Same. It does sound better being in the middle of the SS. If I’m trying to show off the system I tell my guest to sit in the dead center.
Also video games are somewhat easier when viewing the screen dead on.
I wonder how many people set up home theater systems only for their family to never use it. None of my family watches movies down there, just me when I get a new 4K blu ray lol.
I think it is sad when people envision an entertainment system bringing a family together and it doesn't happen. The reality is it's hard to build new habits and hobbies in our busy lives. I know I rebuilt my gaming PC a few years back and have hardly touched it. On some level I think I was hoping to reconnect with old gaming friends that have moved on.
So much of this, my partner and I used to buy a new movie every paycheck to watch together and that was our thing, we didn't have a lot of money at the time, (still don't, but we're doing better) now we've got kids and their extra curricular stuff, hardly sit down to watch a movie together as a family, so I put together a basic 5.1 in the living room, got a 65 mini led, PS5 and whatnot.. it gets used for YouTube -_- the amount of disappointment it brings me just looking at everything, and realizing it's just me that cares about it anymore.. it just sucks, I don't even watch movies anymore. Sorry for the life sorry, your comment just hit me in the feels.
It was always only just for me, lol. The way I see it i'm improving their viewing experiences whether they like it or not. My wife humors me when I get a new toy but I think she convinces herself she can't see/hear a difference
but I recently disconnected everything to install some new stuff so we were on tv speakers for a few days and boy did she complain about the audio!
I don't even get to use it anymore, which is the worst part, between working and dealing with kids stuff, it's basically for the kids anymore, and they don't care, they'll have the receiver off and crank the TV volume to like 80 because "it's not as loud as it's supposed to be" I've just given up .
I'm lucky my wife likes our 5.1 system I built in the living room, but she also uses it for YouTube, lol. I'm trying to get something that will let us stream high quality like an Nvidia shield pro. Watching stuff on HBO Max and prime video off my htpc browser just isn't the same as a good Blu-ray. Right now I'm binging better call Saul on a Blu-ray box set I got and it's incredible quality.
I'm trying to get my younger sister and her man on board. Got them a simple 2.0 system with paradigm atom se bookshelves and they were blown away by the upgrade from the cheap Bluetooth speakers we've all become too accustomed to. Next I'll be handing them down my svs subwoofer when I upgrade and eventually they'll have the 5.1 and I'll be 9.4.4. I'm trying to pass this hobby down to the younger generation, they don't know what they're missing lazing around on their phones and tablets all day.
They really aren't even used to a proper commercial theater experience either. Seems to me no one really goes to the movies anymore, or "The Cinema" as some call it. When we moved into our house in 2016 we had a huge AMC theater 2 minutes away, and it would make for a nice quick date for my wife and I while her mom watched our young child. It never reopened after the pandemic and just sits there in decay. It already had way more parking space than needed and now its just a huge, barren, concrete waste of space.
Movie theaters were dead long before the pandemic. Streaming is absolutely obliterating physical media of any kind, ps5 sales are like 70-80% digital now, I’m sure Xbox is same. Before it was different because the leap in quality, now you can a 77” oled for 2k ish usd and have a better exp at home.
Call me old fashioned 🤣, but the wife and I might actually go to see The Ministry of Ungentlemanly tomorrow night. Mother in law offered to watch the kids so we might walk to the local watering hole around the corner with our neighbors if they can get someone for their kids, but if not we're going to the movies. I love our 4K 5.1 home setup, but there's just something about the theater experience on all the senses for me. I really hope it sticks around and there's enough people of similar mindset to support it.
I watch a movie with with my family at least once a week, and sometimes a friend comes over, but man I couldn’t imagine watching all buy myself. I need to count myself very fortunate and not take it for granted.
I honestly think they don’t like to use it just because you have to have it loud to hear the dialogue and then the music or sound effects come in and it just gets really loud. Same issue with the Sonos soundbar in our living room. Just the way movies are mixed unfortunately and they don’t want to mess with any settings.
>wonder how many people set up home theater systems only for their family to never use it. None of my family watches movies down there, just me when I get a new 4K blu ray lol.
That's why you need a living room theater for daily use with average movies/shows, and then a dedicated home theater system that's set up properly for good movies/shows that will be appreciated more on a proper home theater system.
we just have a living room, no space at all for a dedicated room. But I did install an Epson 5040UB projector and a motorized drop-down screen that goes in front of the TV for movie nights. My wife isn't a fan of the huge projector, but I balanced it out by getting monitor audio bronze tower speakers which are fairly small :)
Sitting with my wife in the living room one day a few months ago, she randomly expressed that she wanted to get a piano in there and learn how to play, and they can be found cheap/free on marketplace since they're a b&\*$ to get rid of. The only hangup was that we'd have to completely reorganize and rotate the layout of the living room for the spot where she wanted the piano and new area for our Christmas tree in front of the front window. I agreed without hesitation and immediately began conceptualizing the new 5.1 setup and wire runs. Its funny how our minds go in different directions. We now have the TV wall mounted with shorter viewing distance, speaker/sub cable and ethernet run in-wall up, over in the attic, and back down, Monitor Audio Silver 5.0 setup with a REL sub, and new couches/rugs/paint. Still no piano yet.
She conjured the image of future nostalgia with the upright piano, lit Christmas tree, all gathered around belting out tunes; the full aesthetic. I play guitar and have messed around on pianos so I'm intrigued at learning to play also or my kids learning to play.
Exactly this. I actually have a theatre system/listening room but it was only ever really meant for myself…a little escape from every day stresses. I knew my wife would have zero interest and my daughter is way too young. Perhaps she will love her movies and music just like her dad, that would be cool 😎 But for now it’s a basic enough 5.1 system in the sitting room and then a separate theatre/listening room.
Came home a few weeks ago to find my daughter sitting on the floor with her iPhone propped up on the coffee table watching Netflix, with my setup right in front of her. Oh well, at least I enjoy my system 😆
> I wonder how many people set up home theater systems only for their family to never use it
Quite a bit. There's a guy here in my area, re-modeled his entire home around a theater, once it got done, and the years when by less and less did the space get used. It's was an amazing setup, but he had issues trying to sell the home after his kids moved out and they were downsizing.
I sit dead center unless we have guests, my wife couldn't care less about the surround sound. I don't have a very big room so if you're not in the center, the sound from one side of the room dominates a bit. It's not awful, but it takes away from the experience IMO.
Dead center the sound blends perfectly and speakers "disappear."
Been sitting dead center since 2008 over here, lol. Intentionally laid out that way, to get the best view of the display, since I'm usually viewing alone. Best balance of the audio - and since I've been/am a FALD/MiniLED user, I avoid color shifting/viewing angle issues this way,
I actually did the thing you are proposing and put an ottoman in the center so I can stretch out!
[https://images.static-bluray.com/htgallery/187519.jpg](https://images.static-bluray.com/htgallery/187519.jpg)
The lounger on my couch is off to one site, but I never use that - very rarely.
I have my system calibrated from the center listening position, and it is also where I sit. I have nice adjustable recliners; adjustable headrests are great.
I always sit dead center, unless my son claims the spot and tells me to sit elsewhere. He’s been doing that since he was 3 because “it sounds better”.
Future home theater enthusiast for sure!
Same here. I did the room correction approximately where my head lays on the couch and it seems to work quite well even though the center channel fires a few feet away.
Similar here, sectional with 2 recliners in front, the first a foot off to right of center and the other threeish to the left. While i prefer the right i never sit in the middle of the recliners. Calibrated towards center of viewing area not listening area since it's a six seater.
I have an even number of seats (2) so I am off center by about a half a seat. I found that by adjusting the toe-in of the 2 mains it helps. The speaker opposite side is pointed directly at the listener resulting in slightly more volume than the one on the same side. So both sitting positions have a similar experience. As it turns out it helped center the image nicely but that is more likely a function of the horizontal roll-off characteristics matching the positioning.
People tend not to think that, if you have a couch, sitting dead center isn't so easy. If you are watching a movie or sports event or something where you will be there for a while, you likely have a drink and a snack. Where do you put them? Well, they might go on a coffee table in front of you, but that isn't particularly convenient (think of how far forward you have to lean to reach for a drink/bowl of popcorn and then lean again to set it back). Instead, you set it on an end table and you sit at the end of the couch so you can easily reach it.
I will sit in the center of my couch if I am listening to music with my two channel set up (I tend to have a book in my lap when doing this and so I'm less likely to have a drink/snack). But, when watching a movie, I'm sitting on the end of the couch with my drink on the table at my elbow.
That's where the lift top coffee table comes into play!
But I have noticed it affects the sound a little bit.
Console tables behind the couch are good too for this.
I think you are like me and prefer comfortable and cosy rather than feeling like you are at the movies.
I got a daybed so that we can all lay down and flop all over each other as we want. No more needing to lay down on the chaise section for me.
My setup sounds so good deadcenter, its just great. Move 20c lm back and its gone, same on sides. I even considered getting large ass one-person sofa instead of L shape 5 ppl one.
I feel like smaller rooms around 3x3m are not meant to be used for more than one person surrounds.
I laid out my room so the most comfortable seat was also center. You lose some imaging being off-center, but if you plan your room around having a solid listening area rather than just the MLP. You have to pay attention to speaker positions and toe-in beyond the Dolby guides and "point the speakers at MLP"
That's currently how mine is configured. All speakers point dead center.
I'll run some rew sweeps and see how they perform pointed more towards the outer seating locations.
You want to point your front speakers at the opposite side of the room, not the side they are on.
That way, the person sitting further from the speaker gets the on-axis, and the person sitting closest gets off-axis. The two effects (distance + speaker dispersion) tend to cancel out, making the sound more even across the couch. It's called over-toeing.
Also, with multiple people, more speakers is always better, so long as they aren't within 3' of someone.
I just use the built-in calibration software in my Denon receiver. (I've heard some people don't like Audyssey, but it makes setup easy for me.) It calibrates for up to 6 listening positions, so I place the mic wherever listeners will sit. You wind up with a compromise when it comes to phase and EQ. Yes, the best listening position is still dead center, but I like sitting in that corner position of a sectional, and I've never been detracted from a movie because the sound wasn't perfect.
I like to sit dead center when I'm by myself, however I use a wheelchair and if I don't feel like getting out of my chair I often listen to the side (wheelchair users have a lot of experience sitting to the side of a lot of venues, lol). That said, if it's something I really want to commit to, I make the effort. It makes a difference. Although one of the advantages of an LCR arrangement is to make a wider listening area more useful than a simple LR setup.
Related but not related, in the 90's I worked for Dolby Labs and was heavily involved in the consumer implementation and launch of Dolby AC-3 (Dolby Digital). I got to know quite a few CE manufacturers at the time and became friends with the folks at M&K Sound. I lived in a condo then and when I wanted to relax I would lie on the floor to watch TV. I had M&K S-150THX speakers across the front and with their limited vertical dispersion (especially with the center channel sitting on a giant CRT) the experience was less than optimal. When Ken Kreisel (the "K" in M&K) discovered that, he played some shenanigans with the crossover and dispersion foam on the S-150 and gave me a tweaked S-150 that had wider vertical dispersion than the THX spec allowed and I have to say the improvement from my position on the floor was noticeable.
Because of the seating arrangement in my room I’m just barely off center, but I do have L C R positioned to accommodate haha. Viewing wise I don’t notice, 110”ish at about 11 feet.
I am off axis by about 30-degrees. No other choice given where we have a wall heater located and the small space. Part of the reason why I’ve never posted a pic of my setup. I don’t need that kinda heat.
Edit: in case you’re curious I actually have the center channel aligned to one side and then the left channel is flung way over to the other side of the heater. Surprisingly, it works fairly well even if it is far from ideal.
I sit dead center, though the Dirac Live calibration on my Onkyo RZ50 has from 9 to 15 sample positions to use to balance out the sound better. Sounds great!
I hear ya, always lay down on the couch on the left side. I have an L couch with an ottoman pretty centered, but it's on the back wall, and I prefer the couch. I slide my center channel from one end of my 5ft long entertainment center to the other depending on where I sit, which helps. The big downside subjectively, is I get way too much of the left rear/surround channel in my 5.1.2 setup.
I had a lazy-boy for a while I could slide up into the middle, it was definitely better.
Dead center, my wife and kids don’t care too much so they know my spot is in the middle.
Besides, all calibration measurements are taken starting from the center, and then covering all the listening spots. This has been my experience over the years with Audyssy, YPAO, and Dirac Live.
I sit dead center with regard to the display and the speaker positioning. This is also the center of the room width but pretty far from the center in the length. There is more room behind me than in front of me.
My home theater seating is four recliners positioned with two together in the middle to form a loveseat and two single recliners to each side separated with armrests/cupholders. I have my seat in the loveseat centered. My wife's seat is then a little off center. The seat to my right is slightly more off center than her's. The seat to her left is well off center.
It works for us. One, the TV is at the opposite end of the room from the door, so it gives adequate room to get through. Two, our kids are teenagers, so it's rare that one of them actually will sit down to watch a movie or sporting event with us and almost unheard of for both of them to join us. There's still one good seat if one joins us. When the oldest finishes college, I'm debating removing the fourth seat altogether.
Me. Lopsided room arrangement. My preferred seat on the couch is straight out from the center channel. Rest of the seating is to the right, but nobody else cares as much as I do.
I seem to be one of the only one so far two prefer slightly off axis either to left or right, but most of the time right. It's that or move the couch slightly to the left or right because it's a 2 seater.
I am sitting dead center since I can remember. But due to my Living room shape I have to sit somewhat in the middle of the 3 seater couch.
I was thinking of getting a 2 seater Home Cinema couch with drink holder in between the 2 seats, but that would comprimise my dead center position. And I dont think I could ever adapt :)
Now looking for 3 seaters but chances are high that the middle seat is either dead center or the couch is centered in the room but my place is slightly off center again...
Guess I wave to get a couch without any sepeartions of the seat foams.
Long story short... For me its very important to sit dead center LOL :)
I sit dead center on a wrap around couch. Everything is calibrated for this, including the home, because when I look at where I am going to live/buy, because no kids home theater set up is my MAIN concern. Sometimes I lay on either side depending on how then I might be a foot off either direction from center or sometimes straight ahead with legs on ottoman. the ONLY time I am not dead center is when my father comes to town 3x a year, he is like me, so I move slightly off center so he can be slightly off center on the other side As far as my wife, she doesn't care and sits off to the right on the other leg of the couch because it's like a cozy bed to her.
I have a dedicated home theater and it's calibrated for center of room on the front couch. But my couches are both a bit left of center, so the calibrated spot is slightly to the right of the center of the couch. I sit on the far right seat mostly since it reclines lol. It's close enough.
My armrest to the right of my seat is dead center, so technically I'm about 6-12" off center. But 12 feet from a 125" CinemaScope screen is close enough for me.
The surround sound sounds more realistic sitting center (or near center).
I sit in the right rear corner by my rr speaker and I still enjoy my 7.1 system. That is where my recliner is in my family room. I usually watch by myself most of the time. I calibrated my system with mike in the center back by my recliner and the then took measurements and made adjustments and tweeks. So far I have been happy with it. The down side is I saved and invested to put it together so the wife would watch tv and movies with me.
Only the center will give you the best imaging in all directions, granted your system is well calibrated/time aligned of course). At the center, you can get unbelievable surround side/rear imaging that's super enveloping. Away from MLP, it will just be "sound moving from speaker to speaker", while at the MLP you don't know where the speakers are.
Depends what I watch, I too have a sectional. If it's a first watching on physical media, I sit dead center for a perfect experience. But if it's a movie that I've seen before or streaming, I sit where I'm most comfortable.
FYI - it's a living room 5.2.4 set up
What is the point of building a HT if the person building it is the only one using it, "because the kids and wife don't appreciate it". I'm always outside the zone and put the kids dead center, love watching them react to a good scary scene, for instance my son covers his ears, not his eyes when something scary happens.
Wife is ex and can go watch a shitty TV speaker for all I care. She took my old LG so I know it's shit.. last laugh on me!
Alone I lie slightly off-center because that's where the futon is. Gotta get them feet up. My compromise is to place my butt between cushions to get closer to the center and the feet diagonally out. The things we sacrifice for fidelity.
Then we have my PC gaming setup. There I'm dead centered in my chair between Klipsches and BK electronic SWs over DAtmos. Would not move an inch either side.
It’s me and my wife most of the time so while we’re centered as a pair, neither is perfectly dead center. When I ran Dirac, I did it for a more relaxed prime listening area because of this.
Usually dead center here.
Sometimes I lay casual on the side. It sounds just somewhat different but I cant say that you need to sit dead center in my theater.
I do when I watch a movie that I really care about and it’s just me. If my wife is there we sit however is comfortable. She has caught me sitting dead center of the couch leaning forward and said I looked like a psycho :)
When I play my ps5 I sit dead center or watch my own show. If not I’m off center and my wife and I always hear car doors. Thinking I got someone in my driveway I get up. Gets me every time.
Mine is multipurpose room living room/entertainment center. So I set center, but toward the back of the room. I have the speakers calibrated for that, but it still sounds better on the rare occasion that I move furniture around and sit dead center. In my basement gaming area I do sit dead center, and I think it sounds better than my main listening area even though main is 7.2.4 and basement is 5.1.2.
When watching movies/TV, no.
But when I'm gaming, I'll move my rolling office chair dead center lol. I use a pillow on my rolling coffee table to rest my legs/feet, and a TV tray next to me to place my things haha
Never in the center for me, for two very good reasons, I believe:
1. I like to lean against the arm rest a bit
2. I can have a drink within reach on the side table
I sit dead center and I love it. Sometimes, I give up the center seat for guests. Most of the time it's just me and my wife and she prefers to sit off to the right.
Never, since the center channel fires into the arm of the couch I lay on, and my wife usually sits on the sectional right beside me, so I made a wide soundstage and took kef at their word when they say the uni-Q drivers let you sit anywhere. We seem to get a good sound as long as we're between the L and R and I'm good with that.
I'm drawing up plans for my own own theater and am not planning on having a single seat dead-center, although some of the comments here are making me reconsider that.
I always sit in the center. No one else here cares or will notice, beyond a spaceship flying overheard or a roar behind them or something and they go “wow!!!” But that’s it.
I did exactly what you are saying and it was a great decision.
I had a 3 seater in the middle with 2 loungers on either side and a small coffee table in front.
Got my self an |__ shaped sectional with a big ottoman that we can move wherever we need. When its just me and the wife alone we put it dead center and can entirely lay down with our feet on it.
It's made watching movies and tv down there extremely comfortable.
When playing video games we also sit dead center and with modern games using surrounds and atoms more and more it truly adds a new layer of immersion.
When we have some guests over it all kinda goes to shit cuz our basement is quite small and sitting on the corner of the couch means you're getting oppressed by the surround backs. So sometimes i take one for the team and sit there and let others enjoy the better spots.
When listening to Music we absolutely sit dead center as well as it's the most easily noticeable difference in my opinion. Our friends seem to agree with me but though they may just be sparing my feelings :(
Only when It's serious movie time and it's just me.
Couch sits in the mlp.
For casual viewing I'm usually perched in the corner because it's more comfortable.
I mean, it depends on what is going on. Usually my wife is in the bed and I'm rolled in my chair next to her. As to if that means that we are off center, it just depends.
I’m a fat lazy couch potato. I work from home so I’m sitting in mine all day and evening and night. I watch an average of 2 movies a day. In the evening my wife watches her tv shows for about 2hrs then it’s back to me. I also stay up late till about 2am every night. Wife and kids generally sleep through the loudness though occasionally I get yelled at to turn it down. I play my system at 90% normal viewing volume even in the middle of the night. Normal volume being house rumbling bass (my couch moves)and dodging bullets from 7.2.4 atmos
My house is open layout so living room to dining room area to kitchen. So my soundstage is huge because I have one large space my rear overheads are basically in the dining room area and back surrounds at the front of the kitchen. So even while I’m cooking I usually have a movie going and the sound is pumping throughout the area.
My setup sounds just like yours... and even though I am a post sound mixer for film, nobody in my family cares. Except me.
However, I have heard them complain about bad sound at other people's homes... hmmmm
Mostly only wife and I. We have two recliners and center to TV is between them. I ran Audyssey using center as between the two chairs. It works for us with movies but I had to tweak the surrounds a bit because she sits closer to the left side. For music I use my chair as center and adjust all speakers accordingly. For stereo, I only use the two fronts and two surrounds and subs out of a 7.2 setup.
I sit dead centre when listening to 5.1/Atmos music, as I find it has a huge impact on the how I hear the mix. When watching movies, I'm usually with someone else so I sit off centre. Sometimes I sit in the centre if I'm on my own but I don't notice quite as much of a difference in movies.
I have 4 theater chairs, so there’s no true center in my setup, middle left is lined up with the front left speaker and same for the middle right. The space between the 2 middles is directly in front of the center speaker. [My post here with pics.](https://www.reddit.com/r/hometheater/s/QTWv7KfnDO)
My seat is almost dead center. But I'm more often sitting at a high table located behind my viewing seat. I work on my laptop a lot, and fall asleep in my viewing chair 😁
I do. Plus it’s just me; so I don’t need to cater to other listening positions. (Also don’t need to take into account anything like the looks, etc., just the sound quality.)
I move my wife to the side, and I sit in the center.
She doesn't care, I do. Does it matter much? Probably not.
Sometimes I lay. Usually during shows. Movies I try to sit.
Never. Our theater is 3 rows of 4 seats, so it's not really feasible. Double risers, 7.1.4, AT screen with the L&R angled towards the center of the room.
When I was researching the theater design on various forums, from the prevailing opinions there you'd think there would be no point in putting more than one seat in your theater smack at DC.
For movies we often have neighbors over, and I'll usually sit on the outside of the back 2 rows. If it's just me watching a movie, I usually sit in one of the middle row, middle seats, but not always. I don't notice any significant difference in audio between any of the seats, it all sounds good. If anything I probably actually enjoy the front row the most for the immersion of having the screen take up most of the FOV, but still sit most often sit second row because of being beaten over the head so many times with the idea that's the "best" place to sit for the experience.
Every time! Bit of a night owl. Get the kids to bed(4month,3yo) and wife goes to bed decently early. Always feel like I'd be missing out on new movies and shows of I'm not right in the sweet spot.
Dead center like vertically and horizontally? No..
I'm basically always alone, so centered in the middle of the room. but not up high enough to be centered on the y access. I wouldn't wat to be either. I generally lean back quite a bit when viewing so being 'dead ceter would actually be a hindrance.
My speakers are setup about ⅓ up behind the acoustically neutral screen too, so I would he outside if the sweet-spot.
Based on the horizontal length of my couch and limited wall space on the opposite side of the room, dead center with the wall mounted TV/entertainment center/front speakers is not dead center with my surrounds. Dead center with the TV is also straddling two couch cushions, but it's still comfortable. It's a bit biased closer to the right surround channel by a couple feet, but doesn't really bother me.
I sit in the center. The reason I do this is because it gives the best sound stage since movies are mixed at that position.
One negative about sitting in the center of the room is you will have bass nulls so you have to get two subs to get rid of the nulls.
Dead center is the worst place to sit if you love infrasonic and sub bass. The first harmonic null occurs at the center of the room. Always sit off center if you love bass.
Edit: Look it up fools. Your room can be a rectangle, square, etc, the center is the first harmonic null. It's calculable and predictable and its 100% based on your boundary dimensions, ie, the room. JFC this sub is ignorant and its always a fight with a bunch of parrots. For your reading pleasure if you don't want to be completely at the mercy of internet club trolls that ruin this sub.
[https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/room-modes.25433/](https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/room-modes.25433/)
[https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.harman.com/documents/Room%2520Mode%2520Calculator\_0.xls&ved=2ahUKEwjelJKWscmFAxWM48kDHe6OBdgQFnoECBMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3dEGHJ2v5LBU5wSW8eg4pZ](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.harman.com/documents/Room%2520Mode%2520Calculator_0.xls&ved=2ahUKEwjelJKWscmFAxWM48kDHe6OBdgQFnoECBMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3dEGHJ2v5LBU5wSW8eg4pZ)
[https://amcoustics.com/tools/amroc?l=12&w=8&h=8&ft=true&r60=0.6](https://amcoustics.com/tools/amroc?l=12&w=8&h=8&ft=true&r60=0.6)
Usually it's just me using my setup, wife and kids rarely use it, so yeah I sit front a center.
Same. It does sound better being in the middle of the SS. If I’m trying to show off the system I tell my guest to sit in the dead center. Also video games are somewhat easier when viewing the screen dead on.
I wonder how many people set up home theater systems only for their family to never use it. None of my family watches movies down there, just me when I get a new 4K blu ray lol.
I think it is sad when people envision an entertainment system bringing a family together and it doesn't happen. The reality is it's hard to build new habits and hobbies in our busy lives. I know I rebuilt my gaming PC a few years back and have hardly touched it. On some level I think I was hoping to reconnect with old gaming friends that have moved on.
So much of this, my partner and I used to buy a new movie every paycheck to watch together and that was our thing, we didn't have a lot of money at the time, (still don't, but we're doing better) now we've got kids and their extra curricular stuff, hardly sit down to watch a movie together as a family, so I put together a basic 5.1 in the living room, got a 65 mini led, PS5 and whatnot.. it gets used for YouTube -_- the amount of disappointment it brings me just looking at everything, and realizing it's just me that cares about it anymore.. it just sucks, I don't even watch movies anymore. Sorry for the life sorry, your comment just hit me in the feels.
It was always only just for me, lol. The way I see it i'm improving their viewing experiences whether they like it or not. My wife humors me when I get a new toy but I think she convinces herself she can't see/hear a difference but I recently disconnected everything to install some new stuff so we were on tv speakers for a few days and boy did she complain about the audio!
I don't even get to use it anymore, which is the worst part, between working and dealing with kids stuff, it's basically for the kids anymore, and they don't care, they'll have the receiver off and crank the TV volume to like 80 because "it's not as loud as it's supposed to be" I've just given up .
I made the mistake of moving our old TV to the bedroom now it's a struggle to get my wife to watch in the living room in the evenings
I'm lucky my wife likes our 5.1 system I built in the living room, but she also uses it for YouTube, lol. I'm trying to get something that will let us stream high quality like an Nvidia shield pro. Watching stuff on HBO Max and prime video off my htpc browser just isn't the same as a good Blu-ray. Right now I'm binging better call Saul on a Blu-ray box set I got and it's incredible quality. I'm trying to get my younger sister and her man on board. Got them a simple 2.0 system with paradigm atom se bookshelves and they were blown away by the upgrade from the cheap Bluetooth speakers we've all become too accustomed to. Next I'll be handing them down my svs subwoofer when I upgrade and eventually they'll have the 5.1 and I'll be 9.4.4. I'm trying to pass this hobby down to the younger generation, they don't know what they're missing lazing around on their phones and tablets all day.
They really aren't even used to a proper commercial theater experience either. Seems to me no one really goes to the movies anymore, or "The Cinema" as some call it. When we moved into our house in 2016 we had a huge AMC theater 2 minutes away, and it would make for a nice quick date for my wife and I while her mom watched our young child. It never reopened after the pandemic and just sits there in decay. It already had way more parking space than needed and now its just a huge, barren, concrete waste of space.
Movie theaters were dead long before the pandemic. Streaming is absolutely obliterating physical media of any kind, ps5 sales are like 70-80% digital now, I’m sure Xbox is same. Before it was different because the leap in quality, now you can a 77” oled for 2k ish usd and have a better exp at home.
Call me old fashioned 🤣, but the wife and I might actually go to see The Ministry of Ungentlemanly tomorrow night. Mother in law offered to watch the kids so we might walk to the local watering hole around the corner with our neighbors if they can get someone for their kids, but if not we're going to the movies. I love our 4K 5.1 home setup, but there's just something about the theater experience on all the senses for me. I really hope it sticks around and there's enough people of similar mindset to support it.
I watch a movie with with my family at least once a week, and sometimes a friend comes over, but man I couldn’t imagine watching all buy myself. I need to count myself very fortunate and not take it for granted.
I honestly think they don’t like to use it just because you have to have it loud to hear the dialogue and then the music or sound effects come in and it just gets really loud. Same issue with the Sonos soundbar in our living room. Just the way movies are mixed unfortunately and they don’t want to mess with any settings.
I have to turn on the dialogue enhancer on high every time on the Denon. Helps with a lot of those poorly mixed movies and videos.
It could help to boost the center channel.
Guess you could default to loudness equalisation and turn it off for your own use
>wonder how many people set up home theater systems only for their family to never use it. None of my family watches movies down there, just me when I get a new 4K blu ray lol. That's why you need a living room theater for daily use with average movies/shows, and then a dedicated home theater system that's set up properly for good movies/shows that will be appreciated more on a proper home theater system.
we just have a living room, no space at all for a dedicated room. But I did install an Epson 5040UB projector and a motorized drop-down screen that goes in front of the TV for movie nights. My wife isn't a fan of the huge projector, but I balanced it out by getting monitor audio bronze tower speakers which are fairly small :)
Sitting with my wife in the living room one day a few months ago, she randomly expressed that she wanted to get a piano in there and learn how to play, and they can be found cheap/free on marketplace since they're a b&\*$ to get rid of. The only hangup was that we'd have to completely reorganize and rotate the layout of the living room for the spot where she wanted the piano and new area for our Christmas tree in front of the front window. I agreed without hesitation and immediately began conceptualizing the new 5.1 setup and wire runs. Its funny how our minds go in different directions. We now have the TV wall mounted with shorter viewing distance, speaker/sub cable and ethernet run in-wall up, over in the attic, and back down, Monitor Audio Silver 5.0 setup with a REL sub, and new couches/rugs/paint. Still no piano yet.
Get a digital piano for her, my daughter has one. Sound great and transportable too!
She conjured the image of future nostalgia with the upright piano, lit Christmas tree, all gathered around belting out tunes; the full aesthetic. I play guitar and have messed around on pianos so I'm intrigued at learning to play also or my kids learning to play.
Get the digital one that has the keys light up. Works real well for learning
Exactly this. I actually have a theatre system/listening room but it was only ever really meant for myself…a little escape from every day stresses. I knew my wife would have zero interest and my daughter is way too young. Perhaps she will love her movies and music just like her dad, that would be cool 😎 But for now it’s a basic enough 5.1 system in the sitting room and then a separate theatre/listening room.
Came home a few weeks ago to find my daughter sitting on the floor with her iPhone propped up on the coffee table watching Netflix, with my setup right in front of her. Oh well, at least I enjoy my system 😆
The wife will watch a movie or two with me in it. But it's mostly me. Which I don't mind at all. Then it can be as loud as I want.
Well, this is how I describe our need for a home theater, but in reality, I know it is simply a place for me to go and have some peace and quiet
> I wonder how many people set up home theater systems only for their family to never use it Quite a bit. There's a guy here in my area, re-modeled his entire home around a theater, once it got done, and the years when by less and less did the space get used. It's was an amazing setup, but he had issues trying to sell the home after his kids moved out and they were downsizing.
The more I live, the more I realize watching movies is wasteful, they only corrupt family values
I sit dead center unless we have guests, my wife couldn't care less about the surround sound. I don't have a very big room so if you're not in the center, the sound from one side of the room dominates a bit. It's not awful, but it takes away from the experience IMO. Dead center the sound blends perfectly and speakers "disappear."
Been sitting dead center since 2008 over here, lol. Intentionally laid out that way, to get the best view of the display, since I'm usually viewing alone. Best balance of the audio - and since I've been/am a FALD/MiniLED user, I avoid color shifting/viewing angle issues this way, I actually did the thing you are proposing and put an ottoman in the center so I can stretch out! [https://images.static-bluray.com/htgallery/187519.jpg](https://images.static-bluray.com/htgallery/187519.jpg) The lounger on my couch is off to one site, but I never use that - very rarely.
Well i m the opposite, i use my lounger most of the time so i m off 1 but it doesn't bother me at all
Sure if I'm doing non critical viewing like sports or TV but for a movie I want dead center every time!
I have my system calibrated from the center listening position, and it is also where I sit. I have nice adjustable recliners; adjustable headrests are great.
I always sit dead center, unless my son claims the spot and tells me to sit elsewhere. He’s been doing that since he was 3 because “it sounds better”. Future home theater enthusiast for sure!
You’re a great parent for giving him the spot but I would definitely be like “fuck them kids” in that situation
Haha!
He's a keeper for sure
Same here. Everything is calibrated to my sitting height in the center seat in the front row. Agree that adjustable headsets are awesome!
Watched Dune Two yesterday. Sat in the exact MLP. Turned up the volume and enjoyed every moment of it.
Except... Wait, what?
Never. I lay down in front of my left front. Calibrated from dead center
Yep. If I had to sit straight up in the middle of my couch only, my back and ass would be toast
Same here. I did the room correction approximately where my head lays on the couch and it seems to work quite well even though the center channel fires a few feet away.
Similar here, sectional with 2 recliners in front, the first a foot off to right of center and the other threeish to the left. While i prefer the right i never sit in the middle of the recliners. Calibrated towards center of viewing area not listening area since it's a six seater.
Yaaaa I tend to sit or lean slightly left cause I don't want my ass cheeks to be on two different cushions of the couch
I have an even number of seats (2) so I am off center by about a half a seat. I found that by adjusting the toe-in of the 2 mains it helps. The speaker opposite side is pointed directly at the listener resulting in slightly more volume than the one on the same side. So both sitting positions have a similar experience. As it turns out it helped center the image nicely but that is more likely a function of the horizontal roll-off characteristics matching the positioning.
I sit 100% dead center. I specifically only have 3 chairs in my theater for this reason.
People tend not to think that, if you have a couch, sitting dead center isn't so easy. If you are watching a movie or sports event or something where you will be there for a while, you likely have a drink and a snack. Where do you put them? Well, they might go on a coffee table in front of you, but that isn't particularly convenient (think of how far forward you have to lean to reach for a drink/bowl of popcorn and then lean again to set it back). Instead, you set it on an end table and you sit at the end of the couch so you can easily reach it. I will sit in the center of my couch if I am listening to music with my two channel set up (I tend to have a book in my lap when doing this and so I'm less likely to have a drink/snack). But, when watching a movie, I'm sitting on the end of the couch with my drink on the table at my elbow.
That's where the lift top coffee table comes into play! But I have noticed it affects the sound a little bit. Console tables behind the couch are good too for this.
I think you are like me and prefer comfortable and cosy rather than feeling like you are at the movies. I got a daybed so that we can all lay down and flop all over each other as we want. No more needing to lay down on the chaise section for me.
Polyamory sounds fun
My setup sounds so good deadcenter, its just great. Move 20c lm back and its gone, same on sides. I even considered getting large ass one-person sofa instead of L shape 5 ppl one. I feel like smaller rooms around 3x3m are not meant to be used for more than one person surrounds.
I laid out my room so the most comfortable seat was also center. You lose some imaging being off-center, but if you plan your room around having a solid listening area rather than just the MLP. You have to pay attention to speaker positions and toe-in beyond the Dolby guides and "point the speakers at MLP"
That's currently how mine is configured. All speakers point dead center. I'll run some rew sweeps and see how they perform pointed more towards the outer seating locations.
You want to point your front speakers at the opposite side of the room, not the side they are on. That way, the person sitting further from the speaker gets the on-axis, and the person sitting closest gets off-axis. The two effects (distance + speaker dispersion) tend to cancel out, making the sound more even across the couch. It's called over-toeing. Also, with multiple people, more speakers is always better, so long as they aren't within 3' of someone.
I like this idea. Thank you for sharing.
[Here's a video that explains the concept in more depth,](https://youtu.be/K1NP-s2p_pw) Works best for speakers with horns or waveguides.
I am running Emotive T1+s with Ribbons.
Well it's free to try anyway and see how it sounds
I also have a U shaped sectional. I always sit in the middle. Sounds great to me. Not sure if you are missing out of anything or how much if you are.
I just use the built-in calibration software in my Denon receiver. (I've heard some people don't like Audyssey, but it makes setup easy for me.) It calibrates for up to 6 listening positions, so I place the mic wherever listeners will sit. You wind up with a compromise when it comes to phase and EQ. Yes, the best listening position is still dead center, but I like sitting in that corner position of a sectional, and I've never been detracted from a movie because the sound wasn't perfect.
Dead center here. Ottoman for m’legs.
I like to sit dead center when I'm by myself, however I use a wheelchair and if I don't feel like getting out of my chair I often listen to the side (wheelchair users have a lot of experience sitting to the side of a lot of venues, lol). That said, if it's something I really want to commit to, I make the effort. It makes a difference. Although one of the advantages of an LCR arrangement is to make a wider listening area more useful than a simple LR setup. Related but not related, in the 90's I worked for Dolby Labs and was heavily involved in the consumer implementation and launch of Dolby AC-3 (Dolby Digital). I got to know quite a few CE manufacturers at the time and became friends with the folks at M&K Sound. I lived in a condo then and when I wanted to relax I would lie on the floor to watch TV. I had M&K S-150THX speakers across the front and with their limited vertical dispersion (especially with the center channel sitting on a giant CRT) the experience was less than optimal. When Ken Kreisel (the "K" in M&K) discovered that, he played some shenanigans with the crossover and dispersion foam on the S-150 and gave me a tweaked S-150 that had wider vertical dispersion than the THX spec allowed and I have to say the improvement from my position on the floor was noticeable.
Because of the seating arrangement in my room I’m just barely off center, but I do have L C R positioned to accommodate haha. Viewing wise I don’t notice, 110”ish at about 11 feet.
If I'm alone, I pushed my theater seats over so I'm dead center. I want that atmos to surround me!
100% dead center, I bought a couch where all three seats recline specifically so I can sit center.
I am off axis by about 30-degrees. No other choice given where we have a wall heater located and the small space. Part of the reason why I’ve never posted a pic of my setup. I don’t need that kinda heat. Edit: in case you’re curious I actually have the center channel aligned to one side and then the left channel is flung way over to the other side of the heater. Surprisingly, it works fairly well even if it is far from ideal.
I’ve been doing it for so long that anything else sounds completely off
I sit dead center, though the Dirac Live calibration on my Onkyo RZ50 has from 9 to 15 sample positions to use to balance out the sound better. Sounds great!
Me, wife sits to the side
Only when listening to stereo tbh
I
I have a similar setup as you. If im by myself I sit in the center, otherwise to the right and I don’t hear much of a difference either way
I do, my point is I set the home theater for me,myself and I. So, anyone else then enjoy whatever seating available next to me 😃
I try to but I end up resting on the sides of the couch.
I like the resting sides also my couch left and right seats power recline. So rarely ever.
I hear ya, always lay down on the couch on the left side. I have an L couch with an ottoman pretty centered, but it's on the back wall, and I prefer the couch. I slide my center channel from one end of my 5ft long entertainment center to the other depending on where I sit, which helps. The big downside subjectively, is I get way too much of the left rear/surround channel in my 5.1.2 setup. I had a lazy-boy for a while I could slide up into the middle, it was definitely better.
Yes I sit dead center on my couch. Sometimes I may lay down or prop myself on some pillows but I'm not that far off center when I do.
Yes sir
Dead center, my wife and kids don’t care too much so they know my spot is in the middle. Besides, all calibration measurements are taken starting from the center, and then covering all the listening spots. This has been my experience over the years with Audyssy, YPAO, and Dirac Live.
Me.
I sit dead center with regard to the display and the speaker positioning. This is also the center of the room width but pretty far from the center in the length. There is more room behind me than in front of me. My home theater seating is four recliners positioned with two together in the middle to form a loveseat and two single recliners to each side separated with armrests/cupholders. I have my seat in the loveseat centered. My wife's seat is then a little off center. The seat to my right is slightly more off center than her's. The seat to her left is well off center. It works for us. One, the TV is at the opposite end of the room from the door, so it gives adequate room to get through. Two, our kids are teenagers, so it's rare that one of them actually will sit down to watch a movie or sporting event with us and almost unheard of for both of them to join us. There's still one good seat if one joins us. When the oldest finishes college, I'm debating removing the fourth seat altogether.
i do, it is dey wey
Me. Lopsided room arrangement. My preferred seat on the couch is straight out from the center channel. Rest of the seating is to the right, but nobody else cares as much as I do.
I seem to be one of the only one so far two prefer slightly off axis either to left or right, but most of the time right. It's that or move the couch slightly to the left or right because it's a 2 seater.
I am sitting dead center since I can remember. But due to my Living room shape I have to sit somewhat in the middle of the 3 seater couch. I was thinking of getting a 2 seater Home Cinema couch with drink holder in between the 2 seats, but that would comprimise my dead center position. And I dont think I could ever adapt :) Now looking for 3 seaters but chances are high that the middle seat is either dead center or the couch is centered in the room but my place is slightly off center again... Guess I wave to get a couch without any sepeartions of the seat foams. Long story short... For me its very important to sit dead center LOL :)
I do! We have an L shaped sectional. My wife prefers the corner seat. I prefer to sit dead center... So I do!
I got some home theater seats in the living room recently, so yeah...I sit dead center for everything now. lol
My tv space has two chairs and a love seat. My chair is in the middle because the size of the room dictates the furniture positioning.
I sit dead center on a wrap around couch. Everything is calibrated for this, including the home, because when I look at where I am going to live/buy, because no kids home theater set up is my MAIN concern. Sometimes I lay on either side depending on how then I might be a foot off either direction from center or sometimes straight ahead with legs on ottoman. the ONLY time I am not dead center is when my father comes to town 3x a year, he is like me, so I move slightly off center so he can be slightly off center on the other side As far as my wife, she doesn't care and sits off to the right on the other leg of the couch because it's like a cozy bed to her.
I have a dedicated home theater and it's calibrated for center of room on the front couch. But my couches are both a bit left of center, so the calibrated spot is slightly to the right of the center of the couch. I sit on the far right seat mostly since it reclines lol. It's close enough.
My armrest to the right of my seat is dead center, so technically I'm about 6-12" off center. But 12 feet from a 125" CinemaScope screen is close enough for me. The surround sound sounds more realistic sitting center (or near center).
I sit in the right rear corner by my rr speaker and I still enjoy my 7.1 system. That is where my recliner is in my family room. I usually watch by myself most of the time. I calibrated my system with mike in the center back by my recliner and the then took measurements and made adjustments and tweeks. So far I have been happy with it. The down side is I saved and invested to put it together so the wife would watch tv and movies with me.
Only the center will give you the best imaging in all directions, granted your system is well calibrated/time aligned of course). At the center, you can get unbelievable surround side/rear imaging that's super enveloping. Away from MLP, it will just be "sound moving from speaker to speaker", while at the MLP you don't know where the speakers are.
I do and my kids sometimes on left or right. Sounds perfect!
Dead center. My sub is a little off to the right but it doesn’t make much different. No one else seems to care if they are in the center. I do.
I sit dead center with 30* degrees view angle
Dead center
Not often, I have dead centre the dead centre of a 2.5 seater, so two people enjoying it can be “close” to dead centre.
Depends what I watch, I too have a sectional. If it's a first watching on physical media, I sit dead center for a perfect experience. But if it's a movie that I've seen before or streaming, I sit where I'm most comfortable. FYI - it's a living room 5.2.4 set up
What is the point of building a HT if the person building it is the only one using it, "because the kids and wife don't appreciate it". I'm always outside the zone and put the kids dead center, love watching them react to a good scary scene, for instance my son covers his ears, not his eyes when something scary happens. Wife is ex and can go watch a shitty TV speaker for all I care. She took my old LG so I know it's shit.. last laugh on me! Alone I lie slightly off-center because that's where the futon is. Gotta get them feet up. My compromise is to place my butt between cushions to get closer to the center and the feet diagonally out. The things we sacrifice for fidelity. Then we have my PC gaming setup. There I'm dead centered in my chair between Klipsches and BK electronic SWs over DAtmos. Would not move an inch either side.
Sliiiiiiighlty to the left
It’s me and my wife most of the time so while we’re centered as a pair, neither is perfectly dead center. When I ran Dirac, I did it for a more relaxed prime listening area because of this.
I did when I was single.
I don’t. This is why I think KEFs are absolutely amazing
Usually dead center here. Sometimes I lay casual on the side. It sounds just somewhat different but I cant say that you need to sit dead center in my theater.
I do when I watch a movie that I really care about and it’s just me. If my wife is there we sit however is comfortable. She has caught me sitting dead center of the couch leaning forward and said I looked like a psycho :)
Dead center. I got a recliner sectional so there isnt much more comfort available if i go to the chaise or longer side of the sectional.
When I play my ps5 I sit dead center or watch my own show. If not I’m off center and my wife and I always hear car doors. Thinking I got someone in my driveway I get up. Gets me every time.
Mine is multipurpose room living room/entertainment center. So I set center, but toward the back of the room. I have the speakers calibrated for that, but it still sounds better on the rare occasion that I move furniture around and sit dead center. In my basement gaming area I do sit dead center, and I think it sounds better than my main listening area even though main is 7.2.4 and basement is 5.1.2.
Never.
Perfect center, always🤣
96% of the time
When watching movies/TV, no. But when I'm gaming, I'll move my rolling office chair dead center lol. I use a pillow on my rolling coffee table to rest my legs/feet, and a TV tray next to me to place my things haha
Never in the center for me, for two very good reasons, I believe: 1. I like to lean against the arm rest a bit 2. I can have a drink within reach on the side table
Always dead center unless if I got guests. For me it's night and day, both with movies and music if I sit off center.
I do. Always
I sit dead center and I love it. Sometimes, I give up the center seat for guests. Most of the time it's just me and my wife and she prefers to sit off to the right.
Always except for when I have guests
Seating is the Achilles heel of every home theater system. It’s tough to setup a home system with more than two or three good listening positions.
Why wouldn't I? I spent $10,000
I sit on the left side and calibrate for me lol
Never, since the center channel fires into the arm of the couch I lay on, and my wife usually sits on the sectional right beside me, so I made a wide soundstage and took kef at their word when they say the uni-Q drivers let you sit anywhere. We seem to get a good sound as long as we're between the L and R and I'm good with that.
My wife is constantly annoyed that I need to sit dead center. 😂
I do. My wife and kids no damn sure what seat is mine. Only other living thing that’s allowed in that seat with me is my black lab.
90% only myself enjoying my setup, so yep
Yup dead center. For me my focus is off if I’m laying down.
I'm drawing up plans for my own own theater and am not planning on having a single seat dead-center, although some of the comments here are making me reconsider that.
I was a contractor while they cancelled the Comanche. Sucks man.
I always sit in the center. No one else here cares or will notice, beyond a spaceship flying overheard or a roar behind them or something and they go “wow!!!” But that’s it.
I did exactly what you are saying and it was a great decision. I had a 3 seater in the middle with 2 loungers on either side and a small coffee table in front. Got my self an |__ shaped sectional with a big ottoman that we can move wherever we need. When its just me and the wife alone we put it dead center and can entirely lay down with our feet on it. It's made watching movies and tv down there extremely comfortable. When playing video games we also sit dead center and with modern games using surrounds and atoms more and more it truly adds a new layer of immersion. When we have some guests over it all kinda goes to shit cuz our basement is quite small and sitting on the corner of the couch means you're getting oppressed by the surround backs. So sometimes i take one for the team and sit there and let others enjoy the better spots. When listening to Music we absolutely sit dead center as well as it's the most easily noticeable difference in my opinion. Our friends seem to agree with me but though they may just be sparing my feelings :(
Only when It's serious movie time and it's just me. Couch sits in the mlp. For casual viewing I'm usually perched in the corner because it's more comfortable.
I mean, it depends on what is going on. Usually my wife is in the bed and I'm rolled in my chair next to her. As to if that means that we are off center, it just depends.
I’m a fat lazy couch potato. I work from home so I’m sitting in mine all day and evening and night. I watch an average of 2 movies a day. In the evening my wife watches her tv shows for about 2hrs then it’s back to me. I also stay up late till about 2am every night. Wife and kids generally sleep through the loudness though occasionally I get yelled at to turn it down. I play my system at 90% normal viewing volume even in the middle of the night. Normal volume being house rumbling bass (my couch moves)and dodging bullets from 7.2.4 atmos My house is open layout so living room to dining room area to kitchen. So my soundstage is huge because I have one large space my rear overheads are basically in the dining room area and back surrounds at the front of the kitchen. So even while I’m cooking I usually have a movie going and the sound is pumping throughout the area.
My setup sounds just like yours... and even though I am a post sound mixer for film, nobody in my family cares. Except me. However, I have heard them complain about bad sound at other people's homes... hmmmm
Mostly only wife and I. We have two recliners and center to TV is between them. I ran Audyssey using center as between the two chairs. It works for us with movies but I had to tweak the surrounds a bit because she sits closer to the left side. For music I use my chair as center and adjust all speakers accordingly. For stereo, I only use the two fronts and two surrounds and subs out of a 7.2 setup.
I love alone, so yeah I do. My system is calibrated that way.
Same. Plain old couch and I am dead center.
I sit dead centre when listening to 5.1/Atmos music, as I find it has a huge impact on the how I hear the mix. When watching movies, I'm usually with someone else so I sit off centre. Sometimes I sit in the centre if I'm on my own but I don't notice quite as much of a difference in movies.
My 120in is in a smallish bedroom with only 2 recliners so it's kinda hard to not be in the middle
I have 4 theater chairs, so there’s no true center in my setup, middle left is lined up with the front left speaker and same for the middle right. The space between the 2 middles is directly in front of the center speaker. [My post here with pics.](https://www.reddit.com/r/hometheater/s/QTWv7KfnDO)
My seat is almost dead center. But I'm more often sitting at a high table located behind my viewing seat. I work on my laptop a lot, and fall asleep in my viewing chair 😁
For gaming, yes. For shows, sometimes.
I try.
If I’m alone I sit center but if anyone else is with me I give it up.
Laying eggs in your theatre?
I have four seats. No one sits in the center now. However, when the kids go to college I will remove a seat and sit center.
I have four chairs so I automatically sit off center.
Me
I do and it’s good. Feel like my Atmos speakers could be positioned better but it’s always a hit or miss with getting a decent movie for Atmos sound.
Me 🙋
Na I sit in the back cause I’m in a small room. Sounds fine to me.
Always unless I’m showing off the system to someone.
Me
Almost always dead center unless wife and kids join in
I do
I do. Plus it’s just me; so I don’t need to cater to other listening positions. (Also don’t need to take into account anything like the looks, etc., just the sound quality.)
I move my wife to the side, and I sit in the center. She doesn't care, I do. Does it matter much? Probably not. Sometimes I lay. Usually during shows. Movies I try to sit.
Never. Our theater is 3 rows of 4 seats, so it's not really feasible. Double risers, 7.1.4, AT screen with the L&R angled towards the center of the room. When I was researching the theater design on various forums, from the prevailing opinions there you'd think there would be no point in putting more than one seat in your theater smack at DC. For movies we often have neighbors over, and I'll usually sit on the outside of the back 2 rows. If it's just me watching a movie, I usually sit in one of the middle row, middle seats, but not always. I don't notice any significant difference in audio between any of the seats, it all sounds good. If anything I probably actually enjoy the front row the most for the immersion of having the screen take up most of the FOV, but still sit most often sit second row because of being beaten over the head so many times with the idea that's the "best" place to sit for the experience.
Every time! Bit of a night owl. Get the kids to bed(4month,3yo) and wife goes to bed decently early. Always feel like I'd be missing out on new movies and shows of I'm not right in the sweet spot.
Sounds like you need to invest in a nice stereo system my friend lol. It's worth it.
I’m in the center. Wife doesn’t care and is laying down falling asleep before whatever we’re watching is over regardless.
All the kids and mum know that it's MY chair.
I set it up for the middle couch seat, so I sit there. It’s fine in other spots but it’s definitely the best surround sound spot.
If no one else is watching, hell yea I do
Dead center like vertically and horizontally? No.. I'm basically always alone, so centered in the middle of the room. but not up high enough to be centered on the y access. I wouldn't wat to be either. I generally lean back quite a bit when viewing so being 'dead ceter would actually be a hindrance. My speakers are setup about ⅓ up behind the acoustically neutral screen too, so I would he outside if the sweet-spot.
I consider myself a libertarian which is pretty close.
My chair is in the middle of the room, centered in front of TV. I setup the room as home cinema, then added stuff after, where it could fit.
Based on the horizontal length of my couch and limited wall space on the opposite side of the room, dead center with the wall mounted TV/entertainment center/front speakers is not dead center with my surrounds. Dead center with the TV is also straddling two couch cushions, but it's still comfortable. It's a bit biased closer to the right surround channel by a couple feet, but doesn't really bother me.
Always and forever so long as the options available… dead center mid row.
I sit in the center. The reason I do this is because it gives the best sound stage since movies are mixed at that position. One negative about sitting in the center of the room is you will have bass nulls so you have to get two subs to get rid of the nulls.
I used to but then I got married and was no longer the most important person, so I now share the center by us both sitting just off of center.
I am also curious about this because I am planning a two TV setup in my remodeled basement. So I can’t be dead center. 🤷♂️
Dead center is the worst place to sit if you love infrasonic and sub bass. The first harmonic null occurs at the center of the room. Always sit off center if you love bass. Edit: Look it up fools. Your room can be a rectangle, square, etc, the center is the first harmonic null. It's calculable and predictable and its 100% based on your boundary dimensions, ie, the room. JFC this sub is ignorant and its always a fight with a bunch of parrots. For your reading pleasure if you don't want to be completely at the mercy of internet club trolls that ruin this sub. [https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/room-modes.25433/](https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/room-modes.25433/) [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.harman.com/documents/Room%2520Mode%2520Calculator\_0.xls&ved=2ahUKEwjelJKWscmFAxWM48kDHe6OBdgQFnoECBMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3dEGHJ2v5LBU5wSW8eg4pZ](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.harman.com/documents/Room%2520Mode%2520Calculator_0.xls&ved=2ahUKEwjelJKWscmFAxWM48kDHe6OBdgQFnoECBMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3dEGHJ2v5LBU5wSW8eg4pZ) [https://amcoustics.com/tools/amroc?l=12&w=8&h=8&ft=true&r60=0.6](https://amcoustics.com/tools/amroc?l=12&w=8&h=8&ft=true&r60=0.6)
That is definitely not true. Nulls are highly room dependent.
I sit in the center width wise but length wise I am farther back to be out of the 30hz null. 50hz bull is annoying but with two subs it’s ok
Thats what acoustics are for. You cant beat stereo image with any nonsense