How To Set Up a Surround Sound System

Speaker Stands

Today, the most popular type of sound system is surround sound. This type of system provides a superior sound quality over stereo sound, which makes the surround sound systems perfect for the home theater setup. In just a few steps you can have a high quality surround system set up in your living room or theater room.

1. Remove your system from the box and organize. There are several different components that come with a surround sound system and to have your set up run more smoothly it is advisable to organize all of the components before you begin setting them up. Some of the components that will come with your system include, speakers, cables, and a power cord for the subwoofer. There may be more parts to your system, but these are the main ones.

2. Organize all of your parts, and verify that you have all the parts necessary to set up your system by comparing what you have in front of you with the manual that comes with the system. You don’t want to waste a bunch of time trying to set up a system if you don’t have all the parts.

3. Do any required construction. It may be necessary to put together some parts of your surround sound system, depending on what set up you have. Some require additional assembly while others don’t. If your system does require assembly, ensure that you have the directions in front of you, and follow them carefully.

4. Place the front speakers in the proper position, which should be determined by the size and layout of your room. Where your speakers are placed will greatly influence the sound quality of your system. Normally, your front speakers should be placed on each side of your screen, and if at all possible, these speakers should be placed in a position that is about hearing level of those in a sitting position, the ideal place would be on specialist speaker stands. It is also important that the backs of these speakers not be too close to a wall.

5. Now place the center speaker. This is also an important speaker as it will be the speaker where you will hear most of the dialogue from movies. This speaker should be placed in line with your display, either above it or below it.

6. The placement of the rear speakers should be behind where the viewer will sit, in much the same position as the front speakers, and again, these speakers should be at hearing level, if possible.

7. Now you can run your speaker wire to each speaker and connect it to the receiver. The wire to the rear speakers may pose a problem because they can be unsightly, but there are often ways in which you can hide this wire, such as behind baseboard, or use flat wire so that it can be placed under carpeting.

8. Perform adjustments according to user manual. This is the step where you will be required to tell the receiver what types of devices will be hooked to it, as well as what kind of speakers you have, and where they are placed. This is an important step to getting the best sound from your surround sound system.

9. Sit back and enjoy the best sound quality possible for a home movie viewing experience.