I will make the assumption that you have a surround sound or home
theater receiver and start from there. There are 3 main home theater
speaker setups which you will see termed 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 channel
surround. You will also see mentioned the terms Dolby Digital, DTS, and
Dolby Pro Logic. Let's dispense with the latter first: if your receiver
is only Pro Logic (only older receivers at this point) you do not need
to worry about 6.1 or 7.1 surround. There are some other formats such as
Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro-logic IIx, Dolby TrueHD, DTS neo:6.1,
DTS-ES, True-Surround XT, and undoubtedly more.
The two factors to consider are:
1. how many channels does your system permit, and
2. Do you want to buy that many speakers?
All the receivers that support more than 5.1 channels will also work fine with a 5.1 channel setup. Obviously, 7.1 will provide better surround sound than 5.1, but at the expense of two extra speakers. If you have a limited budget you will have to decide whether to buy 5.1 higher quality speakers, or go for cheaper speakers to allow for 7.1 channels. By the way, the .1 channel is the home theater sub-woofer. The sub-woofer is, in my opinion, really needed for home theater audio. A system will work without it, but I don't recommend going without for home theater. The center channel is also very important for home theater, serving to anchor the sound to the video screen. If you go to our site by the link at the bottom of this article you can see images for the descriptions following. These are the recommended placements according to Dolby Labs.
5.1 surround system:
A). Center speaker centered on video source
B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers between speakers and video source
C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs
D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position
6.1 surround system:
A). Center speaker centered on video source
B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers between speakers and video source
C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs
D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position
E). Rear center 180 degrees (directly behind) the sitting position
7.1 surround system:
A). Center speaker centered on video source
B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers between speakers and video source
C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs
D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position
E). L & R rear equidistant and on a 135-150 degree angle from the listening position.
Sub-woofer Setup
Your sub-woofer may have a switch for Dolby Digital / Pro Logic. If you have a Dolby Digital capable receiver set it to that even if you are using Pro Logic. The same goes if you have multiple inputs on your sub. If your input is labeled LFE it is the equivalent of a Dolby Digital input. You want to use the input to the RCA style plug (or plugs) if you are using the sub-woofer in a surround system.
If you have speaker level binding post inputs, these are almost always for using the sub-woofer in a non surround sound speaker setup. Preset the sub-woofer level control to about halfway before running the white noise test tone to calibrate your receiver speaker levels. You absolutely must run the test and balance your speaker levels to have the surround system perform properly.
Don't worry about the crossover frequency control on the sub for Dolby Digital or better systems. For Pro Logic set it to the point where bass in your main speakers drops off, which will require looking at the documentation for your speakers.
If you are not using your sub in a surround system, you may, with advantage, use the speaker level inputs on the back of your sub. The advantage to this is if you have small speakers. The receiver left and right channels are connected directly to the sub-woofer, and the left and right speakers connect to the speaker out connectors on the sub-woofer. What this does is allow the sub to produce the low bass that the main speakers can not, which of course the other types of connections would do also. The advantage here is the fact that with the sub-woofer connected this way, it filters the bass out of the signal, so your main speakers never try to produce the bass that they can't handle. This results in clearer, cleaner sound and more volume capability from your main speakers.
Sub-woofer placement is generally as below for other speakers. It is true that bass is omnidirectional and so you should be able to place a sub-woofer anywhere, but as usual this depends on your situation. I play music loud, and can detect where the sub-woofer is located by the feel of the vibrations. I find it very distracting to have the bass seem to come from the front of the room, but the vibrations of the bass coming from another direction. I therefore always prefer a sub-woofer to the front of the room.
How to get the most out of your speakers (How to improve your sound quality for no extra money )
The first consideration with a new speaker system is placement, and the second is wiring, both of which deserve consideration. We will cover wiring first with some generalities that apply to all kinds of speakers. The placement part will cover in home speakers only.
READ MORE - ##Home Theater Setup
The two factors to consider are:
1. how many channels does your system permit, and
2. Do you want to buy that many speakers?
All the receivers that support more than 5.1 channels will also work fine with a 5.1 channel setup. Obviously, 7.1 will provide better surround sound than 5.1, but at the expense of two extra speakers. If you have a limited budget you will have to decide whether to buy 5.1 higher quality speakers, or go for cheaper speakers to allow for 7.1 channels. By the way, the .1 channel is the home theater sub-woofer. The sub-woofer is, in my opinion, really needed for home theater audio. A system will work without it, but I don't recommend going without for home theater. The center channel is also very important for home theater, serving to anchor the sound to the video screen. If you go to our site by the link at the bottom of this article you can see images for the descriptions following. These are the recommended placements according to Dolby Labs.
5.1 surround system:
A). Center speaker centered on video source
B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers between speakers and video source
C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs
D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position
6.1 surround system:
A). Center speaker centered on video source
B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers between speakers and video source
C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs
D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position
E). Rear center 180 degrees (directly behind) the sitting position
7.1 surround system:
A). Center speaker centered on video source
B). Sub-woofer(s) in arc with the main L & R speakers between speakers and video source
C). L & R front on a 22-30 degree angle from the sitting, on an equidistant arc connecting the center channel and subs
D). L & R surround equidistant and on a 90-110 degree angle from the sitting position
E). L & R rear equidistant and on a 135-150 degree angle from the listening position.
Sub-woofer Setup
Your sub-woofer may have a switch for Dolby Digital / Pro Logic. If you have a Dolby Digital capable receiver set it to that even if you are using Pro Logic. The same goes if you have multiple inputs on your sub. If your input is labeled LFE it is the equivalent of a Dolby Digital input. You want to use the input to the RCA style plug (or plugs) if you are using the sub-woofer in a surround system.
If you have speaker level binding post inputs, these are almost always for using the sub-woofer in a non surround sound speaker setup. Preset the sub-woofer level control to about halfway before running the white noise test tone to calibrate your receiver speaker levels. You absolutely must run the test and balance your speaker levels to have the surround system perform properly.
Don't worry about the crossover frequency control on the sub for Dolby Digital or better systems. For Pro Logic set it to the point where bass in your main speakers drops off, which will require looking at the documentation for your speakers.
If you are not using your sub in a surround system, you may, with advantage, use the speaker level inputs on the back of your sub. The advantage to this is if you have small speakers. The receiver left and right channels are connected directly to the sub-woofer, and the left and right speakers connect to the speaker out connectors on the sub-woofer. What this does is allow the sub to produce the low bass that the main speakers can not, which of course the other types of connections would do also. The advantage here is the fact that with the sub-woofer connected this way, it filters the bass out of the signal, so your main speakers never try to produce the bass that they can't handle. This results in clearer, cleaner sound and more volume capability from your main speakers.
Sub-woofer placement is generally as below for other speakers. It is true that bass is omnidirectional and so you should be able to place a sub-woofer anywhere, but as usual this depends on your situation. I play music loud, and can detect where the sub-woofer is located by the feel of the vibrations. I find it very distracting to have the bass seem to come from the front of the room, but the vibrations of the bass coming from another direction. I therefore always prefer a sub-woofer to the front of the room.
How to get the most out of your speakers (How to improve your sound quality for no extra money )
The first consideration with a new speaker system is placement, and the second is wiring, both of which deserve consideration. We will cover wiring first with some generalities that apply to all kinds of speakers. The placement part will cover in home speakers only.
