How to Set Up a Sony Surround Sound System

One of the most important components in a home theater system is the surround sound system. Separate stereo systems offer a large step up from conventional built-in TV speakers and can greatly improve your home theater experience. Learn how to set up your surround sound system correctly and enjoy full rich sound with your home theater components.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Stereo
• RCA cables
• Tape
• Pen

1. Unpack the box and lay out all components. For a 5.1 surround system, there should be five speakers and the sub-woofer, the main stereo component, remote and cables.

2. Place speakers in their locations. The speakers should be labeled such as "LF" for left front and "LR" for left rear. The sub-woofer should go in the front on either side of the TV.

3. Plug speaker wires into the main stereo. Rear speakers use the two longer wires. Speaker wires are two wires in one cable, one side of which has a black stripe. Plug this side of the wire into the black connector on the stereo, and the other side into the red connector.

4. Take a moment to label the other end of the wire with the tape for each speaker (example: LF for left front). Make sure each label corresponds with the label on the stereo.

5. Run the speaker wire along the wall or other inconspicuous place to the speakers. Connect the black stripe side to the black connector and the other to the red connector, making sure that the label matches the speaker position.

6. Connect the various home theater components to the stereo. Depending on your setup, connect the TV, DVD, Blu-ray, CD players with RCA or optical cables to the labeled connectors on the stereo.

Tips & Warnings

• For best bass, place the sub-woofer directly on the floor.
• If the black striped wire is not connected to the black connector for all speakers, there will be a phase problem between the speakers. This will not harm your stereo, but the audio result will sound less full.