How to Wire Surround Sound Systems

Surround sound systems can bring a whole new level of enjoyment to watching movies. But to get the most out of your system, it's essential that the speakers be wired properly to the surround sound system. Follow some simple guidelines, and use a little common sense, and your system will sound its best.

Things You'll Need

• Surround sound system
• surround sound speakers
• speaker wire
• subwoofer cable

Instructions

1. 

   Place your speakers in the appropriate locations. While the shape of your room will have some effect on exact placement of the speakers, position the speakers as shown in the diagram, and get each speaker as close to ear level as possible, with the exception of the powered sub-woofer.

2. Identify the speaker and sub-woofer outputs on the surround sound system. The speaker outputs will be labeled "speakers", with specific designations for the different outputs: "front," "center," and "surround." In the case of the "front" and "surround," note which is for the left and which is for the right speakers. The sub-woofer output will be labeled "sub-woofer" or "LFE," and is a single female RCA plug.

3. 

   Layout your speaker wire and cut to length for each speaker. Be sure to take into account how you'll routed the speaker wire. Strip the insulation off of each end of the speaker wires, so that 3/8 to 1/2 inch of bare wire is visible.

4. Connect your speakers to the surround sound system one at a time. Refer to the diagram if necessary and remember that R and L are how the speakers sound to the listener. A "R" speaker is on your right side as you're watching a movie or listening to music.

5. Connect your sub-woofer to the surround sound system with a sub-woofer cable. This is a single cable with an RCA connector on each end. Test your system to be sure that you're hearing all of the speakers. Most surround sound systems will have test tones that you can use for this test.