How to Hook Up a Surround Sound Receiver
A surround sound system takes a simple home entertainment set-up and transforms it into a home theater. Surround sound delivers an audio track as it was intended to be heard. Typical surround sound tracks are mixed in 5.1, meaning there will be five audio channels plus a low-frequency channel for the subwoofer. Setting up your surround sound receiver properly will greatly enhance the films and television shows you enjoy watching. Set-up should take no more than an hour of your day.
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Instructions
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1
Set up your receiver in your entertainment center. Connect it to its power supply. Make sure it is in a location that can be reached by the cables you will be using to connect it to your DVD player and television.
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2
Locate the "Optical Out" on the back of your DVD player. Connect one end of your optical cable to the output port. Connect the other end of the cable to the "Optical In" on the back of your surround sound receiver. If connecting additional equipment to your receiver follow the same procedure using the appropriate cables. Locate the outputs on your television or Blu-Ray player and connect to the correct inputs on the back of the surround sound receiver. Consult accompanying literature for your devices to determine which outputs and cables to use.
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3
Connect speaker cables to each speaker on the back of the receiver, and run the free ends of the cables to the corresponding speaker. A typical surround sound set-up will have five satellite speakers. These are for the center, left front, left rear, right front, and right rear channels.
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4
Locate the subwoofer output port on the back of your surround sound receiver. Using the proper cable, run a line from this port to the input on the back of your subwoofer speaker.
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5
Place your speakers around the room. Spacing of the speakers will vary depending on the size of your room and the position of your television. Refer to your owner's manual and adjust the speaker placement settings within your surround sound receiver. This will guarantee the sound blends smoothly among speakers.
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Power up your DVD player, surround sound receiver, subwoofer and television and play a movie at a typical volume. Adjust placement of your speakers as necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
Though not necessary, most surround sound receivers will allow you to run the DVD signal through the receiver and then to the TV. This will allow you to access the options menu of your receiver directly on the TV screen.
Always be careful when working around electrical equipment, and never make connections while parts of your home entertainment system are powered on as this may damage your equipment.
