The Art of Surround Sound

While surround sound systems might go under the radar as a good luxury item, but one always needs to remember that a bad surround sound system or installation will utterly ruin the home movie experience. To avoid this, a few general tips for Surround Sound Installation would be. The first step in Surround Installation is to place the three main speakers. Now this is an extremely simple job and simply requires that you place both of the two large speakers on either side of the television set at equal distances form the TV and align them properly for best output. Then place the central speaker (usually in the shape of a bar) either on top of the set or attach it to the wall by drilling holes an screwing the speaker in, depending on the kind of set you have.

Then comes the placement of the subwoofer, which is responsible for the bass output of the home theater. The subwoofer works best when placed near a wall, as that allows it to reflect the sound thus giving the bass a surround effect. This effect can be increased or decreased by bringing it closer to or farther away from the wall respectively.
Finally, comes the placement of the smaller auxiliary speakers. These are really responsible for the ‘surround’ effect. In a 5.1 system, there will be only two of these and can, ideally be placed anywhere from behind you to either side of you, but always, as much as possible, equally distant from each other. For a 7.1 system, place two behind you and 2 at a 45 degree angle from those speakers.

After the spots have been marked, the next thing to do would be to drill the holes into the wall. This is a simple matter for concrete/brick walls, but for drywall, the hole must be made at a point where a stud (the framework) is located, else there is a risk of the speaker being too heavy for the wall. Run the wires through the wall or outside, depending on convenience. Then connect them to their ports and run a check. Note that this Surround Sound Installation is just a generic example and it is better if you do an acoustics check to find out what kind of arrangement best suits your room.



Audiovideoking specialize in Surround Sound Installation, Projector Installation, Flat Screen Installation at Los Angeles & Orange County CA