BillFitzmaurice.info

We (finally) got a new flat TV. Took ages, the old CRT just wouldn't die. One of the selection criteria for the new TV was good sound. I guess all the other new tv sets are even worse than this one. The old TV wasn't top notch, this one is worse. I guess it goes with the flat shape. To the point where the war office finds vocals hard to understand. I had a simple single full range driver box in the scrap bin, put that next to the TV, on the center channel of the surround receiver. Much improved, so now is the right time to build something better, both in sound quality as well as looks.

The plan is a nice curved SLA center channel. If that gets the interior design committee approval that would be the right time to see if we can also get a pair of L+R SLA added. Anyway, first things first, get that curved center SLA done. This is going to take a while, my build time is scarce. I can build either in the backyard, or in the house two floors up. This time of year the backyard is not an option. With a family and young kids sleeping early, it is hard to find time to start a table saw or run a router.

I want the center to be very compact. It will be integrated in a small platform on casters, tv sits on top of that. To keep it small, it will be no tweeters, just full range drivers. I have some HiVi B3S in stock. They are small at 3", allowing them to go a bit higher than 4" and are reported to work well in SLA's. Also, it will allow me to build a compact platform.


Going to mount the drivers on the inside, again to save space as well as make the looks integrate well with the wooden platform. I.e. like so:


Today I picked a piece of scrap wood that I will use for the baffles. Used the trusty old circle jig to start making cutouts.


More to come, but don't hold your breath. Progress is expected to be slow on this one.

Corners rounded off.



I intend to make the edges very smooth. It is going to take some sanding, but I love the looks of roundover bit on solid wood.

And this is where we are going, more or less.





With a few differences: these drawings are 4" drivers and tweeters. I will use 3" and no tweeters. Furthermore, in the quest for a low solution, I'm looking at ways to mount the wheels on the side rather than underneath. It is going to be the SLA Center Low Rider Edition.

Apologies for my modest sketchup skills. I haven't figured out how to apply everything in the sketchup drawing, only just started using it.


Not sure yet how I will make the cuts for the individual baffles. I may cut after the round-off, or cut into it. Takes some precise cutting, but might look even better. It would make the cabinet yet more compact, and bring the drivers closer together for better integration.

You don't want the center on the floor, that's way too far below ear level. I doubt you want the screen that low either.

We've had the screen that low for about 15 years now. Not optimal indeed, but got to work within the limitations of our house. There's more than just the tv set in the living room, and it's not a huge room. Cannot fit a dedicated HT room in the house I'm afraid. I will have to move the center above the TV if this doesn't work.

well, stay with your tv at that height if that is what makes your boat float
but move the SLA to the top of the tv at least, so you get the benefit of making one

Otherwise i do not see the point of getting a barret .50 caliber rifle to shoot squirrels
http://lucariofan666.deviantart.com/art ... e-99838655

Either way it is going to sound way better than the stock tv speakers (not hard to begin with).
For now I have a single full range driver sitting in a small (and very ugly) box on the floor behind the TV set. That's already a significant improvement.

Europeans love low TVs. I also love low TVs.

You considered modifying it so the sla tilts back and points at your ears at all?

88h88 wrote:Europeans love low TVs. I also love low TVs.

You considered modifying it so the sla tilts back and points at your ears at all?

Weird, don't you have recliners? I know the Norwegians do, I own one, and if I had my TV down low while being in my most comfortable position on my Fjord I'd end up with a sore neck. The top of my screen is six inches below the ceiling.

Mine is 7" below the ceiling and it could not be in a better spot. The next door neighbor has his sitting 12" off of the floor and I cannot stand to watch it that way for any length of time. After he watched a game on my system he has decided to move his off the floor to a high wall mount.

biggerrigger wrote:Mine is 7" below the ceiling and it could not be in a better spot.

+1. CRT TVs were usually placed on a table, for convenience, not because it gave the best viewing angle. Even worse were floor mounted console TVs. Modern TVs don't have the placement limitations that big, heavy CRTs did, so there's no reason not to get them up where they work best.

+1

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote:

88h88 wrote:Europeans love low TVs. I also love low TVs.

You considered modifying it so the sla tilts back and points at your ears at all?

Weird, don't you have recliners? I know the Norwegians do, I own one, and if I had my TV down low while being in my most comfortable position on my Fjord I'd end up with a sore neck. The top of my screen is six inches below the ceiling.

Recliners aren't really a thing over here like they are in the states, usually the only places they exist are in full blown cinema rooms in my experience. My last set was sat maybe 2' off the floor sat on a piece of furniture which housed my AV gear and games consoles. Never had any issue with it. In my current house the set is wall mounted and maybe 3' off the floor. Eye level is kinda mid screen when I have my slouch on.

But yeah due to recliners not being common whenever I go around to someone's house and they have the set hanging off the roof it's just uncomfortable.

88h88 wrote:Recliners aren't really a thing over here like they are in the states

No recliners, warm beer and soccer. If that's not a vision of Hell I don't know what is.

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote:

88h88 wrote:Recliners aren't really a thing over here like they are in the states

No recliners, warm beer and soccer. If that's not a vision of Hell I don't know what is.

+1

No wonder so many Europeans immigrated here.....liberty, freedom, and recliners.