Summary
- Home theater audio essentials are a proper speaker setup and some acoustic treatment.
- You can choose between stereo or surround sound systems, with surround sound being more immersive but costly.
- Consider room acoustics when setting up your system, and use sound absorbing and diffusing panels for better sound.
If you’re just getting started setting up your home theater, there are quite a few factors to consider. Here’s all the basics of home theater audio you’ll need to know.
Essentials for Setting Up Your Home Theater
In order to set up your home theater, beyond the obvious basics of having a screen to watch and a surface to sit on, you’re going to need an audio setup so you can hear everything that’s going on. The audio aspect of a home theater is arguably the most important, since immersion in a film largely comes down to the sound.
While many may not consider it essential, I would also argue that some sort of acoustic treatment is essential for enjoying your home theater. If you just have a TV and some speakers set up, but you’re in a large room with intense echo, you’re not going to have the best time watching movies in your home theater. At that point, why even call it a theater if you’re not giving yourself the theater experience? Getting some sort of sound absorption and diffusion set up is essential to your home theater enjoyment.
Have You Used DIY Acoustic Panels to Improve Sound Quality?
The shape, size, and materials of a room can have a dramatic impact on the sound quality when you’re listening to speakers in it. For example, you might find the bass is too pronounced in certain spots or there’s too much echo from the walls. A relatively cheap solution to these issues is to whip up some homemade acoustic panels—have you ever tried it?
Stereo vs Surround Sound
When it comes to choosing your speakers, you’re left with a choice of going with stereo sound or surround sound. Stereo sound is a simple, no-nonsense audio setup, giving you two channels of separation to have some level of immersive sound. This can also include a dedicated subwoofer for handling bass, which is always a good idea.
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Surround sound is a significantly more immersive way of experiencing sound in a home theater, but it comes with the caveat of being more complicated in terms of setup and significantly more expensive than a stereo setup. Since you’re dealing with more speakers, and often high-quality speakers at that, it’s going to be a lot more of an investment to get a surround sound system set up in your home theater.
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Surround Sound Setup Options
The two most common configurations of surround sound are 5.1 and 7.1 channel.
5.1 channel surround sound is set up with five speakers around the listener, plus a subwoofer. There are three speakers facing the speaker from the front, which are the left, right, and center channel speakers. Slightly behind the listener are the left and right surround speakers. Generally, the front right and left speakers will be angled 30 degrees toward the listener, the center speaker will be at 0 degrees, and the left and right surround speakers will be at a 110-degree angle. Each side of the setup is separated into two channels.
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2.1 vs 5.1 vs 7.1 Sound Systems: What’s the Difference?
Which audio system makes the most sense for your home theater?
The other common configuration, 7.1, sounds like what it is: seven speakers set up surrounding the listener. Rather than being separated into two channels like a 5.1 setup, 7.1 has four separate channels, made up of both the front and surround channels for both left and right sides.
Another configuration you may come across is 9.1 channel surround sound, which has an additional two speakers. While 9.1 channel surround sound will sound more immersive, it’s going to be even more expensive than 7.1, and a lot of audio isn’t even mixed to accommodate those extra speakers. It’s generally not that worth it to get those extra channels. You may also see setups with another digit added in, like 5.1.4 or 7.1.2, just as examples. The third number refers to ceiling-mounted or upward firing speakers. While those are nice to have, most people won’t really find them necessary.
When it comes to choosing which to go with, 5.1 is going to be more affordable than 7.1, but 7.1 does sound a lot more immersive. 7.1 channel surround sound is also great in larger rooms. Most of the time, you’re going to be perfectly happy with going for a 5.1 channel surround sound setup.
Room Acoustics Matter a Lot
No matter how fancy and sophisticated your speaker setup is, you still need to consider the acoustics of the room your home theater is in. If you have top-of-the-line speakers, but your living room has an echo rivaling that of a giant cave, you’re not going to have a great film experience. Additionally, if you have obstructions in the room that get in the way of sound travel, you’re not going to get the best performance from your speakers.
Account for any of the potential issues you’ll have in regard to acoustics. Does the room have a lot of echo? Is it fairly small, or is it really large? Are there obstructions like columns that can get in the way of sound waves reaching your ears?
Rooms with lots of echo can benefit significantly from mounting sound absorbing panels as well as diffusing panels, as well as floor coverings like rugs or carpet. The absorption will deal with echo, and the diffuser will reflect some sound in a more diffuse way to keep things sounding lively. If you have a larger room, you will need more sound absorption, since larger rooms have worse echo. When it comes to obstructions, try moving around your speakers just a little to see what sounds best. You may also want to consider shifting or moving around your setup within the room to minimize the impact of that obstruction.
What Are Amplifiers and Receivers?
Both amps and receivers are used to power your home theater system, but the two have some key differences. A receiver will generally come with your speaker system and connect to all of your speakers and your TV. The whole thing is like a control panel for your home theater. The receiver also works as an amplifier, since it provides power to your speakers. An amplifier, on the other hand, is just used to provide power for your speakers.
Most of the time, all you’ll need to power your home theater sound system is just the receiver. But if your speakers need some more power, an additional amp could do you some good. Figure out the wattage needed to power your speakers and what they’re currently getting from your receiver, and if it’s not enough, an amp will provide that extra bit of power to get your speakers sounding as loud as you need them.
Now that you know the basics of better movie audio, you can confidently set up your home theater sound system. Get ready for great sounding films and TV shows from the comfort of your own home.
