Home Surround Sound System Installation Guide
Having found a surround system that you really like(or simply wanting to know if your home can accommodate it), you can probably not wait to have it installed as quick as possible and test the quality! In this article you will find tips on installing surround sound systems, as well as some do and don'ts of it to make sure you get the highest quality sound possible!
Firstly, let's talk about what you need to get ready before hand in order to have your surround sound installation easy and quick.
Know your surround sound source - Many people would have overlooked this step due to the excitement when purchasing their surround sound system. Understand the difference between "coaxial" and "optical" output. An optical cable is simply a cable which is fiber optic whereas the coaxial is a shielded RCA cable. One would be sufficient as both are about the same, therefore having both will make one redundant.
Where should you put them? You can find it at the back of your media player, after which you can just connect into the input of your sound system. To make the installation process a painless and easy one, always know your cables and input output source beforehand. You should choose a better quality ones over the lower quality one whenever possible.
The reason why most surround systems are labeled as 5.1 due to the fact that it is channeled out to 5 different sound output as well as 1 low frequency sound sub woofer. Knowing when to put all 5 speakers is difficult to master because you'll have to manually test each set up, installing on the other hand, is somewhat easy.
Tip 2 of surround sound installation - Find your placement area. By that I mean at least have a rough idea where all your speakers are going to be, depending on the type of home theater system that you bought, you might have different layout to this. There will be some sort of differences in terms of placement between on-shelf speakers, on-wall speakers and such.
The most popular setup you can easily find is with a 40 inch TV and two stand alone speakers at the rear end of your seat. To get the best viewing experience on a 40 inch TV, you need to sit away from it for about 5-8 feet.
A wood surface is recommended for your sub woofer, however it really does not matter because the low frequency bass sound can be heard just fine no matter where you put them. Both the front speakers should be placed right beside your TV, make sure you do not spread them too wide. Form a triangle shape with he end point being the furthest point away from TV before the quality degrades. By setting it up that way, everyone around the vicinity can enjoy higher quality sound due to the wide sweet spot.
The 3rd tip of surround sound installation is this. Once you've found out where you want to put the system, make a triangle shape like with the 2 front speakers and the ending point is the maximum distance before you notice a degenerate in TV viewing quality. Surround yourself with the two rear speakers by placing them at the back of your seat, they can face you or towards the side.
The reason why most people would want a surround system at home is because they can give you the same sound effect like you can find in the cinema. Therefore you need to make sure each and every speakers are placed in the best possible area to give you the highest quality sound.
If you find that your living area has become considerably smaller, try adjusting the speakers around until you are satisfied with the quality. It takes a little work and testing to get it, but it should be well worth it once you've gotten and hit the sweet spot.
Above all, enjoy your home theater system!
You can find more information on definitive technology surround system here or read our reviews on home theater!