Flatscreen between speakers

A 100% wooven wool rug is the best you can do. I got one exactly the side of my screen handmade from a indigenous lady on a beach in Belize. I stapled the top of it on a 1/2" × 1" wooden stick and it self holds perfectly over the screen with the stick in the back top of the TV. Easy to put on and take off. You can see it in my house of stereo system.

@baylinor 

Yes, I see it. Looks good. I will explore that route. Thanks. 

I've been experimenting as well.  One approach I'm looking at is to mount the TV on the wall, build a frame or box around the screen and then, using barn door sliding brackets to open and close doors covered either with acoustic absorbation or diffusion panels.  I think it will not only look better, but would be better acoustically than heavy curtin material.

@jeffbij 

I am not sure if flat wood as a material will fare better than the screen of the TV acoustically, unless you build it as an acoustic panel with uneven and computed levels like the picture below, it can get complicated and heavy. I have contemplated it. One way would be to create 3 boards instead of one big one, say 20 inches long if your TV length is 60 inches. Then you can hang them like you hang a picture, making sure the back doesn’t touch the TV. I am still undecided as to which way to go. Let’s keep brainstorming. Thanks for the input.

N.B. I have acoustic panels on either side of the TV too (most people do).

I agree that flat wood would not be any better.  But if you use (for say a 65" screen) either 4 standard 24x48x2 inch acoustic absorbation panels or similar size dispersion panels (like yours) just large enough to cover the opening of the "box" built around the TV, it should work.  Weight shouldn't be much of an issue to overcome, as long as you can anchor the bracket to the studs.  Some of those barn door hardware kits are designed to support actual full size doors.  You could even put a motor on it and open/close it remotely.  (lol)

A couple of examples of the barn door kits.... the second one with the accordian doors might be a better idea.

https://www.amazon.com/WINSOON-Double-Sliding-Hardware-Kit%EF%BC%8C5-18FT/dp/B06XSFKDFC/ref=sr_1_29?crid=VM5CFO36J7O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Of5SyXiBxfG-6K55QXqge49eEX_87IQO5c5f505Z2gTEXdF8sPfbzncQ9Gs9EoUHx7_yld5HdluWdywzWU1PTV2xxf7u3zkOYpwm0hH8rYF9dI6uh0YiPua6puRYbYRxi-Fc9PdQ8zfaN6FI22H58tEJJOXg_O6IHX7oGct7GnTC18JLLlf_naB6dSIrQyom0h20xRZjJyv6voGU4lDRXZOvINvO71uQKzPrZbA_4b3PIdHwhW29CmDV4B1N7awfcyfYrCkfTxmWoaGUwrnsROZOFCs8DJ-npmEKxbyFrSw.RcUuJpixi90XQ6jUGftQfl575E0PBIF63UIxH5Y31aQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=barn%2Bdoor%2Bshutter%2Bhardware%2Bkit&qid=1748065624&sprefix=barn%2Bdoor%2Bshutter%2Bhardware%2Bkit%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-29&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Hardware-Smoothly-Assembly-Bi-Folding-Included/dp/B0BVDNWTXC/ref=sr_1_8?crid=VM5CFO36J7O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hRyAjo1k1ZMsb0KOgTdh6uNZl2uNgV2J1rJ5wtMte7DYUt3O_8f9t1kD90loj2aHPCIGXNuK30ZgUDY39XZt4ZGdYBEvbbN5u0pBtddueIH6YQRpUe4DolTavvJGYpTQRPfxbDmYBwH0jqArYMrfFfKsthJN1Yf8kDcqbTGazf2xxOTpLJKzXeaDuxGbs6Ywv0QpwgS0COW0aLjhIRpENZOU5FhbLC2lrAb_R5Du7QdIK3Lrr0QjxgntPcLq85Ukexbr0IWnPBUV1SALfGDuamf3nN73cvNkCtRCSiaC9lE.dn7ZdaAmeV37rKIzNidAhWt5_2Y-p9SPIo8vM0PUCf8&dib_tag=se&keywords=barn%2Bdoor%2Bshutter%2Bhardware%2Bkit&qid=1748066538&sprefix=barn%2Bdoor%2Bshutter%2Bhardware%2Bkit%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-8&th=1

The further back the screen is from radiating surface of the loudspeakers the better.  Using a rug or blankets is probably better than nothing, but if you are going to cover the screen you should use a real acoustic product that has uniform or smooth absorption characteristics.

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/10635#&gid=1&pid=3

Roll-away panels, in TN I put wheels on them.

In KY, I used barn door rods and rollers to cover the windows:

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/8615#&gid=1&pid=1

I agree with @onhwy61.  My problem with the barn door hardware is that it would interfere with my existing panels around the flatscreen. It might work fine for @bugredmachine ​​​​@jeffbij. I am looking for something like that I can take down when not in use thus light because I don’t want the weight to be an issue. I envy you guys who have dedicated rooms. 
I tried posting a picture but it didn’t show . Sorry.

How about some 1 inch thick panels and hang them right on the TV itself? Even foam will help some in a pinch. One inch OC 703 would be great but not sure you can get one inch.

Some vinyl or rubber covered hooks and you're in business. Heavy cardboard backer or even Luan plywood is light and more durable as a backer.

We can solve this.

Indeed.  Some other things to consider is thick panels behind the screen.  It also helps but thicker is better here as you get a lot more low notes back there.  Other things to try which can help is damping the floor behind the speakers, and underneath the TV as well as making sure your ceiling between listener and speakers is treated.

#1 on the barn door. Smallest wheels possible. A drapped fabric of some sort would be a hassel.

I would suggest going to Jo-ann fabrics where they sell a foam backed BLACK matte fabric and glue it to the sliding doors.(spray glue) The matte black is extremely helpful for creating the depth of image. Don't use anything bright or visually stimulating.No art work, no design. You want to see into the darkness as the musical characters will appear. NOTHING does a better job creating this illusion that the matte black.  This will be a huge upgrade to your enjoyment of stereo. Dim the lights and be blown away!

oh, some one must have mentioned putting up a curtain rod too, right??

+1 Heavy wool rug.

Good suggestions guys. I will put something together and let you all know how it turns out. @wsrrsw, can’t do that. The wife needs her TV. @erik_squires, yes I am considering heavy drapes and treating it as if it was a window. I will try to come up with an elegant solution that is not too expensive otherwise, where is the fun in doing it if I can just throw money at it, right? @gdaddy1, I am seriously thinking of wool but it’s very expensive but it’s healthier than other materials as far our lungs are concerned. 

I ordered a couple of fabric covered 4" acoustic panels from ATS.  No frame, but the panel is stable enough to stand upright so it is easy to move.  In my case my TV is on the long side of my room, so I use panels for 1st reflection, but the principle would be the same (portable solution).

Migrate to a drop down screen and projector when the TV is at end of life.  Put a diffuser on the wall where the flat screen was.  +25 horse power.

https://vocalboothtogo.com/product/vb-80-group-product/

just drape a quilt over it

@phishhhhh4, Like the sound blanket. Only holdback, I can’t see any reviews. Have you use them yourself?

@rick_n. Definitely!

@karlss0n. 4 inches seems to be a little overkill for this particular application. That’s what I use for all of my other panels. I think in this case, 2” would do the job. 
@ghdprentice. I am seriously considering wool panels but the price is kinda of stiff. So many choices, so little time 😀

@wsrrsw +100 on the Kill The Telly!

OP  a solution to cancel or at least improve the acoustic glare caused by a flatscreen tv on the wall behind the speakers?

In my experience, sonic glare/ brightness/irritation mostly are from speakers, source (CDP, DAC, etc), and cables. The sonic irritation isn't by the screen. Removing TV won't make the meaningful difference and no one will be satisfied with it. On/off the panel each time is burden for small difference. Watch below where the most glare comes from. All your audio systems behave/sound like the left speaker, except Wavetouch audio. Alex/Wavetouch

https://youtu.be/IHf_FSa8amE?si=TDRZJQc2KKAhkbMP

I have a 100" flat screen between my speakers. I was very worried about the effect it would have but I use a Lyngdorf processor with their seriously amazing "room perfect" correction software. I know purists will balk at that but the system is not complete to me without a TV. My favorite use of my dedicated room is watching concert videos (on disc). The Lyngdorf, unlike most lesser processors, allows the main speakers (Focal Sopra 1's) to retain their unique sonic character instead of trying to force them to bend to the processor's will.

I also have a very large rectangular ottoman in the room and I found that even without processing the signal if I push that up between the speakers and right in front of the TV it helps with quashing the undesirable reflections.

I once read right here on Audiogon that a member claimed that the flatscreen didn't hurt his sound nearly as much as he feared. In fact, he said it actually helped preserve the center image. Since I don't use a physical center speaker (processor has 16 channels, configurable to whatever you like, I have a 8.2.6 configuration) this helped assuage my worries. I just don't think about it anymore and my room sounds like a dream. Literally. I've been dreaming of having a room like this for 40 years.

@mihorn. Thanks for the feedback. However, I am not fighting any sonic irritation. I just want to push the envelope as far as it can go. In all honesty, I cannot point to any weakness in my hardware, I have addressed them already. I am not sure I understand your point about natural sound in the video. Sometimes my wife and my daughter try to talk to me at the same time and I have difficulty understanding them. Is one of them NOT a natural sound? I am actually looking for "small differences", having addressed the larger ones successfully already. Like I mentioned in my original post, I can hear differences when I cover the TV with towels. Thanks for chiming in.

@shooter41. Glad you don’t have this issue. Could it be that my TV is glass (plasma TV) and yours is LCD? I had a Lyngdorf processor and loved it. My system is like yours: a hybrid. I don’t have an extra room and let’s be honest, I like watching TV with the wife. Try this for fun and giggles, cover the TV with a couple of thick towels and put on some vocal music like Diana Krall. See if the soundstage high doesn’t improve and the image better defined. It’s nothing drastic and that’s why I want to keep this project under budget, but it’s definitely there in my setup.

@elliottbnewcombjr. Nice quilt (but the girl is prettier). Do you have a choice of the images ’cause I am into jazz.

@spenav. That could indeed be a factor as my TV is a mini LED and does not have the slick glass surface.

@spenav where did you buy that wall of acoustic panels behind your tv? I think I need them…. Thx.

@atanarjuat99. I used the picture as an example. I don’t actually have it. It’s from this website: 

https://www.etsy.com/search?q=acoustic%20panel&ref=auto-1&as_prefix=acoustic%20

Seems rather expensive ($36 for a 12”X12” piece) but looks great. 

@spenav many thanks for this link. I will research 🧐 

My t.v. is attached to swivel on the rear of my component cabinet with no doors. Works fine.. The exact center between the two speakers is the center of the TV screen. I am perfectly in line that center where I sit on the sofa. Good for music and also blue ray video. I have a vintage Pioneer player with burr brown two channel output for that. All seems fine.

 I always like sering a “Kill your Television Bumper sticker. Go to go, my show is on.  “Secrets We Keep” on netflix. 

This will be a challenge for me after we move so I’ve been thinking on it.  

Has anyone considered or actually done the following?  Make, or purchase, a light weight diffuser panel, large enough to “acoustically hide” the TV completely.  Hang it from the ceiling, so it’s flat on the ceiling when watching TV, where it’s out of the way and works to minimise ceiling reflections.  Lower it by some ingenious mechanism that hinges directly above the face of the TV, so it hangs right in front of the TV.  
I’ve not yet got a solution for the mechanism that is aesthetically acceptable and functions well, but I’m sure it’s possible.  

spenav OP

It was a random 'rock and roll quilt' find on eBay, just do a search, 'jazz quilt'

I am lucky, my wife's twin sister can make stuff. I always bought CDs and T-Shirts from local musicians, but don't wear them, I got the idea to have her make me a quilt out of the T-Shirts, these are my two grand nephews holding it up. Except for BB King and George Thorogood, all local New Jersey Bands

spenav OP, others

Don’t Skip a Center Speaker, even if it has to be small, or behind something, try one

I love music videos, concerts ....., streaming performances, i.e. search YouTube, Voice, it is all over the world, and there is quite a lot in English from all the foreign countries to enjoy

I often force 2 channel and get better results when pseudo surround has been created somewhere along the line

I am surprised that you do not have a true center channel, when content is originally created, center dialog/content does not exist in FL and FR so Phantom Center cannot create what doesn’t exist. There is no need for Bass in the center.

I have found a true dedicated center, even small, the location just below, or even behind the image if the sound can get thru legs or an open base, in my current setup I built a riser to give me a 7" high space for a center speaker. (We made temporary spacers below to test the image height/neck comfort and see any reflections while sitting/viewing, didn't want to go too high).

here is a very efficient Klipsch Center (no rear ports) (that’s art, not a speaker above the tv)

I just changed to a smaller Jamo Center that blends better, the Klipsch is too efficient, the Jamo is real Cherry and blends with my DBX Soundfield 100’s better

my 1st center was a very small Bose VCS-10, it sounded very good, even once from behind a big CRT in a wall unit (notice the top slots)

The elegant and dedicated way to do it is to create a theater "stage" effect using thick, home theater curtains.  Similar to the included link but customized per the size you need.  May noy be directly available but with some work and you can make it look and work well.  

Looks good closed, easy to open when watching TV, the thicker curtains are acoustically damped and will work well to diffuse reflection. 

SoundRight Home Theater Surround Curtains | 4seating  

@wooly_mammoth. We are collecting ideas at this time. I am not aware of anything in existence today that addresses this issue efficiently and tastefully. I will build something soon and will let the group know what I got. Apperntly, people using LCD TV either don't have this problem or experience it much less. I would not be able to tell you to what extent because I always have Plasma. A lot of good idea in the thread, you're going to have to read through it. I have tried some heavy towels and got improve sound stage height and focus to a lesser extent.

@elliottbnewcombjr. Cool! I will take a look on Ebay. Who knows, maybe that's all that is needed. Thanks.

spenav OP

I would prove I needed to bother covering it up, it may not make much difference.

Measure Room Frequencies from Seated Ear Height Listening position(s)1st, no covering, drape a blanket over it, measure again, differences?

this CD has 29 1/3 octave test tones. (I could help you find an inexpensive copy)

Amazing Bytes Tracks 9-38

SPL Meter with tripod mounting hole (many do not have the tripod hole)

You just need answers relative to the next, not perfect calibration, these inexpensive meters work well.

Pull your speakers out when listening. They should be a few feet out from your TV. So many HT (mine as well) have the speakers in-line or just in front of the TV. 

Have has great luck with heavy HT curtains, they work so well for windows, maybe put a rod above the TV, and close the curtains over the TV when not in use. They also look good. 

I do have a thin foam cover over mine but I also do something else. The screen being parallel to your listening position is a big part of the problem. Mine is on a swivel and I position it on about a 30' angle so it's reflection is scattered in another direction. This reduces the vocal glare tremendously. 

I don't use the TV often so I'll sometimes forget to reorient it. But it's immediately apparent when I listen to music and when I swivel the screen it goes away. 

"I always have Plasma." 

I'm an outlier. 20 year old Plasma and picture still crisp as day one(probably cause it doesn't get used much) 

Not a suggestion, but my remedy is the Plasma is on a rollaway. On movie night roll it in, a couple of connections, and I have insta home theater. 

Never cared for seeing a TV in a living space when it's not being used.

.

A projection screen or no screen if music is the top priority.

+1 projection screen, you beat me to it :)

That said, 2-channel and HT should not share a system, or a room if possible. I do realize folks living in NYC apartments will have to share space, but when that's the case it’s definitely best to segregate speakers and electronics.

@elliottbnewcombjr  "I am surprised that you do not have a true center channel, when content is originally created, center dialog/content does not exist in FL and FR so Phantom Center cannot create what doesn’t exist. There is no need for Bass in the center."

Depends on your processor. Lyngdorf has the option of sending all center channel info to front L&R. Pretty sure other processors also have this capability.

shooter41

correct, if you have no center speaker, you have to send center to FL & FR, thus the AVR needs to make it’s own psuedo-surround with phantom center,

I am simply encouraging people to try even a SMALL center, it doesn’t take much, as a matter of fact it is important to avoid too much center, 

Often my TV starts in some pseudo-surround, I don’t know who, when, where, but if I change to ’DIRECT", it may change to 2 channel and actually sound better. The Industry thinks we want ALL our speakers working all the time, like the weird stretch that makes basketball players look like football players, playing with a weird oval ball.

@elliottbnewcombjr I actually have a very nice center, I just choose not to use it. I also think you are not quite grasping what the processor does. You say center info does not appear in front L&R, which is true, but that's not where the phantom center comes from. The processor recognizes when there is center channel info available so if no physical center is present it sends that info to front L&R. It's not trying to "create what doesn't exist", it's simply re-routing that center channel signal. I can see there being some differences in how well various processors do this, however.

Also, your room is a big factor in the necessity of a physical center speaker. If you have seating that's frequently used that's off to the sides of the screen or if you have a really large room then I agree that you should probably use a physical speaker, but in my room and I'm sure in many others, you really can't sit off axis. My room is not small at 15' x 22' but with the speakers properly pulled out from the wall and the seating at the proper distance from the speakers you are close enough to them that the phantom center works quite well.

Fortunately I no longer have a flat screen between my speakers sharing stereo and surround sound. But when I did, I used a double-sided quilted black cover from https://www.digitaldeckcovers.com/ $110 delivered. It helped a lot and was easy to deal with. I added a few small velcro squares to tighten things up.

@macg19. Definitely need to explore this. Maybe that’s all that is needed. At any rate, I am going to start there, maybe add some padding to the front. Thanks. 

@elliottnewcombjr

Don’t Skip a Center Speaker, even if it has to be small, or behind something, try one

There are very good reasons for not using a centre speaker, especially one which is in effect a horizontal d’Apolito array!  As soon as you move away from dead centre, the outer drivers create an interference effect, or comb filter.  If your main front left and front right speakers have good imaging capability, let them do what they are already good at. 

Your pre-processor should just add the centre signal to the signal for the two front speakers - my Marantz ones all do this.  My main system is configured with two main front speakers, and two rear speakers, plus four ceiling speakers and a subwoofer.

“And never the Twain shall meet…

my experience has lead me to believe that 2 channel and HT have no business being seriously pursued in one room. Doing so allows for too much compromise to do either side justice (unless done temporarily for experimental purposes).

@ticat   +1