How to configure a surround sound system.
So you want a more cinema sound experience when you watch TV shows and movies at home, but don’t know where to start?
The good news is that setting up a theater-quality surround sound system isn’t all that difficult. It doesn’t have to be very expensive.
Even inexpensive surround sound systems, properly tuned, can let you hear distant rain, fast cars driving in front of you, or the thumping of horror movies behind you.
This quick guide walks you through the buying process and setting up your surround sound system for the best entertainment experience.
What Surround Sound System Do I Buy?
You don’t have to pay a fortune for a surround sound system. Yes, high-quality systems can give you much cleaner, better sound. But if you are on a tight budget, there is no reason not to opt for a cheaper system.
If you have all the necessary components and place them correctly around the room, you can still enjoy the spectacular spectacle.
5.1 Surround Sound System Logitech Z906
One example of a superior mid-range system is the Logitech Z906 5.1 Surround Sound speaker system. It supports THX, Dolby Digital and DTS Digital entertainment. Any movie or show with this kind of surround sound will sound great on this system.
In any system you buy, you are looking for the key components you need to create immersive surround sound. These include:
- Subwoofer (sometimes combined with a tweeter and control unit, although sometimes they are supplied separately).
- Front Center Speaker
- The Front Right Speaker
- Front Left Speaker
- Rear Right Speaker
- Rear Left Speaker
Depending on the system, the front speakers are sometimes combined into a single “soundbarâ€.
Other brands’ prices range from $ 100 to over $ 1,000. So shop within your budget. Here are some of the best brands to look out for:
- Bose
- JBL
- Rockville
- Logitech
- Samsung
- Klipsch
How to Set Up a Surround Sound System
Once your new surround system arrives and you’ve unpacked all the components, you will need to know how to set it up.
With surround sound, speaker placement is everything.
Use the following diagram to indicate where you place your speakers.
Note that the subwoofer, center speaker, and left and right speakers are usually located near the TV. You can place the left and right speakers in the upper corners of the same wall as the TV. However, since they are on the same wall, wiring should be fairly easy.
Rear left and rear right speakers typically require wire routing above ceiling tiles (if you are in a basement with a movie theater) or down the baseboards in a typical living room. These wires are relatively small, so they should be easy enough to hide around the corners of the walls and the edges of your baseboards.
Return all wires from each speaker to the control box. The control unit is sometimes combined with a subwoofer. Either way, place this somewhere next to the TV itself.
Wiring Your Surround Sound System
On the back of the control box, you should see 10 small square ports – 2 per speaker. The wires are usually color-coded to help you determine where they should go.
You will see a black stripe along one wire, and the other wire is usually solid. A wire with a black stripe goes into a port with a black tab, and a solid wire goes into a port with a corresponding colored tab.
Pull on the tab, insert the copper end of the wire into the port, and release the tab. This will hold each speaker wire in place.
Note. Some systems use component audio cables from speakers. In this case, instead of inserting the ends of the copper wire into the ports, you will need to insert each end of the component into the correct port. Often there is one white wire from the front left speaker, one red wire from the front right speaker, and so on.
Once all speakers are connected to the control box, you have completed 90% of the surround setup!
Arrange Your Front Display and Sound
Most of the main sound from your system will come from the front, just like in a movie theater.
The front right and front left speakers are usually larger speakers that include several bass ports of their own. You can hang them in the front right and left corners of the entertainment room, or simply place them on the left and right of the TV.
You can also hang the center speaker at ceiling level just in front of where people will be sitting in the room. Or, if you have nowhere to hang it, you can place it somewhere in the front of the room (even on the same table as the TV).
How to configure a surround sound system.
Place the subwoofer and control box somewhere in the front of the room, preferably at floor level.
Why flat floor?
Well, have you ever watched a movie in a movie theater where a massive freight train is passing by and you can literally feel it vibrating from the floor?
You can reproduce similar effects by placing the subwoofer on the floor. Very low bass sounds will actually vibrate the floor and make everyone in the room feel like they are in the movie itself.
As for the center, rear right and rear left speakers, these are generally much smaller units.
This makes them very easy to hang in the back corners of the room when installing a surround sound system. They offer amazing sounds from the sides or back of the room that make the entertainment so immersive.
They provide the basis for the surround sound experience. Want to feel like you’re in the middle of a thunderstorm, or like you’re in the middle of a crowd watching a car race? Correct placement of these speakers ensures true surround sound.
These are small speakers, but they are very powerful.
Connecting Audio to Your Surround Sound System
Of course, a surround sound system is useless if no sound is connected to it.
Almost all modern TVs have an audio-out port designed for this very purpose. Many people never use them because the sound on TV is impressive today.
But if you want to customize your surround sound system for richer, higher quality sound, you will need to look for this audio-out port.
For this purpose, your surround sound system must have an audio lead. Plug the end of the audio jack into this only audio output on your TV.
The other end of this cable is usually of the component audio type.
This means that the white connector is for the left, and the yellow or red connector is for the right.
If you don’t see an input specifically for TV or TV, look for the AUX input port.
You can see other audio inputs for other devices on the back of the surround control unit. These are inputs for DVD players, game consoles, etc. Connections will follow the same approach and color scheme as the TV input described above.
Using Your New Surround Sound System
That’s all you need to set up your surround sound system. Now, just plug in and turn on your TV and surround sound system. Make sure the correct audio input is selected and turn up the volume!
To truly enjoy the full potential of your surround sound system, look for shows and movies that offer THX, Dolby Digital and DTS Digital sound. This means that those unique spatial sound elements that give the impression that something is happening around you are actually programmed into the content when it is filmed.
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How to configure a surround sound system
How to configure a surround sound system