Home Theater Speaker Placement

There are many things to consider when thinking about your home theater speakers. Based on your budget and the size of your room. We start by covering the popular speaker arrangements, followed by advice on speaker placement and advantages and disadvantages of in wall vs. freestanding speakers.

The three popular arrangements for home theater speakers are:

5.1 - A 5.1 speaker system is the minimum standard for surround sound in a home theater. A 5.1 system allows you to enjoy the full sound potential of any DVD in your library.

6.1 – A 6.1 system enhances the standard 5.1 system by adding a back channel. This additional back channel adds realism to surround effects like “fly-overs” and ricochets.

7.1 – This improves on the 6.1 system by adding left and right speakers in the rear instead of just one in the center. The new media standards such as Blu-Ray and the Sony Playstation 3 are moving to 7.1. This provides very good effects really allowing you to experience the “behind me” impact of video games and movies. 7.1 Surround Sound

When considering speaker placement:
The best listening experience is achieved when the sound is received directly from the speaker rather then reflecting off other elements. Therefore avoid getting close to perpendicular walls, which the sound will bounce off of. Place the speakers at ear level or slightly above and keep them symmetrical for the best sound effects.

For the front speakers (left, center and right) it is often desirable to have them in a horizontal line across the front of the room. If all are placed at the same height, this means that the center speaker will be behind the screen. Although not ideal, the most common method for addressing this is putting the center speaker just below the screen. The other option is to use a perforated acoustically transparent screen, which allows the sound to pass through. Acoustically transparent screens cost a little more, but the video quality can be comparable to other screens so the tradeoff is reasonable.

Subwoofers
Deep bass (80 Hz and below) is non-directional, therefore the subwoofer can go just about anywhere. Usually the subwoofer is placed in the front of the room to the left of the screen. However bass will vary in different spots in the room, therefore it is worth trying different locations to find the one that best matches your seating arrangement. While experimenting, keep in mind that moving the subwoofer closer to the corners will enhance the bass while moving away will lesson the bass.

In wall Home Theater Speakers
In wall home theater speakers are proving more and more popular for new home theater installations. Although the audiophile in the family may be able to hear the difference, most movie watchers and gamers will find the sound to be equal to other options.

In wall home theater speakers come with several advantages:
The main advantage is room aesthetics, the in wall speakers can be hidden from view and take up less space. The acoustical advantage is that they eliminate the edge diffraction of the sound moving around the edge of free standing speakers which causes sound distortion.

Of course in wall home theater speakers have disadvantages also:
The main disadvantage is that the characteristics of walls are not certain; therefore the acoustics can be inconsistent between the speakers and difficult to control. The other disadvantage is that in wall speakers do not allow you to move the speakers around the room, therefore room design needs to be planned out a little more in advance.

Advice on home theater in wall speakers:
We recommend looking for in-wall speakers that have a back box available. This back box is an acoustically sealed enclosure that eliminates the uncertain of wall characteristics. Keep in mind when choosing your speakers that, unlike the low bass frequencies, higher frequencies are directional. Therefore consider speakers with angled or tilting tweeters so you can optimize the sound for your seating arrangement. Higher frequencies are usually aimed toward the listener.

Installation advice:
Avoid running speaker wires with electronic wire. That means do not run through the same holes in walls or run in parallel along wall or anywhere else. When required cross in a perpendicular manner and try to keep apart as much as possible.

If installing in wall speakers in existing walls, buy a stud finder and find the studs before cutting holes in the walls. Idea is to place the speakers between the studs so find the studs then use the template (supplied with speakers) to verify there is room and trace the pattern on the wall. Then cut the wall. Check the placement of all speakers before making any cuts in the wall.

Keep in mind unless you are using wireless speakers, wires will need to be run to the speakers. Ideally the wires can be run from the ceiling or basement, but if that is not an option. Crown or base molding can also be a good way to run and hide the wire.

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