If your theater floor slopes upward to the rear, a speaker 3' off the floor will be well below the ears of many of the viewers, which could cause a decrease in volume unless the speaker had an unusually wide vertical dispersion.
Speaker placement behind the screen
We are a small independent movie theater with 100 seats. Our speakers are located behind the screen. We often get complaints that the dialogue is too low. Two questions: 1) What is the optimal height for the speakers? We've been told that they are too low (currently about 3 ft off the floor). 2) Can we change the mix so that dialogue is louder without making music, sound effects, etc. louder? Our head projectionist says no.
Any suggestions for references I can go to? Thank you!
Any suggestions for references I can go to? Thank you!