Front Speakers
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.