How to Get the Perfect Surround Sound Speaker Setup

George Lucas famously said “sound is 50 percent of the movie-going experience,” and helium ought to know. But what if you privation to bring the afloat excitement of the movies home? How tin you guarantee you’re getting an audio show that volition bash justness to the pictures you’re watching?

By investing successful a situation dependable setup, that’s how. A well-sorted situation dependable strategy tin connection the cinematic standard and sonic immersion that makes movie nighttime an authentic event. Sure, you could take 1 of our champion soundbars and marque a important betterment connected your TV’s sound, but if you’re looking to get person to the movie theatre acquisition astatine your home, a situation dependable setup is what you need.

Below you'll find everything you request to cognize astir getting started with situation sound, and the benignant of setup you volition request successful bid to execute it. Once we’re done, you mightiness ne'er consciousness the request to acceptable ft wrong a cinema again.

What Is Surround Sound?

This shouldn’t instrumentality excessively overmuch explaining, due to the fact that the reply is successful the question: situation dependable is an audio set-up designed to surround the listener with sound. Unlike watching TV oregon listening to a stereo system, wherever dependable is coming from successful beforehand of your seated position, a situation dependable setup uses aggregate speakers arranged successful arsenic adjacent to a ellipse arsenic is imaginable astir your seat.

This is the crushed situation dependable is sometimes referred to arsenic “multichannel,” due to the fact that it splits dependable into much idiosyncratic “channels” of dependable than the 2 channels that represent a accepted stereo setup. Each of these channels carries antithetic audio information—and usually to an idiosyncratic talker too.

Naturally, a situation dependable setup besides requires much channels of dependable to beryllium amplified—you can’t connect much than 2 speakers to a stereo amplifier, truthful you’ll request an amplifier that tin woody with the fig of speakers successful your location cinema setup.

Common Surround Sound Setups: 5.1 and 7.1-Channel Systems

You whitethorn person seen situation dependable setups described numerically—most commonly arsenic 5.1-channel oregon 7.1-channel situation dependable systems, but sometimes, successful the lawsuit of spatial audio setups, with an other fig connected the end, similar 5.1.2 (more connected this shortly). Simply put, these numbers notation to the fig of speakers successful the system.

For example, you tin explicit a stereo strategy arsenic 2.0. This means it consists of the “left” and “right” channels we’re each acquainted with—and if they’re cautiously positioned, these 2 speakers volition make a convincing stereo image. This makes it imaginable to comprehend a soundstage, and to recognize the presumption the idiosyncratic elements of a recording, similar voices oregon instruments, inhabit wrong it.

A situation dependable strategy tends to dwell of a minimum of 5 speakers—this is the “5” successful the “5.1” designation. The 5 speakers dwell of stereo-style near and close channels astatine the front, but with a dedicated ‘center’ transmission sitting betwixt them. Ideally the halfway talker volition beryllium positioned arsenic adjacent to the TV oregon projector surface arsenic possible—this is due to the fact that the overwhelming bulk of dialog successful a movie soundtrack is routed done the halfway channel. There’s thing much disconcerting than the dependable of voices being abstracted from the pictures of the mouths that are producing them.

The different 2 speakers are the situation channels, again arranged successful a “left” and “right” layout— but this clip positioned to the broadside of your seated presumption and, ideally, somewhat down it. With this unsmooth ellipse of 5 speakers surrounding your seating position, the sensation of sonic question wherever on-screen question and/or peculiar effects are concerned, is overmuch much pronounced (and, consequently, overmuch much immersive) than erstwhile each the dependable is delivered successful beforehand of you.

If you person the abstraction (and the budget), you tin propulsion this up to a 7.1-channel system, where—you've guessed it—there are an further 2 speakers to accommodate. In this setup, speakers six and 7 are designated arsenic “rear left” and “rear right” channels, and are designed to beryllium positioned straight down the listener. They past enactment successful conjunction with the situation channels to make an adjacent much unified 360-degree situation dependable layout. The scope for close question and positioning successful the soundfield is evidently accrued by the beingness of these 2 further channels of sound.

As for the “.1”? This refers to the debased frequence effects (LFE) channel—much much commonly known arsenic a subwoofer. This talker deals exclusively with the lowest, bassiest sounds successful a soundtrack, and is designed to present each the rumble, punch and powerfulness that movie soundtracks are truthful often precise fond of.

Creating the deepest, bassiest sounds demands the question of a batch of air, of course, and truthful subwoofers thin to beryllium boxier than the speakers they accompany, arsenic this allows them to beryllium fitted with needfully ample drivers. At slightest the information that debased frequencies are overmuch little directional than the remainder of the frequence range, and truthful aren’t truthful consenting to betray the presumption of the talker that’s producing them, means that subwoofers are acold little picky astir their presumption successful your situation dependable setup, though.

Understanding Height Channels

Remember those other numbers we mentioned astatine the extremity of the 5.1 and 7.1 setups? If you spot those—most commonly 5.1.2 oregon 7.1.4—that means the strategy includes tallness channels, which are the channels you'll request for the astir effectual spatial audio setup.

There’s nary mode you haven’t heard astatine slightest a small astir spatial audio. Its ubiquity, particularly successful its brand-specific Dolby Atmos and DTS:X guises, is expanding connected a seemingly regular basis, to the constituent that adjacent headphones and smartphones, not to notation soundbars, committedness a spatial audio acquisition that volition everlastingly alteration the mode you listen.

Of course, committedness is not the aforesaid arsenic deliver—and conscionable arsenic with those soundbars that privation to replicate the effects of a situation dependable setup, it’s hard successful the utmost to make a sensation of spatial audio without the carnal instrumentality necessary.

For location cinema, the words ‘spatial audio’ tin confidently beryllium swapped for ‘3D sound’. Unlike a 5.1 oregon 7.1 situation dependable setup, which creates a ellipse of dependable astir the listener, a spatial audio strategy creates a dome, wherever dependable is delivered from above, arsenic good arsenic from the front, sides and rear.

Imagine your 7.1-channel system, and adhd 4 overhead speakers that person their ain discrete accusation contained wrong the soundtrack. What you person present is simply a 7.1.4 system, and immoderate contented that’s been mixed specifically for a spatial audio strategy has an bonzer magnitude of scope for the steering of effects wrong the dome of dependable the strategy tin create.

The champion mode to execute a spatial audio effect from tallness channels is by precisely positioning speakers into the ceiling of your location cinema room. I hardly request to archer you that is is simply a comparatively analyzable process, and ne'er what you mightiness beryllium tempted to telephone “cheap.” That is wherefore a fig of loudspeaker brands person developed upwards-firing modules that are designed to beryllium connected apical of immoderate of the talker cabinets successful your situation dependable setup, and bespeak dependable disconnected the ceiling successful an effort to replicate the effect of overhead speakers. It’s a akin method to those spatial audio soundbars with drivers that look upwards—but evidently connected a larger scale.

Does Surround Sound Actually Sound Better?

For the astir dedicated movie fans, the reply present is undoubtedly yes—if you take to put successful a situation dependable setup, the dependable that accompanies the movies you ticker volition beryllium wholly transformed. Whether it's close for you, your fund and your abstraction is simply a precise antithetic question, and it's worthy weighing up the different options for improving your location cinema dependable earlier you invest.

Surround Sound vs Stereo Sound

Which is “better” betwixt situation dependable and stereo dependable isn’t truly an implicit here—it’s a spot similar trying to determine which is amended betwixt apples oregon onions. It’s just to say, though, that if your superior involvement is successful location cinema alternatively than successful music, a situation dependable setup is going to bring you acold person to the objectives of the filmmaker (and their dependable designer) than a stereo alternate has a anticipation of doing.

All movie soundtracks volition person been mixed to beryllium delivered by a situation dependable setup, and that’s existent whether you’re getting your movie from a streaming work oregon via bequest media specified arsenic 4K Blu-ray. There volition beryllium a stereo downmix disposable for those listening done a TV oregon stereo system, of course, but the existent intentions of a situation dependable premix volition lone go evident if it’s heard done a situation dependable system.

Surround Sound vs Soundbars

For anyone trying to determine betwixt situation dependable and a soundbar, what's champion volition travel down to your fund and/or the abstraction you have—plus however overmuch you truly ticker movies, and privation the full-on location cinema experience. Yes, a soundbar is much convenient than a situation dependable setup, and it’s astir surely much affordable. But is it a situation dependable solution? You already cognize the reply to that one.

Still, if you conscionable privation to marque an betterment connected the (almost surely terrible) dependable your TV makes by itself, it’s good worthy your portion investigating what mightiness suit you champion wherever a soundbar is concerned. The scope is enormous, from models costing little than $150 (like the Vizio All-in-One Soundbar), to those that committedness spatial audio enactment and outgo implicit $1,000 (like the Sonos Arc Ultra). What’s for definite is that adjacent the astir affordable soundbar has a large accidental of sounding amended than your tv does—and with little wires and clutter if you're abbreviated connected space.

The problem, of course, is that a soundbar (generally) is simply a azygous enclosure trying to bash the occupation of aggregate speakers. And it doesn’t substance however galore idiosyncratic talker drivers you cram in, oregon however galore cautiously see directions they’re pointing in, oregon adjacent however clever your integer dependable processing algorithms are—a soundbar is ne'er going to beryllium capable to person you that dependable is coming from alongside oregon down you.

That is unless you put successful 1 of the, usually pricey, soundbar situation dependable systems (like the Sony Bravia Theater System 6). These usually travel with wireless situation dependable outer speakers and a abstracted subwoofer. These systems are a large enactment if a afloat situation dependable setup feels retired of reach, but you're keen to spell further than a soundbar.

Surround Sound vs Dolby Atmos

If you're astatine the constituent of deciding to put successful situation sound, not adding Dolby Atmos would consciousness similar an unusual determination astatine this point. Most movies, and adjacent a batch of of TV series, are present mixed for spatial audio, that adjacent adding conscionable 2 tallness channels volition guarantee you perceive the benefit.

Also, dissimilar a regular situation dependable setup, a spatial audio strategy has applications for those who bask listening to euphony arsenic good arsenic a thrilling movie night. Many of the champion euphony streaming services present see contented that mixed specifically for Dolby Atmos audio systems, and there’s nary denying this tin marque the euphony dependable bigger, fuller and altogether much immersive than the consecutive stereo equivalent.

How to Create a the Best Surround Sound Setup

There are a fewer factors to beryllium considered erstwhile you’re starting retired connected gathering your cleanable situation dependable setup. The 2 astir fundamental, and truthful the archetypal things you request to inquire yourself are: “how large is my location cinema room?” and “how overmuch americium I prepared to spend?”

The size of the country volition play a large portion successful establishing the benignant of strategy you extremity up with. A talker setup that’s excessively ample for the country it's successful volition beryllium overpowering and volition dependable muddled—if there’s not capable abstraction for a talker strategy to breathe, each talker volition vie with (rather than complement) each different talker and the soundfield volition not beryllium coherent. This volition effect successful dependable that is messy and confused alternatively than focused.

The reverse of this is simply a ample country with speakers that are excessively small—the strategy volition conflict to signifier a seamless ellipse of sound, the gaps volition beryllium audible, and the wide standard of the presumption volition beryllium underwhelming. You whitethorn beryllium tempted to simply bargain the biggest strategy your fund volition agelong to, but your determination volition request to beryllium much nuanced than that.

That fund is the different large factor, of course. Even if you’re buying astatine the introduction level, your basal talker bundle is going to outgo considerably much than 1 of the much affordable soundbars. But for anyone with the budget, a much high-end strategy could acceptable you backmost 5 figures earlier you cognize it.

But that’s not the extremity of your outlay. These speakers volition request to beryllium amplified—which means investing successful a multichannel amplifier, oregon location cinema receiver, that’s equipped with capable channels of powerfulness to thrust the fig of speakers successful your setup. If yours is simply a 5.1-channel system, each worthwhile marque from Denon to Yamaha via JBL and Sony volition person an due device—and naturally, if your fund is flexible enough, past each these brands and much volition merchantability you an amplifier susceptible of dealing with 7.1.4 spatial audio too, if that’s what you fancy.

What else? Well, you’ll request a root of sound, naturally, which means thing from a top-tier subscription to 1 of those streaming services we've spoken about, to a 4K Blu-ray subordinate and accompanying library, if you're looking for the eventual successful representation and dependable quality. You’ll request a decent transportation betwixt the subordinate and the amplifier, and rather a batch of worthwhile talker cablegram to link each of those speakers to the amp too. None of which is going to travel for free.

At this constituent you whitethorn beryllium tempted to propulsion up your hands and state that a soundbar volition beryllium perfectly fine, convey you precise overmuch … and there’s surely nary arguing with the convenience of the soundbar solution, nor its quality to marque your TV dependable overmuch amended than it does without one. But if this is the mode you’re thinking, I indispensable impulse you to never, ever perceive to a decently sorted situation dependable setup. Because erstwhile you do, thing other is ever going to afloat fulfill your location cinema cravings.