Sound is 50 percent of the entertainment experience. Extraordinary sound can truly draw out the force of superior quality video. Excellent sound begins with your speaker position. Where you place your speakers is crucial to encountering the genuine effect of motion pictures, music, and other recreations. Whether you are setting up your PC speakers, or a mind-boggling home theater pack, understanding the exploration of speaker channels and arrangement is crucial.

Typically, your basic home theatre systems will be a 5.1 surround system, which includes five separate sound channels or speakers. It includes your right, left, center, right surround, left surround and the subwoofer. Each speaker offers specific sounds such as background noise or music. The 5.1 channel speaker arrangement is broadly viewed as the base speaker setup required to create immersive sound at home. It simply expands on the 2.1 setup, which is recommended for small spaces such as a home office or game room.

Placement of Speakers

Understanding the placement of your speakers ensures that you can receive sound that is balanced and immersive. As you consider the placement of your speakers, note the layout of your room and viewing area. As you setup your speakers remember to coordinate with the sitting area. Coordination guarantees you achieve the most balanced and complete audio experience.

Center Speaker

The center speaker is often the speaker that projects each sound with an emphasis on the voices or the main focus on the screen. The center speaker should be placed either above or beneath the screen without obstruction. The role of a center speak is to anchor the sound for the room. Keep in mind that the speaker should coordinate with the viewer’s head. Too low and the sound will need to rise and thus create imbalance. Likewise, too high and the sound will need to fall.

Naturally, in a 5.1 speaker setup the sound conveyance is shared to your extra speakers. Yet the center speaker’s most imperative role is that of exchange conveyance. The main sound must coordinate with what is on the screen. If the speaker is too far, too high, too low, etc. then the sound can be required to travel a distance that may not correlate with what is being shown.

Front Left and Right Speakers

Place the front left and right speakers at ear stature, creating a 45° angle (or arch) from the main viewing position. This conveys a wide stable stage and exact restriction of individual sounds. Use a measuring tape to ensure that your front and center speakers are the exact same distance from the viewing position. Their proper distance can make certain an enveloping and balanced sound distribution is achieved.

Left and Right Surround Speakers

The surround sound speakers are in charge of ecological and surrounding sounds. On the off chance that you are watching a show recording, for instance, the cheers and shrieks of the gathering of people would be conveyed over these channels. Place your surround speaker at around 90-110 degrees in respect to your listening position. The speakers should be right next to each ear or the viewing position, approximately, at a 10-20 degrees. What’s more, you can place them marginally over the leader of the viewer.


Subwoofers are omnidirectional and therefore can be placed anywhere in your room. For convenience, many home theatre systems require that you place your subwoofer near your receivers, to eliminate the need for supplemental cords. If you have two subwoofers, place them in the center of contrasting walls.

Speaker Alternatives and Tips

  • If you lack space and find it a challenge to position your surround sound speakers consider wall mounts, speaker stands, or shelves.
  • If you find that you have an extensive opening on one side of the room and wall mounts are not an option you can use in-ceiling surround speakers.