How to Design a Home Speaker System
A home speaker system can be a wonderful addition to a home, whether you are an audiophile or a movie buff. When designing a home speaker system, there are a number of different considerations and factors that come into play. You want your speaker system to provide the sound you want and work seamlessly with your components, so you'll need to make sure you do your research and follow some simple steps to success.
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Instructions
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Ensure compatibility with your existing equipment. Speakers themselves don't function without something powering them. In most cases, an amplifier or receiver is used to provide information to speakers. If you have an amp or receiver, check whether it supports 5.1 sound or 7.1 sound. For 5.1 sound, you will need five speakers. For 7.1 sound, you will need seven speakers. If you don't already have a receiver, you will need to buy one to serve as the centerpiece of your speaker system.
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Choose a power rating. The higher the power of speakers, the louder the sound the speakers will be able to produce. Power is measured in watts, or "W," and each speaker is rated with both a continuous and peak power rating. You want your speaker power rating to be compatible with your receiver power rating as well. For example, buying speakers that are 100W will not provide louder sound if your receiver or amplifier is only equipped to power 75W speakers.
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Research brands and purchase speakers. Different brands of speakers vary dramatically in reputation and price, so the best thing to do is to listen to the speakers you are interested in before making a decision. Remember, however, that the amplifier or receiver powering the speakers and the source of the sound also make a difference, so when listening to speakers in a store, make sure to find out the power rating of the amp and whether the source material is digital or analog.
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Lay out your speakers. For 5.1 surround sound, you will need a center speaker, a front right and left speaker, and two rear speakers. For 7.1 surround sound, you will need a center speaker, a left and right front speaker and four rear speakers. All the speakers should be positioned with the assumption that the person sitting in your usual viewing seat is in the center of the room, so the left and right speakers and the rear speakers should be evenly spaced away from that seat.
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Purchase speaker wire and make connections. Higher-quality speaker wire with metal-plated connections will usually result in the clearest sound, especially if you purchased expensive speakers. Running the wire may be difficult in an already constructed room and you may need to run it along baseboards or across the ceiling so that the wires for the speakers aren't running across your floor. If there is no way to run the speaker wire so it can't be seen, you may want to consider a wireless system.
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