The front left, front right and center speakers should all be placed at the same height, preferably at the same height as the listener’s ears. If it’s not possible to place them at ear height, then you can angle them appropriately. The front left and front right speakers, and the listener should all form an equal sided triangle, for example if you place the speakers 10 feet apart, then the listener should be 10 feet away from each speaker. The center speaker should be directly between the two front speakers.

Rear Surround Speakers

For 5.1 surround systems, the rear speakers should generally be placed either just slightly behind the listening position at an angle of approximately 100°, or directly to the left and right of the listener at 90°. It’s also recommended to position them somewhat higher than the listeners ears, in order to avoid them drowning out the front speakers. For 7.1 systems, the surround back left and surround back right speakers should be located about 150º behind the listener.

Subwoofer

Because of the way bass sounds are perceived, the location of the subwoofer is much less important. Though it still pays to take a little time to position it properly, see subwoofer tips for more information.

A good example of this type of surround sound system is the Sony DAV-IS50. This 450w, 5.1 unit comes with ultra-compact satellite speakers (the rear ones are wireless) about the same size a golf ball, which makes them unobtrusive and easy to site anywhere. Don’t be fooled by their size though, these speakers provide plenty of volume to fill a large room. The subwoofer is also compact but powerful.

A cheaper alternative is to buy a system such as the Rocketfish wireless rear speaker kit. You can pick one up for around $100, and they are really simple to set up. You just need to plug a transmitter into your home entertainment system and a receiver into your rear speakers (speakers are not included). The system gives you uncompressed CD quality (16 bit) sound using a 2.4 GHz signal with a claimed range of 100 feet.

Any audiophile will likely tell you that wired systems are superior to wireless ones, and they would almost certainly be right (at the moment anyway – the gap is narrowing all the time), but for most of us, surround sound wireless speakers are a convenient alternative.

Don’t forget you may need surround sound speaker stands for your system.

There’s no doubt that 5.1 systems are more popular, mainly for two reasons: firstly cost, and secondly room size – you need a large room to justify a 7.1 system. Most people find 5.1 surround sound quite adequate for their purposes. A properly configured set of speakers will provide an immersive audio experience which will fill all but the largest rooms. Some people consider 7.1 to be overkill, and cite the fact that DVDs are encoded in 5.1 channels anyway (though some Blu-ray discs are encoded with discrete 7.1 channels). While some people swear that 7.1 is better, it may be a good idea to buy a better quality 5.1 system than a lower range 7.1 one.

For mounting these speakers, you will need good quality surround sound speaker stands.

Experimentation is the key; you will eventually find a happy medium between bass output and a smooth, controlled response. Some people advocate placing the subwoofer in the location you would normally be sitting when watching TV, then moving round the room to find the area which gives the best bass response. Once you find the right spot, mark it and move the subwoofer there.

The Pros

• Color-coded cables make it simple to set up.
• It has built in wifi so you can access digital content and stream content from your computer directly to your TV.
• The sound quality is very good, with rich bass and well defined treble.
• The 2 wireless rear speakers work well with no drop outs.
• iPod/iPhone dock included and controlled via the supplied remote.
• 2 HDMi inputs

The Cons

• Shiny black finish may look stylish, but it’s a dust and fingerprint magnet.
• The manual is not as detailed as it should be.
• Some users have experienced questionable technical support from Samsung.

Verdict

All in all this product provides everything a modern home theater system should, plus a few extras you probably didn’t even know you needed! Although the price might seem excessive to many people, it’s one of the best complete solutions currently on the market.

Samsung HT-C6730W Blu-ray Home Theater System

Samsung HT-C6730W Blu-ray Home Theater System