In the past, one of the major reasons to go to the local movie theater was the theater’s sound system and its ability to immerse you in the action through sound. But thanks to the advancement of technology, especially about home theater, now movie theater could be brought into home and still have the same experience as movie theater.

Even though you can still have higher level speaker setup, The usual setup like Onkyo HT-S3300 will have 5.1 home setup which is consists of two front main speaker, the left one and the right, a center channel speaker and two surround speakers, plus a dedicated subwoofer channel (the .1).

These are simple speaker placement tips to maximize your experience of creating your own theater in your home.

  1. Make sure the center speaker is “attached” to the screen. The main function of center channel is to communicate the dialog of the movie. Why is it? Because if the image is on the screen but the sound of the main dialog is coming off the side speakers, the dialog won’t feel natural. The center channel speaker is shielded so you can place the speakers near or directly on the top of the display screen.
  2. The front main speakers should have the tweeters located at the same height of your ear to maximize your listening capability. It is important to invest in a quality pair of speaker stands so that you can make sure your speakers can be placed at the proper listening height.
  3. The front main speakers and center channel should all be placed at an equal distance from the main listening position pointed towards the listener. This way, the position of the left center speaker and screen and the right center speaker will create a circle-like position. They generally should be placed between 22 - 30 degrees from the main listening position.
  4. The left and right surround sound speakers are best to put on your right and left or a little bit behind your listening position and located about two feet above of your ear height. The 6.1 speaker setup will have one more surround speaker that you can put behind you, but it is important to note that it is best for that speaker not to be in line with the center channel. A 7.1 system adds a rear left and a rear right full range surround channel that should be placed behind the listening position.
  5. The low frequency sound is carried by the subwoofer to create the bass effect. Subwoofer can be positioned in various place since the deep bass works indirectly. A lot of people place subwoofer in the front corner, but some prefer it in the back or hidden along the side.

However, you should remember that generally bass will be enhanced by being placed next to the wall and especially if placed in the corner.
These simple tips are an easy yet effective ways to enhance the sound quality that you will experience. You can imagine the improvement if you have a great 7.1 multi channel home theater system such as Onkyo HT-S6300 or Onkyo HTS5300using the knowledge that you just gain.

However every speaker and room have its own unique qualities so use this information as a general guide, and for a better result, you better do some further experiment about your speaker placement setup. A few inches difference in speaker placement can make a significant result of your home theater’s sound quality.

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