How to Hook Up 5.1 Speakers
5.1 surround sound provides you with a higher sound quality and a more realistic sound experience by controlling where the sounds are coming from. As SurroundAssociates.com explains, "5.1 is currently the standard in major motion pictures, music, and digital television." The six speakers involved in 5.1 surround sound are the center channel, left front, right front, left rear, right rear and the subwoofer. The sub is the .1 because it plays all low frequency effects and is not specific to the location of the sound.
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Things You'll Need
- 5 speakers
- Home audio subwoofer
- Home audio receiver (5.1-capable)
- 100 feet of speaker wire
- Subwoofer speaker wire
- Wire stripping/cutting tool
Instructions
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1
Position your receiver close to your DVD player. Place the center channel either on top of or below your TV. Place the subwoofer next to the TV. Position the left and right front speakers in the left and right corners of the wall where the TV is. Place the left and right rear speakers in the left and right rear corners of the room behind all seating. Remember, "left" is your left when looking at the TV. Also, make sure to point all speakers at the direct center of the room.
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2
Determine how much speaker wire you need for each speaker. Run speaker wire from your receiver to each speaker and cut pieces of speaker wire to the correct length. When running speaker wire, try to hide it by staying along the walls and on the ground.
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3
Strip the five pieces of speaker wire 1 inch on both ends. Pull the two wires on each end apart 2 inches and twist each individual exposed wire. Insert the two wires on one end to each speaker. If the speaker wire is not red and black, many times the positive side speaker wire will have the writing on it, and the negative side will not. The positive terminal is red, and the negative terminal is black.
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4
Insert the five pieces of speaker wire into the correct terminals on the receiver. The back of the receiver will have each terminal marked for which speaker it serves (center channel, front right, front left, rear right, rear left). Make sure you connect the speaker wire in the same positive and negative terminals on the receiver that you did for the speakers. On some receivers, the front right and front left speaker wire terminals will not be marked as front right or front left. However, the rear right and left terminals will be clearly marked so you will know which terminal is for each speaker.
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5
Insert the subwoofer speaker wire (the side with one end) into the receiver terminal marked "Subwoofer Output" then connect the other end of the wire (the side with two ends) to the subwoofer.
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Plug in the receiver and subwoofer and perform a surround sound test as noted in your receiver's owner's manual. Connect your receiver to your DVD player (make sure to turn the receiver to the correct input) and enjoy your 5.1 surround sound setup.
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Tips & Warnings
It is always better to use at least a foot or two more speaker wire than you think you will need.
Make sure to connect the same side of the wire in the positive and negative terminals on the speaker and receiver.
References
- Photo Credit speaker wire image by Paolo from Fotolia.com
