The Art of Speaker Placement for Home Theater and Stereo

Table of Content

• Don’t Put Speakers Too Close to the Walls
• Step 1: Center Speaker Positioning
• Home Theater Speaker Placement—Where Do I Put My Speakers?
• The Art of Speaker Placement

It’s important to note that the center channel and the left and right channels are a constant and thus do not change based on 5.1, 7.1 or any immersive audio formats. The rear sounds will be left to the actual rear speakers. There are a couple of points to pay attention to with surround speaker placement. Whenever possible, place the side speakers in the exact position on the opposite side.

Over the years, I have learned a lot about AV equipment and room acoustics. Different speakers will react differently to various placements. Not every angle is going to be suitable for every speaker. You’ll have to read the manufacturer’s guide to see what’s best for the speaker.

Don’t Put Speakers Too Close to the Walls

I have moved TOSAF new home and am struggling with a room that was not planned out as a home theater so lots of challenges and I am still tinkering. I use IsoAcoustics GAIA II feet with my Definitive Technology BP-9060 speakers to reduce vibrations and sonic reflections. We carry lots of great options for this — from replacemant speaker feet, to isolation platforms that your speakers sit on. The layout of your room will determine where the second sub should be placed.

I’d be worried that you’d just get a “wash” of sound from the 13′ in-ceiling position. Would you recommend wall mounted dipoles behind the couch? Mounting them on the side walls is not really an option due to the configuration of the room. This is proper speaker placement for the Front Left, Center, and Front Right speakers.

Step 1: Center Speaker Positioning

The ideal position for watching anything is in front of the TV, and the center speaker should look directly at the viewer. It is usually situated above or below the middle of the screen, depending on where it is possible to place it. If, when watching a movie, it seems to you that the sound is coming too far from the screen, then this speaker is at a too big distance from it.

Use the system layouts shown below to get the best sound in these challenging rooms. Using two subs improves bass distribution by filling in gaps where bass response may be weak. A second sub also provides more impactful dynamics and greater system headroom. For me, it’s when my emotions and imagination are completely engaged with what I’m watching.

Home Theater Speaker Placement—Where Do I Put My Speakers?

Putting a speaker in a corner will make the sound much louder, as you may have noticed, and this can easily make it tempting to do just that. However, the quality of the sound will suffer in turn, and even though it’s going to be louder, it’s going to be muddied and heavily distorted. Since you’re aiming for quality here, you should avoid corners at all costs. If that doesn’t work for you, you can tilt your speakers downward or even put them slightly lower and point them upward. You should try both options and see what works best for you.

Such systems use multiple channels and speakers to provide depth of immersion and a sense of reality. For an unforgettable experience, every surrounds sound speaker’s position matters, so we will discuss their correct placement in different systems below. For optimum sound, it is no less essential to place the center speaker correctly in height. As with the previous devices, this speaker’s tweeters should be at ear level when sitting. It is also desirable that the tweeters of all three of these speakers are at the same level.

Should i place the ceiling speakers just above slightly behind my sitting position or mounted on the 30 degree angle which would be approx 5-8' away from the OP. My first thoughts was to install the 30 degree angle ceiling..spread apart extending just above the OP. What is confusing me is the "recommended" 5.1 setup is to the right or right above the OP. Really do not want to start making holes in the ceiling until i talk to the experts. Hello, I have a 24 x 12 foot room and I will be running a 7.1 system.

Also on the side note...will the TC620i be sufficient to suffice in my HT setup for mostly movies? I can send them back if needed...just trying to please the wife by taking down my bulky Onkyo's off the walls. A 9.1-channel system adds front height speakers to take advantage of Dolby Pro Logic® IIz, which gets height information from the signal.

The answer depends entirely on the layout of your room and how much space you have. Generally speaking you'll get the best sound if you place the left and right speakers as far apart from each other as they are from you . This wide placement creates a large soundstage with excellent separation between the left, right, and center channels. A 3.1 system pairs left, right, and center speakers with a powered sub to create a dynamic front soundstage. These systems are often better options than putting surround speakers where they won’t look or sound their best. Consider in-ceiling speakers for your surround channels.

As long as you stick relatively close to the placement recommendations you'll be fine, especially once you've run your receiver's calibration system. Front Left/Right Mains Speakers The main speakers should be placed degrees off-axis, relative to the primary seating position. The best imaging will be obtained when the tweeters are close to ear height when seated.