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| Speaker Placement |  Whether you're planning a budget home theater system, or working with high-end A/V gear, location and placement of your speakers is very important since the right positioning of your speakers can improve their performance. If you're going to select home theater speakers, knowing the basics of speaker placement can help you make the best choice for your particular room.
Remember that there are too many variables involved for there to be a single "magic spot" that's always best. Every speaker has various sonic characteristics, every room has various acoustic properties, and everyone's ears hear sound a little differently. Let your own ears be the final judge when you set up your speakers. And do not forget to read the owner's manual that came with your speakers — manufacturers sometimes propose model-specific advice for ideal placement.
 Your center channel speaker
Your center channel speaker should be the first speaker you place in your home theater room. Because your center channel speaker's job is to anchor dialogue and other on-screen sounds to the screen, its placement depends upon where you locate your TV.
• If possible, locate your center channel directly above or below your TV — centered.
• If it's atop your TV, be sure the speaker's front edge is exactly aligned with the front edge of your TV screen. This decreases distortion caused by sound reflecting and diffracting off the TV's cabinet.
• The height of the center channel speaker's tweeter should be close to the height of your front speakers' tweeters — ideally, within about 24", if possible.
• Your center channel speaker should be exactly the same distance from your listening position as your front left and right speakers.
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