How to place the speakers of 5.1/7.1 home theater system

For a multi-channel home cinema system, 5.1-channel is the most basic configuration, and it is also the most common configuration solution in living room theaters.

5.1 channel includes:

Front channel (main box): 2pcs speakers, for left and right channels.

Center channel: 1pcs speaker.

Surround channel: 2pcs speakers for left and right surround channels.

Subwoofer: 1pcs

The living room theater will definitely be affected by many factors, such as the width of the TV cabinet, the sofa against the wall and other issues. So we use these placement suggestions as a reference when actually placing them.

Main box: placed on both sides of the TV cabinet, the angle between the two main boxes and the listening position is ideally between 45 degrees and 60 degrees. If the distance between the main boxes is too close, the front sound field will not be wide enough, and it will also affect the positioning of the sound field.

The center is usually placed directly below the TV

The placement of the surround speakers, ideally, should be a 240-degree angle between them or about 30 degrees back on both sides of the sofa. But in many living rooms, the sofa is against the wall, so the surround is generally placed directly on both sides of the sofa. The distance from the surround to the sofa is ideally equal to the distance from the main box to the sofa. In short, it is recommended to keep a certain distance as far as possible when conditions permit.

The placement of the subwoofer is generally on the outside of the main speaker, or it can be placed between the main box and the TV cabinet. If you feel that the power of your subwoofer is relatively low and the low frequency is not shocking enough, you can place it in the corner to increase the volume of low frequency, but it will sacrifice a certain sense of low frequency layering. If you think the low frequency is shocking enough, you can place the cannon far away from the corner, so that the low frequency layering will be better.

7.1 channel:

Front channel front: 2pcs speakers for left and right channels.

Center channel center: 1pcs speaker.

Left and right surround sound channel surround: 2pcs speakers for left and right surround channels.

Left and right rear surround sound channels surround back: 2 pcs speakers for left and right rear surround channels.

Subwoofer subwoofer: 1pcs

The front and rear sound fields of the 7.1 channel are more closely connected, and the sense of scale and location of the rear sound field have also been greatly improved. But if it is in the living room and the sofa is against the wall, we really don't need to consider 7.1 sound channels. Because if the sofa is against the wall, the rear surround speakers can only be hung on the wall. This position is very embarrassing, and its effect of these two speakers is very limited, which means that the money is not spent wisely. If the living room is relatively large and there is no solid wall behind the sofa, then 7.1 sound channels is recommended.

The front three channels of the 7.1 channel are the same as the 5.1 channel. The angle between the two surround channels speakers should be 180 degrees to 220 degrees, that is, it can be placed on both sides of the sofa, or moved back about 20 degrees at most. The angle between the two rear surround speakers should be controlled between 60 degrees and 90 degrees. The actual position can be adjusted according to the actual size of the room, but it is best not to differ too much.

The bookshelf speaker is recommended to be placed on both sides of the TV cabinet with a special speaker stand. If it is placed directly on both sides of the TV cabinet, it will cause the TV cabinet to resonate when the speaker is sounding, and even cause cavity resonance in serious cases, which will affect the clarity of the sound. The easiest way to solve it is to use the rubber pad that comes with the speaker to stick to the bottom of the speaker. If you are a completist, you can buy a set of special metal pyramids for the speaker to isolate the vibration of the cabinet.

Center speaker placement

Some people put the center speaker on the table next to the TV, which will cause the sound that should have been inside the screen to go outside the TV, which will affect the sense of hearing seriously. There are also some people who put the center speaker in the grid of the TV cabinet. Most of the TV cabinets are semi-closed design, which can accommodate the center speaker. There is no cabinet door in the front, and the back is sealed. This will also form cavity resonance and affect the clarity of the sound. But sometimes we have to do this for the sake of beauty. In this case you can find some sound-absorbing materials, such as plush toys or small quilts, and try to fill the grid as full as possible so that it does not form an empty cavity.

Placement of the surround speakers

There are two traps that are easy to fall when placing surround speakers: one is the angle and the other is the height.

In many families, the sofa is placed against the wall, and the surround speakers are on two sides of the sofa, but the surround speakers are placed directly in front, that is to say, the direction of the speakers is facing the TV wall, which is incorrect. Surround speakers face to the TV wall, we sat on the sofa and the angle is deviated at least 90 degrees. In this case, the medium and high frequency signals we heard have been seriously attenuated, which will have a great impact on the positioning of the sound field.

Knowledge point: The sound signal we hear is the strongest when we are facing the speaker. If we stand sideways & some mid-high frequency signals will attenuate, that is, the mid-high frequency sound becomes lower. The bigger the angle of deviation, the more attenuation it will have, especially for high frequency signals. Due to the higher the frequency is, the directivity will be stronger, and we perceive the sound field positioning through the middle and high frequencies.

As for the height, some friends hang on wall surround speakers on the roof in order not to affect daily activities or for some other reasons, so the height is too high. The height of the wall is generally in the range of 1.2 meters to 1.8 meters, do not hang too high.