How to Set Up Surround Sound Speakers

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.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Speakers, sound system, sub woofer
• Television
• DVD player

1. Place the left and right front speakers in an equilateral triangle with your viewing seat, closer to the viewing seat than the television is, unless you have no center channel speaker. Toe in (angle) the left and right front speakers up to 30 degrees so that most sound seems to be coming from the television.

2. If you don't have a center channel speaker, place the front speakers next to the television.

3. Place the center channel speaker close to the television - on top or in the same cabinet if possible.

4. Set up the subwoofer anywhere you have room.

5. Set up the rear speakers behind and to the sides of the viewing seat. Place them higher than the front speakers.

6. Aim the rear speakers at each other.

Tips & Warnings

• For accurate bass reproduction, move speakers far from the back wall and several feet from side walls. Place the subwoofer away from walls, too.
• For best sound fidelity, set up the center speaker so it's at the same height as the tweeters in the front speaker cabinets.
• Experiment with subwoofer placement. Look for a location that results in clean, tight bass. Ideally, you shouldn't notice that sound is coming from the subwoofer.
• Experiment with speakers placed near side and rear walls.
• "Home theater" is really just the combination of a good television with a good sound system.
• Speakers placed on or near a television must be magnetically shielded.

[jasonhenle]

on 5/7/2009 I explain on my blog how to purchase and install surround sound for your home theater: http://www.henlivision.com/henlivison/2009/05/home-theater-setup.html

[82debo82]

on 5/3/2008 MY TV IS IN THE CORNER AND MY COUCH IS FLAT UP AGANSTED THE WALL HOW DO I SET UP MY SURROUND SOUND UP FOR THIS SET UP

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.

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.

on 11/22/2005 Get yourself a pair of True 5.1 Headphones from LTB. They have already set the speaker positions for you!