By eHow Electronics Editor
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The following is a how to for setting up your home theater surround sound speaker system for a soul-shattering effect. The article is set up specifically for optimizing your living room, den or entertainment room and does not deal with specific installation.
Comments
Anonymous said
on 1/13/2006 Using an analog wristwatch or analog clock, place it on the floor with 12 oÂ’clock facing the center speaker and 6 oÂ’clock facing the listener.
Thirty degrees left and right from the center speakers you need to place your front surround speakers. For the right surround, that is 1 oÂ’clock and for the left surround, that is 11 oÂ’clock.
110 degrees from the center speaker you need to place your back surround speakers. For the right back surround, that is 4 oÂ’clock and for the left back surround, that is 4 oÂ’clock.
Finally the rear surround place it at 6 oÂ’clock I personally prefer to place the sub woofer behind me.
Keep speakers at ear level as you are sitting down. 3-4 feet.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 I have a Logitech z-640 surround sound speakers system. I have tried a lot a different setups. What works best for me is having the front left and right speakers aimed a little bit out instead of aimed directly at you. Then I have the rear left and right speakers aimed slightly out, too. Have the center channel speaker directly in the center but at a little higher level than the rest of the speakers. Then have the subwoofer directly in the center, too.
The Logitech z-640 cost $80 but I was able to get it from Amazon.com for $39 with free shipping and the package arrived in 2 days. Sound quality is really good and it is extremely loud without distorting and the bass is excellent.
Please note that having the subwoofer in the corner of your room is not such a good idea. Having it in the center of the room is the best way to go. If you by any chance have the subwoofer in a corner of your room, you'll notice that the bass is louder in one side of the room than the other. When the subwoofer is in the center of your room, the bass sounds the same throughout your room, giving you optimal sound quality from everywhere in the room.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 For those of you who have constantly wondered if using premium interconnects and speaker cables are worth the money, this may be useful.
http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm
Check out "the truth about speaker wire".
This is an informed source (an Audio engineer from McIntosh (the audio component maker)) that contends that the benefits of Mon$ter Cable and other high priced cables may be more about marketing and subjective assessment than fact.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Get yourself a pair of True 5.1 Headphones from LTB. They have already set the speaker positions for you!
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Everyone, from Dolby on down, state that you should use 5 or 7 identical speakers. If you say the LF Speaker is A, the RF speaker is B, and where you sit is speaker C, then you want the distance between A and B to be the same as A to C or B to C. The front three speaker tweeters should be at ear
level. In a 7.1 the side speakers should be 2/3's of the length of the room. The rear L and R in a 5.1 should be aimed at the opposite front speaker. In 7.1 the rear L and R should be placed on the back wall halfway between the T.V. and the front L and R speakers. The best way to find the right placement for the sub is to first place the sub where you sit,
then put on some heavy bass movie or song. All you have to do is slowly walk around the room with your back to the wall and find the sweet spot (you will know when you find it). Place the sub in this sweet spot. If all else fails, go to a movie theater with a good Dolby system and sit in the rear. Hear for yourself how much you need full range rear speakers! And please,
spend the money on good wire and cables. This does, and will, make a huge difference.