easy on the eye.
I do it because  , living in a 850 sq ft one bedroom condo, I have no choice .

I also refuse to have a screen between my speakers.  I do use GIK diffusers and have 4 of them behind and between the speakers. Sound stage is incredible.

Occasionally I do watch TV off to the side as a visual background to music. 

Ideally I would like to have the screen between the speakers. 
I would do it if they made a screen with convex curvature.   

I too, have found benefits to putting a highly textured throw over my TV for serious listening. Free to try...

Okay, after reading this article I gave the blanket over a 65" tv setting atop a stand behind the speaker a shot. I had a relatively thick blanket to use...and sure enough, there’s a much better soundstage than before. I didn’t believe it would make much of a difference, but it does. A hearty thank you to the AG crowd chiming in!

A sound absorbing panel that covers our flatscreen tv improves the sound of my system. Haven’t tried a diffuser panel.
I use a commercial acoustic panel leaning at a slight angle in front of our 42” tv, during a listening session; and remove it to a space between the wall and a small cabinet when not in use. 
The tv sits on top of an open -shelf component stand approx 24” high; Magnepan speakers positioned in a plane 24” in front of the tv.

I’ve heard a couple of folks say the audio sound field is in front of the TV, thus no effect, so no worry about reflections from the TV behind it.

How, exactly, does that theory work with my MMGs? Or any other bipolar speaker that radiates sound from the front AND the back, especially when they're 3-4' out from the wall the television shares?

For the record, I had a bit of material left over on a roll of landscaping geofabric. It’s black, so blends in nicely. I cut a small roll of it to a width just past each edge of the flat-screen television and long enough to hang just below the bottom edge. I unroll it and hang it off the top (had the wife sew a narrow "quiver" or slot in the top that I slid a wooden dowel into. Still light, but heavy enough to anchor the piece to the top of the television. When I want to listen critically, I pull it out, unroll it over the television, and enjoy. I can say it certainly doesn’t HURT my soundstage depth/width, and seems to my ear to deliver a bigger difference with well-recorded and mixed music like Steely Dan. It always sounds quite good to begin with, but pulling down the veil over the television kind of serves as a cherry on top when listening hard.

Bingo! All electronic equipment even if not in use hurts the sound. Musical instruments, too. CDs stored in the room, too. And I say that with some risk to myself from cargo cultists.

It is pointless to have tv in listening room it disrupted and interrupt everything even my attention to the music even if It is off, instead I have my favorite paint 

#1, I refuse to have my TV between the speakers. I just won’t do it. My TV is off to the side. But it seems most feel the need or impulse to dampen the area between the speakers, which may not be the best solution to maintain the full and detailed center image. I have diffusion panels between my speakers (over a fireplace opening). I tried both and the diffusion panels vs absorbtion really provided a much better soundstage, for me. Just a thought.


Edit: I see Eric brought up the same / similar comment.

I keep a fluffy 50"x60" throw blanket handy for both my systems/TVs.  My significant other hates when I do this, for reasons I'm still unable to ascertain. 

Mark

Like a lot of people, due to space restrictions, I have my 75 inch tv between my speakers. I have a window covered with drapes behind the tv and I cover my tv with a fluffy blanket from Wal-Mart when I am listening to music. I believe it really helps. For $20 for a blanket, what do you have to loose. If nothing else, you can use it on chilly days.

I cover my 55” tv with a thick blanket. I have a deeper sound stage when covered. My friends made fun of this obviously ridiculous pre listening ritual and I defended it with a couple of friends and a test removing and returning the blanket in a blind test. They are believers now. The blanket did improve the depth and in other ways, the overall quality of the sound.

Hey there,

Yes, flat reflective surfaces behind the speakers are bad, and diffusion is better.  Curtains work, but so does treating the rest of the room.

If you can't or don't want to treat one space, you can make up for it by treating other areas. The important thing is the overall room balance.

For professional advice, talk to GIK.

Best,

E

You don’t want anything reflective in the middle of your speakers. Glass, tv, table, are the worst but even a high audio rack isn’t good

I’m with @mijostyn on this. I’ve listened to my system (two separate systems, two separate rooms) and in both settings preferred the sound with the TV (wall mounted) left uncovered.

My speakers are pulled out, in case that’s a factor.

I’d go as far as to say that covering the TV is not only a PITA, but was also detrimental to sound quality...in my room/setups.

It’s a simple A/B...which you should do, because your setup / room is unique to you.

If you mount the tv on the wall the audio soundstage will be in front of the tv screen.

Mount the tv on a stand about a foot or so behind the speakers and the audio soundstage will blend with the video picture.

This will give a more realistic movie experience.

For audio only listening turn off the picture on the tv.

Some tv’s have a picture off button on the remote to block the video and let the audio through for Tidal, Amazon hd music etc. I do not like to view album art and other crap for music only playback.

Covering and uncovering the tv is a PIA IMO.

Hey, guys, I’m not trying to set the world on fire 🔥 just start a flame in a few hearts 💕 So simple. So effective. So uh, Free! What are y’all afraid of? Don’t tell me you’re superstitious too? Boo! 🤗

Trust me millercarbon my question was asked without really looking for a factual response. If one is worrying about if their cell phone is influencing the sound of their system I suspect they have bigger problems. Likewise, I'll leave the morphic field reading to the obsessive and simply enjoy the music.

The stalker floodgates are now officially open! 😱 By the way it’s not difficult to demonstrate that cell phones are bad for the sound. No expensive equipment or controlled blind tests are necessary. Scout’s honor ✌️Just take the cell phones outside and listen to the system again. It’s not rocket science, guys. Don’t let mc scare you. He’s a little bit superstitious sometimes about things he didn’t learn in high school or 4 H. 🍀 🐄

It helps facten to not rely too much on or take too seriously everything everyone posts. Do your own due diligence. You might, for example, want to search a name like machina dynamica and learn about morphic fields. You know, the information fields that emanate from things like books and cell phones. Then ask yourself why a guy with no system is a serial poster on an audiophile website. DYODD.

Does that seem controversial? I had no idea. 😳

Geoffkait walks around with a cell phone tied to each ear. They keep his ears warm.
Golden, as long as a flat screen TV does not rattle and it is right in the middle which should be far enough from the early reflection point you won't have a problem. Covering it will not do anything as sound reflecting off it will be hugely attenuated by the time it gets to your ear. 
I have a 113" theater screen between my speakers and you would never know it. (once I killed all the rattles.) I do use very directional speakers.

Curious, what have you found to be the measurable impact of a cell phone , or a plugged in tv while listening to your system?

TVs do interfere with the sound in a number of ways. All electronic devices interfere with the sound whether they’re plugged in or not. Ditto for cell phones. Sorry to be so mysterioso. ‘Tis best to have a separate “home theater” room if you’re into the whole sound quality thing.

Any flat surface no matter what it's composition will reflect sound.Experimenting with a few Rockwool panels from Home Depot is an inexpensive way to figure out what you need and where.Then decide to diy or go with professionally made treatments.

https://www.theanalogdept.com/c_miller.htm
This was a long time ago. (2004) Small TV, far away, just a blanket, yet it made a difference. The bigger and closer the TV, and the better (more absorptive) the cover, the bigger the improvement. Mostly in terms of a more solid center image. Not a huge improvement, but worthwhile for the SQ obsessed among us.