An Essential Guide to Home Theater Speaker Placement
 by Alan Lofft (bio), Axiom Audio I admit it. There's a kind of precision about audio/video components, home theater and sound reproduction that's downright addictive, similar to the appeal of other technical hobbies like cameras, cars, boats and aviation. They all have their own vocabulary and jargon, of course, and it's easy to get bogged down or enraged by it (when I start dreaming about pixel counts and aspect ratios, do I need help?). But lack of precision can be equally annoying. Sometimes, for instance, a vague statement about positioning Axiom QS8 or QS4 multipolar surrounds just isn't enough -- Oh, place them on the side walls above your ear level, and slightly to the rear of the listening area. . ." is just too unclear. So, for all those newcomers to 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 home theater setups, as well as seasoned enthusiasts who want precise directions, here they are, courtesy of Dolby Labs, the developers of Dolby Digital and its many variations. As you are reviewing the diagrams, remember that the goal of all speaker placement for movie soundtrack playback and multichannel music reproduction -- even stereo -- is a smooth, consistent and unbroken soundstage across the front, coupled with a sense of envelopment in the ambient surround effects. In other words, you're after a sense of location, whether that is suggested by what's on-screen, by the recording venue or even the dry, intimate acoustic of many pop/rock studio recordings. As you experiment with speaker locations, think back on a really great Dolby Digital movie presentation in a big cinema when you had a good seat in the central part of the auditorium. You are not constantly looking up at the surround speakers on the side walls or at the back of the theater. The same applies to a home installation. You don't want to "hear" the location of specific surround speakers or, for that matter, your main left and right front speakers. Involvement in the movie or music (whether multichannel or not), is everything . That is the goal. If a sound is "hard-mixed" on a recording or soundtrack to a particular spot at the side or rear, then it's OK for it to appear there (I'm thinking of an Aaron Neville multichannel recording where the backup chorus is hard-mixed to the right surround. . .which seems a bit odd, but you get used to it. Maybe the backup singers were in that spot in the studio.). In Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks, most movie dialog is hard-mixed to the center channel, and if you experiment with center speaker placement, the dialog should be one with the actors on the screen. It shouldn't seem detached from the screen. If it is, you have your center channel too far away from the screen. 5.1 Channel Dolby Digital/Dolby Pro Logic II  Fig 1. Standard Dolby Digital 5.1 / DPL II Setup Let's deal with the "standard" Dolby Digital 5.1 setup first (fig.1) since it represents the mandatory standard for current DVDs and for High Definition TV broadcasts. (DTS, a competing system, is optional on DVDs. It does not have to be included.) Assuming you are centered in the middle of your couch, facing your TV display and center-channel speaker at 0 degrees, then your left and right main front speakers should be within a 22- to 30-degree angle to each side, viewed from your seat. The main left and right surrounds should be to the respective sides of the listening area, above ear level if possible (ideally 2 feet or more) at an angle of 90 to 110 degrees (see, even Dolby Labs give you some variance) from the front center. Fig. 3 gives you suggestions for corner setups. This setup also applies to Dolby Pro LogicII playback. And if your 5.1-channel speaker setup is doing double duty for SACD or DVD-Audio playback, you have permission to move the surrounds a bit farther back in order to compromise between the suggested Dolby Digital 5.1 placement and the somewhat conflicting standards for SACD and DVD-Audio mixes. Dolby Digital EX/Dolby Pro Logic IIx/7.1 channels  Fig 2. Dolby Digital EX 6.1 and Dolby Pro LogicIIx 7.1 channel Setup Increasing numbers of movie soundtracks are encoded in Dolby Digital EX, which adds a sixth mono channel at the back. Although a mono channel, the back channel is better realized by using two rear speakers, at angles between 135 and 150 degrees to the front center (fig. 2). Directly behind you would be 180 degrees from the front center, and that isn't recommended because of how our ear/brain interprets sounds originating from directly behind us. We sometimes confuse such rear-emanating sounds and place them in front of us. This dual-rear arrangement also serves perfectly for Dolby Pro LogicIIx (7.1 channels), which synthesizes separate Left Back and Right Back signals (so does Harman/Lexicon's Logic7) for increased realism and more dramatic rear/front or front/rear flyover effects. DPLIIx also adds heightened spaciousness and realism to many 2-channel music sources (not all), by extracting natural ambience present in recordings and redirecting it to the side and rear surrounds, where it belongs. Incidentally, similar speaker placements apply to DTS 5.1 and its comparable variations, DTS ES and Neo:6. DTS is not a mandatory standard for DVD or HDTV, but it's enjoyable nonetheless, as is Logic7, Harman/Kardon's proprietary 7.1-channel setup, originally developed by Lexicon but also offered on H/K A/V receivers.  Fig 3. Suggested Corner Arrangement of Dolby Digital 5.1 Channel Setup For multipolar surrounds or direct-radiating speakers used as surround speakers, the same angles and placement suggestions apply. A few receivers have facilities for using two different types of surrounds (multipolar and direct-firing) and if you have that luxury, great. Likewise, there are some Axiom customers who have gone with floorstanding speakers—e.g. five M80ti's—all round. Although SACD or DVD-Audio recordings are mixed using direct-radiating speakers all around, Axiom's double-blind tests have shown that Quadpolar QS8 surrounds deliver a more generous listening area at different locations in the room. If you are in the "sweet spot," our double-blind tests also showed that listeners weren't able to discern any significant differences in multi-polar or direct-radiating surrounds with SACD or DVD Audio. Subwoofers Since deep bass 80 Hz and below is non-directional, the subwoofer can go just about anywhere on the floor, but corners will give you the greatest enhancement of deep bass, at the risk of it sounding boomy. Moving a subwoofer or a floorstanding full-range speaker away from any intersecting room boundary will reduce the tendency to boom or to have too much bass. In either case, you will have to experiment to achieve smooth and extended deep bass in your preferred listening location. Bass output will vary in different spots in the room as a function of the room's dimensions, so aim for good bass extension in preferred seating locations. You can't satisfy everyone in the room, although adding a second subwoofer will help smooth out the bass for other listening locations. Look in the A/V Tips and Axiom Digital Library for more detail on subwoofer placement tricks.  |
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     New member Username: SwinklPost Number: 7 Registered: Mar-05 |
Hi! I have a Dobly 5.1 system that I am about to hook up, and a Dobly 2.1 system currently hooked up. I was wondering if it was possible to attach them together and create a 7.1, or 7.2 system? if it is then how do I set up the speakers\subwoofer(s) |
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The mystery guest Unregistered guest |
Shlomo.. Even though I dont have a Surround system yet.. I know it doesnt work that way. These components arent like PC components where you can upgrade parts to better the whole. If you want 7.1 you need a 7.1 system. |
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hamm3rhead Unregistered guest |
actually mystery guest, if the inputs of the two systems are individual then he can pretty easily use the 2.1 setup integrated with the 5.1.. the problems being more timbre matching and possible frequency dropouts if you aren't careful setting your surround processors speaker size/crossover settings to fit within the 2.1 & 5.1 systems internal crossovers. |
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anonymous coward Unregistered guest |
Liked this article, do you have something similar regarding placement of the screen? ie: distances & angles for optimum viewing compared to the eyes ability to view details outside of the primary are of view. thanks |
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Unregistered guest |
Although I found the article very well written and interesting, one small question remains. The ITU 5.1 recommended setup states that all speakers, including the center channel, should be located at same distance to the listener. This is clearly not the case in the above images. Does the Dolby Pro Logic II decoder consider the center channel to be closer to the user? Or are any Video DVDs mixed with such a setup in mind? Or is this setup chosen only because it is easier to accommodate in normal living rooms?.. |
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Unregistered guest |
You recommend that the surround speakers face each other for a DD & DTS setup? |
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Unregistered guest |
can you help me with hooking my speakers up. Which is lf and lr meaning by looking at the back of the reaciever or at the front |
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Moderator Username: AdminPost Number: 284 Registered: Dec-03 |
The abbreviations stand for each speaker placement in relation to your seating position. LF = Left Front LR = Left Rear (labeled as "Ls" in the above diagrams) RF = Right Front RR = Right Rear (labeled as "Rs" in the above diagrams) |
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Anonymous |
I was wondering if on a 7.1 system you ran a 6.1 recorded DVD or 5.1 recorded DVD which speakers would be activated ? Please comment on both scenarios. |
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Moderator Username: AdminPost Number: 288 Registered: Dec-03 |
There is no true 7.1 discrete content or decoders available at this time. Think of 7.1 as adding one rear "back" center channel for sound that is split between two speakers. 7.1 is really 6.1 with the extra back speaker. Receivers with DTS-ES and/or Dolby Digital EX decoders take 5.1 sound and create a sixth back channel from the left and right rear speaker channels. Receivers with DTS:Neo and/or Dolby Pro-Logic IIx expand two channel stereo into a 6.1 format. |
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Anonymous |
I am looking at purchasing a small size discreet speaker system 5.1 upgradeable to 7.1. I was wondering if any comments on the Energy Act6 system vs the Bose Acoustimass. Any thoughts ? |
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Anonymous |
I wish to put in a 6.1 system. My center front speaker is 11 feet from the listener but my back wall is 12 feet behind the listener ! Is this too far back to put the 6 th speaker ? ( ie rear channel ) |
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Unregistered guest |
I have a question like shlomo. i might get a 5.1 system with a DDTS-100 decoder. Could i buy a Y jack and connect my 5.1 subwoofer cord to my 2.1 cords, and plug that into the decoder, and get 7.1 sound? |
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Unregistered guest |
can the television's existing speaker be used as the center channel? if we add 2 front and 2 rear will we then have the equivalent of surround sound? |
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Unregistered guest |
IF YOUR TV HAS AN AUDIO INPUT RCA(PHONO) YOU CAN CONNECT IT TO THE CENTRE PRE OUTPUT OF YOUR AMP OR DECODER AND USE YOUR TV SPEAKERS AS A CENTRE HOWEVER YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOUR FRONT SPEAKERS ARE FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM YOUR TV SO THE SOUND FIELDS DO NOT GET MIXED UP.REMEMBER IS SOLUTION WILL NOT SOUND AS GOOD AS A PURPOSE MADE CENTRE SPEAKER |
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rpm910 Unregistered guest |
How many speakers are used in a 9.1 system and where should they be placed? |
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ipod Unregistered guest |
9.1 = 9 speakers plus 1 sub woofer = 10 |
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Unregistered guest |
Does the RF and LF speakers necessarily need to be placed right next to the screen for good sound?? I'm thinking of adding a 5.1 system where the RR and LR speakers would be mounted on the ceiling which is 12' high. Do you think it would be good to have the RF and LF speakers on the ceiling as well?? The size of the room is 18'x19'. Would use the small satelite speakers. |
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Mangoman Unregistered guest |
awesome.. rear center? personally, i prefer bass closer to me.. since it is omnidirectional, the closer it is, the less i have to turn it up and hear the distortion |
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JustaThought Unregistered guest |
Just so you know, bass (low frequency) sound waves need a lot of room to travel. If your sub is too close you won't be able to hear it very well. If your sub is any good (meaning, if it can hit the low notes) I would recommend it be 10 feet away if possible. |
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darcol Unregistered guest |
Does the height of the front and rear speakers come into account at all? I have limited floor space and young children who might damage them. Have wall space 6 feet up and 8 foot apart, would high mounting be ok, or will this harm the sound? |
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Stereodude Unregistered guest |
Can you advise the best speaker placement for 9.1 |
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Unregistered guest |
wat if you have the tv in a corner-need help with 5.1 channel |
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darcol Unregistered guest |
Orwell, see above http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/129026.jpg |
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Unregistered guest |
would u pls tell me different type of placement of speakars in a multyple tyres auditorium and in open ground speaker placements..... |
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zz Unregistered guest |
I bought a ONKYO 7.1 system. But I found out I have only 5.1 system prewired on the wall and I do not want see wire for the rest of two rear speakers. So is that possible to keep the 7.1 system and just add 5 speakers and have the 5.1 system sound result? Thanks. |
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Unregistered guest |
I have purchased an Onkyo 7.1 Home Theater In A Box. My TV is caddy cornered and by listening position (the bed) is not caddy cornered with the TV and is against the rear wall. I was wondering where i should place the speakers. I cannot attach a diagram of the room, due to file upload size limit. But if you have an idea, email me annd provide your email and I will send you the room diagram. My e-mail is loggainsd@yahoo.com is anyone has a solution. |
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Unregistered guest |
i want to know at what height should we fix the 7.1 system speakers? i want to know the general height. |
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Unregistered guest |
I have a Logitech 5.1 surround sound system and i was recently given 4 big speakers and an amplifier. Ive set the 4 speakers up as 2 individual speakers because of the range of the 2 sets of speakers making it better sound like that and have the amplifier plugged into my computer outputting sound. Is it possible to integrate the 5.1 into this set up to create 7.1 surround sound? There was another post like this but I didn't find a comprehensive reply. Please send a reply to itscooltobesilly@hotmail.com as its unlikely that i will return here, thanks! |
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Unregistered guest |
I'm installing surround in our living room, but there are a bunch of wife restrictions. I've uploaded a mock-up (furniture probably not quite to scale) of the room at http://www.geocities.com/xesdeeni2001/Surround.gif . In this room, the TV is the wide box on the top wall. It's a 65" CRT. The boxes on either side are shelves, which hold the video and audio equipment. The L-shape in the middle is the sectional couch. The boxes on either end are end tables. There's a coffee table in the middle, under the fan, not shown. The box on the right wall is a recliner, with a table just above it. Note that there is only a small partial wall behind the living room, dividing it partially from the kitchen. Only the black section extends to the ceiling. I've purchased a Sony DE698 receiver. The white outlines on the two shelf units are the Bose bookshelf speakers we already have. They are on top of the shelves, at about 7' or so. The outline on the TV is the not-yet-purchased center speaker. The black outline in the corner to the left of the leftmost shelf is where I think I will place the not-yet-purchased (10"?) powered sub-woofer--on the carpeted (later to be wood) floor. The WAF in conjunction with the lack of a back wall requires the other speakers be in-ceiling. I've ordered a pair already. I assume for 7.1, I'll need two more ceiling mount speakers as well. So the questions: 1. Is the sub-woofer placement acceptable? I.e. will the couch and table block too much for this to be a practical location? 2. Where is the best place to put the rear in-ceiling speakers for 5.1? 3. Where would I place two more in-ceiling speakers for 7.1? (I assume moving them into the kitchen would be a bad thing.) 4. How bad is the height of the front speakers going to affect the quality? 5. Is the distance between the front speakers, compared to the distance to the viewer, going to be a problem for separation? 6. How bad is the surround sound going to be for people sitting on the leftmost part of the couch? 7. The receiver manual says the center, left and right should be the same speaker. I don't plan on buying a Bose center speaker, but is that a significant concern? Thanks for any advice. Xesdeeni |
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Unregistered guest |
I have a 5.1 Dolby Digital system with five identical bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer. I am introducing to SACD and DVD audio. Have space problems so I am listenig multichannel music with all the five channels in front of my actual listening position in half-moon arrangement (left surround, left front, center, right front and right surround) while I am looking the way to put the surrounds on rear. For music it works pretty well...is it really an option, at least for SACD and DVD audio? |
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Unregistered guest |
I have a Pioneer VSX-D906S receiver that have his digital inputs with problem (A loud hiss/crack noise like a steak frying).A technician I know told me to forget trying to fix it, that it should be better buying a new one. I bought a JVC RX-7042 receiver: I liked the sound of the digital sources of it. It has some advantages over the old Pioneer: DTS included. However, It lacks phono input and the Pioneer sounded clearer in the analog sources. I had an equalizer hooked in the TAPE 2 input of the Pioneer. I am using the Pioneer "hooked" in the JVC via TAPE output(Pioneer)/input(JVC). Is it the best or only way to used both machines together? How to use the equalizer hooked in the Pioneer to send the "equalized" sound to the JVC? What's your oppinion about the JVC? Is it as good in terms of sound, better or worse than the Pioneer? Thanks a lot!! |
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Anup Unregistered guest |
How can I attach a second sub-woofer to my Onkyo HT-S760 6.1 Home Theatre System?.My present sub-woofer does not have a line-out. |
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602 too Unregistered guest |
Get a 'Y' spliter, male to two females. A R.S. sound level meter will greatly aid you into equalising their output. Have one off while adjusting the other. |
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New member Username: BlackgoreSunland, California Usa Post Number: 5 Registered: Aug-05 |
Currently Bi-Amping my main speakers in my surround system they are "Pinnacle Aerogels" and are rather large. The mids and treb over power bass wich is why I am Bi-Amping. To fix this I'm running two "Sony ES 5.1 receivers "es555/es444" one powering the woofers in the aerogels the (es444)and the other powering the mids and highs the (es555)then im running all the other channels off the "es555". This is a pain in the A!! I have to always turn up one receiver (es444 for bass on mains) 5-DB's louder then the other to match,then the speakers sound awesome. I am replacing the two Sony ES amps now with a single "Pioneer Elite 56Txi Receiver" its a 7.1 system and gives me the option to biamp (the rear centers can be re-routed to biamp the mains) but this puts me back to 5.1 surround sound again. I really want a 7.1 system but I am afraid I will have the same problem as before with the "Aerogel" speakers "not enough bass". I'm hoping the Pioneer Elite Reciever will make the Aerogels come to life without Bi-Amping. I have read its much warmer and has a way better EQ section then the Sony's. Is there anyway I can get a two channel power amp to run the woofers that I would not have to adjust volume levels every time I turn the "Elite" up and down? Use mains preamp out of the Elite into the power amp lets say but i'm thinking to do this I would have to crank the power amp up almost all the way and leave it there. This would cause noise at low volume levels and pronely burn the amp up. Or is there another way to do this where the "Elite" controls the other amps volume? My wife hates my current setup she wants one volume control period and so do I. I should have it next week and will know then I guess. I have alot of $$$$ in my "Pinnacles" or Id go with smaller speakers. All my speakers are "Pinnacle Classic Gold Series". Any suggestions? P-Classic Gold Center P-Clasic Gold Aerogels Mains P-Classic Gold Referance Rears P-Classic Gold Mini Rear Centers P-800 watt powered SubW HELP!!!!! |
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Steve123123123123 Unregistered guest |
I got a logitech Z 5300 5.1 system i was wondersing where to put the rear speakers |
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Unregistered guest |
i have 7 speaker and 1 subwoofer, my amplifier is only capable of dolby sorround pro logic, there is connection for front speaker, speaker A and apeaker B. what set up for my speakers will be the best? |
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Anonymous |
I'm setting up a 5.1 with all in-wall speakers and a 42 plasma. How far away from the TV should the left and right speakers be set. Should the center speaker be mounted vertically or horizontally? |
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Stacia Unregistered guest |
Why is it best to place the subwoofer on the floor instead of on a stand? |
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dhanu Unregistered guest |
is there anykind of compatibily problme about the DVDs. b'cos some dvds are not working properly wtih my 5.1 systerm. two of speaker(surrounding speakers)are not working. please advice how to enable that tow. |
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Unregistered guest |
I just moved into a house where the speakers were set in the ceiling in the early 90's (therefore I assume 5.1) . There are 2 rear speakers and five in the front. The front configuration is 2 - 1 - 2. What type of system should I purchase to run these speakers? |
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Unregistered guest |
PLEASE HELP!!! This is a complete newbie question...i have a sony amp and H/K 5.1 speakers. the speaker wire they give in the box stinks...too thin! the speakers have the push thingy where u put the wire in and the 5.1 section on the amp is RCA...now there is an other section on the amp where there is the push thingy for the wire...where do i hook up the 5.1 speakers to? if i have to hook it up to the rca's do i have to get new wire w/ rca's and cut them off on one side? please help! thanks!! |
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New member Username: SpottedfeatherIndependence, Missouri U.S.A Post Number: 1 Registered: Oct-05 |
Vishall, you could try this. It's what I found when I was thinking about the same thing as you. Hope it helps. http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5 F007%5F002%5F003%5F004&product%5Fid=42%2D2457 |
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New member Username: Arff119Florida Post Number: 1 Registered: Oct-05 |
I have a 7.1 surround sound system I would like to put to in-wall speakers over head is this a good idea. |
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New member Username: SpottedfeatherIndependence, Missouri U.S.A Post Number: 2 Registered: Oct-05 |
Overhead speakers ? Never heard of that before. Don't know. Might work. Just be sure, if you do it, that you make certain that the speakers are securely in place so they don't drop down on your head. This is just a thought, but you could construct some sort of box that attaches to the ceiling, leaving a hole just big enough for the grill of the speaker to be exposed completely. |
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New member Username: MesivaPost Number: 1 Registered: Oct-05 |
Newbie question. I just moved into a house which necessitates that my T.V. not be directly in front of my listening position. (See attached diagram which looks like a 3rd grader did it.) In light of this, where should I put my center speaker? Over the T.V. still, or should it be centered on the mantle over the fireplace? If it should be over the T.V., any suggestions on how to best position the left and right speakers?
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New member Username: SpottedfeatherIndependence, Missouri U.S.A Post Number: 3 Registered: Oct-05 |
I have that exact problem. My tv is sort of diagonal to my listening position and to the left slightly. I have a heck of a time getting the sound to be centered. I have just a two channel stereo setup, using a bookshelf stereo system. I'm constantly adjusting the speakers to try and get the sound to seem to come from the center of the television. Chris, I just looked at your picture and my setup is almost exactly the same, though my tv is slightly closer. It'll be interesting to see what solutions you get. |
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New member Username: MatadorPost Number: 1 Registered: Oct-05 |
I currently have Polk Audio Satelite Speakers and am moving into a new home. Should I continue to use my speaker stands so that they are at ear level or are ceiling mounts better? |
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New member Username: SpottedfeatherIndependence, Missouri U.S.A Post Number: 4 Registered: Oct-05 |
Was the sound from your speakers the way you liked it before ? If so, then why change it ? But if the sound wasn't quite the way you wanted it, then use ceiling mounts. I've heard that the sound is better if the speakers are slightly above ear level. Right now, mine are about exact ear level. The sound seems alright, but I'd like to raise the speakers a bit. |
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New member Username: MatadorPost Number: 2 Registered: Oct-05 |
The sound is fine...but we are moving into a new home and having the speakers pre-wired in the walls so that I don't have to worry about it later and it looks nice a clean. I like the idea of the "clean" look but don't know if I am going to be sacrificing sound. |
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New member Username: SpottedfeatherIndependence, Missouri U.S.A Post Number: 5 Registered: Oct-05 |
As long as the grills of the speakers aren't blocked, and they're positioned close to the way that they were before, I wouldn't think that you'd be sacrificing sound. Were you worried about the speakers being muffled somehow ? As long as the front of the speakers aren't blocked, I don't think you'll have much of a problem. |
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New member Username: DcarrahNashville, TN United States Post Number: 1 Registered: Dec-05 |
Will a subwoofer sound ok if it's in an entirely enclosed cabinet? I am relatively sure the answer is no but since the frequency of a subwoofer is so low that the human ear can't really detect the direction of the sound, I thought the question was worth a shot. |
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