Best Tips on How to Place Home Theater Speakers

For this post, we are going to focus on home theater speakers with 5.1 surround sound system.

Nice model lg home theater speaker picture

You have your television and home theater receiver; you just bought your new speakers and subwoofer and are ready to test things out. It's time to break out the measuring tape because precision is vital to achieving the full potential of your home theater system. The term "5.1" refers to the number of speakers and subwoofers in the system respectively. So for a 5.1 surround sound system, there are five speakers (the center channel, the two front speakers, and the two rear speakers) and one subwoofer.

Here are some ideas where to place home theater speakers.

Amazing DIY HiVi Home Theater Speaker Models

The center channel should always be placed either immediately above or immediately below the viewing screen. Make sure the speaker is pointed directly at the audience. The two front home theater speakers should be the same distance from the audience as the center channel. Doing this will ensure that the sound will travel from each speaker to the audience in the same amount of time and reduce the chances of there being a noticeable delay between what takes place on screen to when you hear it.

Wall Mounted Home Theater Speaker design

The rear home theater speakers should be mounted on the walls on either side of the audience. Their purpose is to provide a sense of atmosphere, not provide the main sound for your home theater system. Bass tones by their nature are more difficult to localize than the midrange and high notes of the other five speakers. This will give you more freedom as to where to place the subwoofer. Placing the subwoofer in a corner or under a table will create a deeper resonating tone as the sound waves reflect off of the surfaces.

home theater speaker 5.1 surround sound system images

Realizing the full potential of your home theater speakers is not a difficult task. By following these guidelines, you will be ready to enjoy your home theater the way it was meant to be heard.