Where To Place Surround Sound Speakers: 5.1 and 7.1 Rear Channel Set Up
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- Опубліковано 4 сер 2024
- Surround sound speaker placement, done right, makes your home theater 🍿experience way more exciting. 📽️ If you're wondering where to place surround speakers for 5.1 and 7.1 rear channel set up, this video will guide you through both height and distance choices, as well as show you a few fantastic pictures of our customer's real-world installations. 🖼️
00:00 Surround/Effects/Rear Channels
01:46 Axiom QS8 Surround Speaker
02:06 Good rule of thumb
03:02 Where to place speakers
04:24 Bipole Surround & Dipole Surround
06:21 Directional loudespeaker
08:24 With Dolby Atoms
10:43 Wrapping up
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You should specify that you're only talking about home theater setup and movie playback. Surround music requires the speakers be in a specific location and height. The ITU configuration that we use in the studio SHOULD be followed in the playback environment. To do otherwise compromises the immersive quality of the mix.
Absolutely ITU in a studio environment needs to be followed. Good point, thank you!
I have 2 400 watt car speakers. Could I fit the into my home sgyuround at home.?.
Can I get a reply on the 400 watt speakers
@@user-df6jf8fr2e There is no technical reason you can’t use them in a home theatre, they just might have been designed with a car’s environment in mind and so possibly not as neutral as a dedicated surround speaker.
@Mr Do No, your setup likely can't be beat, and it will absolutely be ideal for multi-channel music reproduction. The only issue is that most people don't have the luxury of budget or space for such a setup. And you can obviously see that it would fall foul of most Dolby requirements for Atmos! Thanks for commenting and for watching.
Brother I truly thank you for the info, it was exactly what i was looking for. I was concerned whether the Atmos or the side channels were most important and you answered everything in this video. I'm very grateful and great video. 😉👍
Glad it helped you with your setup. Really appreciate you taking the time to comment on the video.
I went back and re-watched this video and it is excellent.
I know you are bucking the official guidelines for setup, but I appreciate your experienced advice. Thank you!
I have a Klipsch 7.1 system and I love watching movies and listening to music through the system! My system consist of a Yamaha 7.2 A/V receiver, two Tascam CD player/recorders, a Music Hall turntable, and a Pioneer RT-1020L reel to reel tape deck. Also connected to my Yamaha A/V receiver is my 55 inch TV.
I got my QS10 at 60hz and the QS8 at 80hz and they hit hard, powerful and clean. These speaker create a true immersive effect, is like been inside of a giant spherical bubble. These are for me the best surround speakers. My favorite demo I used to show to my friends is Spider-Man Far From Home. Mysterio’s voice at 1:17:50 mark and the drones blast gun inside the museum 1:44:07, simply awesome sound.
Thanks for sharing how happy you are with the QSs! Also for sharing some of your fave demos, always good to have more of those. 👍
Totally agree 👍 Using 4 x Wharfedale WH2 Bipoles for sides and back surrounds, Totally enveloping sound field
Very helpfull video brother
Glad to hear that, thanks!
I agree with you on dipole or bipola speakers for side surround. I still use my B&W dipole DS3 for side surround channels and get a very nice imerserve soundstage for all movies, also just the 5.1 soundtracks.I have a 7.1.2 Atmos setup.
Thanks for this 💯
You're welcome, glad it was helpful.
Haha! I’m watching this as I swap out a pair of bookshelf speakers that have sensitivity down to 50Hz with a pair of on wall bipolar rears with no usable sensitivity below 120Hz. The thing is: space matters. My theater room is so small now I had to reduce my screen size to 100” NOT because I lack the throw but because if I went any larger i’d have no room for my front speakers! So getting a pair of small on wall surrounds that are more diffuse not only makes the space ‘feel’ larger in terms of soundscape- but it also allows me to squeeze in one more chair across. :)
That’s a very good point and a great tip for other with home theatre systems in small rooms: A more diffuse surround speaker configuration is going to work much better when you need to have the surround channels close to your listening area. Thanks for watching.
Great information Andrew. I've had my Axion Audio set up for many, many years but with recent advances I am thinking some changes might be in order. My challenge is my room configuration with angled walls and L-shaped dimensions with a set of stairs. As a result, when I designed my speaker placement initially, I elected to place 2 QS8s on my ceiling with another on the back wall for a 6.1 set up. I don't see a good placement for side surrounds as you recommend. I have to say though, having the quadpoles with bass shakers on my seating has provided me with excellent sound and immersion. I recently had a local HT store give me a demo of their atmos set up in 2 of their rooms with specific scenes used and I was frankly underwhelmed.
In a challenging space, mounting the side channels on the ceiling can work really well. And it helps that you are using diffuse quadpole rear speakers which will not make themselves stand out as distinct sound sources. Have fun with your setup and let me know how it goes.
You're absolutely correct... Always obtain the best "bed" layer speakers first before worrying about "Atmos" layer.
From my experience:
7.1 is better than 5.1, and then go after larger vs smaller (and I found that exact same/identical speaker for timbre is ESSENTIAL).
I suggest that bed layer vs elevated layer must be at least 3 feet Higher, minimum, from tweeter to tweeter.
Thx for the video/ forum.
Thank you, you point out some good tips!
Timber matching is not essential. It really all comes down to what kind of calibration one is using! So long as front stage speakers are the same and effect channels are the same as one another, one can more or less mix and match both together. I use Dirac calibration and I can give my Monitor Audio effect channels the same sound characteristics as my expensive front stage Sonus faber speakers. Mind you andyssey I would imagine would be a different kettle of fish.
Great vid. All of my 5 channels are axiom(m80v3, vp1603 and qs10's). My qs10s are beastly. But i have very limited options for optimal placement. I sit at the back wall in a small living room and i bought the expensive stands with the qs10's. Problem is, they aren't ideally high enough. And they are as far back as they can go, which puts them pretty much in line with the couch. I have qs10 headphones basically 🤣😏
But...i am moving to a new house soon hopefully where a dedicated basement home theater area is being made a priority. I can't wait to mount them a little higher and behind 👍
Glad you’re enjoying the Axiom speakers, thanks for taking the time to say so. Don’t hesitate to reach out when you’re setting up your dedicated home theater if you have any questions about the set-up, always happy to help.
... Nice info, this is one that speake out of the box!! My current setup is 7.2.4 and my back surround n side surround speaker is small speaker T15 .. Sometimes i feel that the surround ound feel *Thin*... Because of the small speaker the cross over set to 110hz.
I just ordered the 2 x pairs polkaudio S20 speaker much bigger size compare to T15 and can handle lower frequency! Will give ir try if it can improve the surround sound stage...!
I think running larger surround speakers and being able to set the crossover to 80Hz will give them more mid-bass weight so they won’t sound thin.
So if I understand you correctly you are saying in my 5.1 system where I have def tech 2bipolar towers for fronts a massive def tech 1000 center and 2 bipolar surrounds for rears, I should keep it set to small but lower my crossover to 60hz to get a more fuller soundstage. Am I correct?
I have 2 sets of QS8’s for my Surrounds & Rear Surrounds along with dual subs, I used to run a 7.2 surround system until I recently upgraded to a 7.2.4 Dolby Atmos system. My Fronts are M60’s with my VP160 Center. What do you recommend to set my Crossovers on all these speakers?
I would try the M60s and the VP160 at 60 Hz and then at 80 Hz to see which you prefer. The QS8s I would set at 100 Hz.
You mentioned go more towards surrounds as opposed to in ceiling ATMOS due to lack of current content, well just an FYI most if not all ATMOS capable receivers in the last 5 years have ATMOS/DTS:X upconverting to utilize the ATMOS speakers, so even if the musis, film, Streaming, etc is only in 5.1, using the receivers upconverting feature will fill in those in ceiling speakers.
Hi Alex, that’s absolutely correct, thank you for pointing it out. Thanks for bringing this point up, and for watching.
I am using Bang and Olufsen RL speakers as my rears on a 5.1 system on top of a bookshelf slanted upward toward the ceiling to a get a dispersive effect. It sounds more full though when placed on the floor or at ear level (more bass). I think it's too high up, but I am trying to simulate a reflected atmos effect.
This is a great idea where space or placement is limited. Basically you’ve done something similar to those Atmos effect channels that sit on top of the main front speakers.
You have mentioned you prefer the side surrounds slightly forward of the listening position. What is "slightly"? Inches? 1 ft? 2 ft? Thanks in advance, appreciate all of the insights!
I’ve found that a couple of feet in front of the plane of the listening position works well. Thanks!
Looking at a set of QS10's for the surround option in my 5.1.2 living room setup. The room is open to one side, so the surround speakers MUST be mounted on rear wall. Couch seating is 1-2 feet off of the wall. Would the QS10's be better than a standard bipole speaker in this situation? And is mounting them about 1.5-2 feet above ear level a good height to go with?
The QS10s will work well in that arrangement, but I would suggest getting them a bit higher above ear level, if possible.
Thanks for watching.
My room is 12' wide, 13' in depth, 9' tall.....Its nice and square but I have a large window to the right side and double doors to the left side right where I would need to put my side surrounds. I can put side surrounds but they would be 2' off of the back wall so I would need to have them directional. Im thinking rather than doing a 7.1.2 that I should do a 5.1.2 with bipole rear surrounds to compensate for not having side surrounds......The entire system will be in walls. My question is, would you recommend 5.1.2 with rear bipoles? 7.1.2 with rear monopoles and side directionals? or both rear and side bipoles?.....Only for movies room...Thank You
I would think that going with bipoles for both rear and side channels would result in a more diffuse and harder to localize immersive effect. Have fun with your setup, and thanks for watching.
Got a cheap surround system arriving tomorrow its only to boost my TVs sound which is OK its a bravia no punch or much bass at all, hence the purchase. Your advice is appreciated sir, thanks
You’re welcome. Anything will be better than the built-in audio of modern TVs!
@@AxiomHomeTheaters it came today its nothing special, it now has some depth it's a ten fold improvement. I'm sure someone who's really into sound would cringe, I got what I wanted an improvement in the tvs sound I implemented some of your advise thanks again
@@stephenlamley541 if you've got better sound than you did before, then there is no reason for anyone to cringe. Glad you tried out some of the tips.
I have a very open room for my home theater. My right side half wall is right next to the listening and my left full wall is further away from the listening position. In this instance for a 5.1 setup is it better to place the side surrounds on the back wall?
For a 5.1 setup, I would definitely put the surrounds on the back wall. Have fun with your set up and thanks for watching.
I have a Boston 5.1. How far should my rears be. About 6 feet? There close and ear level and sound great.
I prefer the rear channels to be slightly above ear level, but if it’s working for you at ear level it’s fine as-is!
Second question.....you recommend speakers are set to handle bass frequencies instead of just letting the subwoofers do it all?
Try putting the side surrounds a foot or two higher than the rear surrounds…assuming you can keep at least a foot from the ceiling. I think using larger surround speakers allows them to more convincingly carry the information where they normally overlap with subwoofer output.
I have a 5.1.2 atmos setup. Where is the best placement for my 2 bipolar surround speakers? The back wall is about 7 feet behind the listening area and the side walls are 5 to 6 feet away.
The best placement would be on the back wall for your room and your Atmos setup. Thanks for watching, and let us know if you have any topics you'd like us to cover.
My theatre room isn’t big it’s a 4x4.7 meter room, but I’m looking at a set of definitive technology’s bipolar surrounds for my side and rear surrounds are two bipolar speakers for rear and side surrounds bad or should I use directional speakers?
Actually, in a smaller room bipolars will likely give you a more diffuse surround effect compared to directional speakers.
i am putting 5.1 speakers into the ceiling in our new home. I currently run a 2.1 setup with two VERY large floor Cerwin-Vega speakers. Is there any set up that involves setting up the floor speakers with the new 5.1 to create any sort of decent 7.1?
You could run the Cerwin-Vega's as the main front left and right channels, and then the two front in-ceiling speakers as height channels, if your receiver or processor has that capability. Thanks for a great question and for watching.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters Thank you! You have opened my eyes to height effect speakers. With Atmos, this might be an amazing set up. albeit with some fine tuning im sure.
@@tisdue You're welcome! Extra speakers can always be put to use in a multi-channel system, particularly with formats such as Atmos which depend on height channels.
If you have a receiver that's capable of 7.2 and you have a 5.2 setup, would you add side channels for a 7.2, or height channels for a 5.2.2?
Personally I would go with side channels if you have a reasonably large room, unless your receiver is Atmos capable. If it is, I would likely go with two Atmos channels instead.
Great information! I have 4 height channels, back and front in a 5.2.4 configuration. Struggling with placement of bipole side surrounds height right now. How do i ensure i have a bed layer of sound as well as a height layer of sound when it's recommended that my side surrounds be 1-2 feet above my ears? Ceiling is only 7.5 feet high. Sometimes feel that the side surrounds muddy the height layer of sound when they are 1-2 feet above my ears.
Try putting the side surrounds a foot or two higher than the rear surrounds…assuming you can keep at least a foot from the ceiling. I think using larger surround speakers allows them to more convincingly carry the information where they normally overlap with subwoofer output.
I was torn between directional v. Bipolar for the side surrounds. I tried floor standing speakers propped up on milk crates just to see if that’s an option. I’m wondering if paying $$ for tiny speakers with limited range or going full range floor standing speakers is actually the better choice?
If you have the space for a good pair of floor standing speakers for the surround channels, that’s always a great option. Thanks for a great question, and for watching.
Axiom Audio thank you for the quick response! I have plenty of space to work with. My ceilings are 15 feet high, it’s the main living room, I already have one subwoofer and I’m adding another subwoofer soon. The front main stage left right and center speakers are the same floor standing klipsch. I figured why not have the exact side channels identical with the main stage.
@@cruzgallegos5071 Identical speakers all the way around is ideal, but most don’t have the space. You should check out my recent videos on multiple subwoofers. 😊
I see many setups where the sides are bipole and the rears are directional. Would this be less ideal than having all of them bipole?
No, not at all. It all depends on the setup and your preferences. Having the bipoles on the sides will create a more diffuse sound field for those channels which could work well for a more immersive effect.
First of all great video! Can someone help me with my specific layout? I have 7 speakers and 1 subwoofer. (1) Center channel, (2) in-wall left & right front speakers, (4) 8" circular speakers that can be mounted to the ceiling or the wall. I have (2) rows of couches (1) sitting in front of the other. The back couch is sitting on a riser for added height. I have 7 ft ceilings, so the ceiling is not tall. I have no back wall behind the 2 couches to mount rear seat level speakers. Well, actually I do but it is super far away. I would have to crank those rear speakers to the max in order to make the sound even, so I'm not counting that back wall. I have a wall on each side of the couches. I have the 2 front facing speakers mounted inside the wall. I have the center channel sitting under the TV on a stand. Subwoofer sitting next to the stand on the floor. I'm thinking I should install two speakers on each side wall about 2 feet above ear level position between the two couches. I'm really confused on where to place the last two ceiling speakers because I have no back wall. Should I place the last two speakers behind the second couch inside my drop ceiling and try to aim the adjustable tweeter towards the front or should I mount them in the drop ceiling pointed straight down between the front and rear couch? Any good suggestions would be great. I have a Onkyo TX-NR6050 7.2 av receiver.
Hi, I have built a home theatre and I have two monitor audio silver fx speakers. They look similar to your demonstration. The trouble is I bought them for a different set up. Now there are directly behind me on the back wall about 2ft above my head in a 5.1 set up so they are surrounds not rears. The problem is my seating is against the wall also and to the right of my seats go up against that wall and to the left the wall is far away . I have a cabinet I use to mount a speaker and I have the corner wall for the right channel. Basically will it be better to have speakers coming from slightly behind (in corners), firing to the central seats or to mount ceiling speakers for the surrounds. Please help.
Depending on how you would like to expand, your best bet would be to add 2 more side surround channels for 7.1 and place them on the side walls slightly forward of your seating position. At a similar height to your rears. If instead you want to go to an Atmos set-up, ideally they will be in-ceiling speakers which will also be forward of your listening position. Thanks for sharing your set-up and for watching.
Is it possible to move the couch off the back. It makes a huge difference and I don't just mean for surrounds. When listening to 2 channel stereo music with the couch of the back wall it's almost as if the music wraps around you. Personally apart from room acoustics it's probably the best upgrade one can do.
Would klipch 6m surround be good on a wall mount that's my only choice I have is for mounting . Or would another speaker
If they are designed for surround duty, there should not be an issue wall mounting them. You will pickup mid-bass from the wall boundary, which might not be a bad thing. Thanks for watching.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters not sure if the klipsch r 600m are for surrounds or the 51m
@@codychavarria6088 your best bet is to contact Klipsch and see what they suggest.
I've found it hard to get 5.1 or 7.1 to sound great. Well encoded Atmos on the other hand I've had great luck with, can't pinpoint the speakers. I also ensured all my speakers can handle at least 55hz -3db. I cross over at 80 which works well for me. Dual subs on a 7.4.2 setup.
Sounds like a great setup that has been well thought out.
I have a problem. im setting up my unfinished basement room with in wall "ceiling" speakers (5.1) and there is not enough depth to place the center speaker above the tv; like the FR and FL. Can the FR and FL speakers be placed above but slightly behind the center speaker? my plan is to build the center speaker into the tv stand. All 3 speakers are being placed facing the viewer i.e. vertically.
That should not be an issue. You can set the distance adjustments in your AVR to compensate.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters ty
Can I put the rear surround higher because is my bedroom and the bed to the wall I can maybe get 1 and half ft eny tips
Sure you can, but I would recommend leaving at least a foot between the top of the speakers and the ceiling.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters I can leave even two ft, and they don't interfere with the heights speakers because they are going to be almost at the same height as the sealing speakers I'm not doing in sealing cous I can't make holes but I got a pair of m1 s so I fixed I'm doing 7.2.2
@@glengatt3941
then you should be fine!
@@AxiomHomeTheaters ok thanks then rear surround up high it is,I know next to nothing about the latest things this is going to be my first Atmos,I left of at 5.1 so I'm way behind
I'm a bit confused now.
I have fluence bipolar surround speakers and a pair of Yamaha ns333 for back surround.
My avr is rxv2085
Should I change my surround speakers placement and locate them in front of the seating areas and put the back surround where the surround was located?
No, I think you have it correct. The bipolars will work best as the main surrounds and the forward radiating ns333 will work fine for back surround.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters my avr has preamp option. I'm a bit confused if I need external amp . Does it help and worth the investment? What type of amp I need? Thanks
@@mkhaudio I would try the amplifiers in the receiver with your system first and see if it’s dynamic enough and does not have any problem driving your speakers.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters thanks
I have yamaha ns444 and ns555 for my from and 2 yamaha sw100 subs.
I think the avr has enough power to run tge speaker. I was just thinking if I have preamp avr maybe I'm missing sth by not using this feature.
Another technical question:
If I choose 5.2.2 or 7.2 and focusing on the surround rather than going for 7.2.2 . Do you reckon this will send more power to the speakers and having better quality sound ?
@@mkhaudio An external amp can always be added for a future upgrade. Anytime you have fewer channels powered by the same receiver you will get better dynamics as they all share the same power supply.
thanks.. wall of fame link is broken fyi
Thank you for the heads up! Broken Wall O' Fame link is now fixed. Glad the video was useful, and thank you for watching.
Which set up is good 5.1.2 or 7.1?
It could be either, it depends on your room and the space that you have available.
I’m in a situation where my couch sits against the rear wall, I can’t put speakers on stands or near floor due to small kids, there is a stairway opening directly to the right of couch, and ceiling speakers are not an option. This leaves me with the option to place a speaker up high on the right wall (left will obviously match) about 2 feet in front of listening position and it is 8 feet from center of couch. Or I could place speakers up high on rear wall at sides of couch. My AV receiver is capable of 7.1 but I’d prefer 5.1 for now to keep costs somewhat under control😏. Any suggestions for placement and speaker type?
I would recommend the rear wall option over the side wall. If you want to adhere to Dolby's rules you'd a forward radiating design, but for 5.1 I'd prefer a more diffuse radiator. An example would be Axiom's QS series: www.axiomaudio.com/surround-sound-speakers . Thanks for watching, and let us know if there are other topics you'd like us to cover.
Bro it’s not working properly why??
Once played this Surround Right And Left And Surround Back Right And Left all signals Coming from Front Left and Right Both Tower Speakers.
The Sid Surround Left And Right And Back Surround Left And Right all signals going to Front Tower Speakers. But the Canter Channel is works fine on Right signals.
My connection is correct from the Receiver at Speaker terminal. Also I tested from my Receiver when I test that’s working fine everything on Right signals. But when I try to play on test videos from UA-cam that time all Surround signals going to trough to the front Tower Speaker. What’s wrong???
I’m using the System is HTDDW8600 7.4 Channel System. It’s called Sony Super Muteki
Does Axiom build direct-radiating surround speakers? Not to my knowledge so is it really any surprise they're willing to go on record disagreeing with Dolby Labs.
While our dedicated surround speakers are not directional, many of our customers use our M2, M3, M5, bookshelf and on-wall versions for their surround channels with to good effect. Like I said, in the video, this is my personal opinion, and I wanted to make it clear that you don't necessarily need to buy new surround speakers to enjoy Dolby Atmos. - Andrew
John Phillips yes they do. :) Pretty impressive gammut of offerings actually. Something to suit all build styles of system. Truly a speaker lovers company. Pretty much the Canadian version of Revel speakers, eh!
@@trevorm574 thank you for the very kind words, eh!
@@AxiomHomeTheaters You're right, you did make that clear. I should also have prefaced my comment by stating I've used Axiom QS8's as my surround speakers for over a decade now and also have a VP-150 center speaker. Your comment caught my eye as I am just now considering some direct radiating surrounds for comparison. I always recommend Axiom for the short list of anyone in the market who asks .
@@trevorm574 Trevor, not for dedicated surround speakers as stated above by Axiom.
Who's 5-year old keeps drawing on the walls?
Is 10.1 a thing? What's it mean anyways? I know 9.1 has the 2 front wides.
10.1? No, not really, although you could combine a 7.1 setup with a rear center and a pair of height speakers to make a 10.1 setup…probably not a possibility with most AVRs/processors and likely no benefit over 9.1.
@@AxiomHomeTheaters Okay. Thanks. Just wandered as I saw it listed on the CoreSound Octo mic page.
@@MrHamit64 you're welcome, always happy to answer questions about audio.
how about just a simple family living room audio needs? under $500
A complete home theater system, or just a basic stereo system for listening to music?
Just the normal family listening to movies . Not necessarily music
@@heidihaynes3344 With a $500 budget, you should be looking at a good quality soundbar. The sound quality won’t be near that of a full-blown home theater setup, but it will be far better than the speakers built into the TV! Thanks for watching.
@@heidihaynes3344 you can piece together a nice system for $500 off of Facebook Marketplace.
That dark spot on top bothers me Lol, great job tho.
The dark spot is actually part of the larger backdrop, but it can be a visual distraction for sure. Glad you enjoyed the topic!
I MOVED MY SPEAKERS 3 FEET FROM THE BACK WALL AND THEN I MOVED THEM RIGHT UP AGAINST THE WALL AND IN BOTH CASES NICLELBACK STILL SUCKS !!
Nice 😂
i like how this is about speakers and sound and your mircophone is shit but the video was nice anyways
I do wish people would stop calling Surround Speakers, Rear Speakers. That's how this mis terminology has manifested to confusion and controversy in home cinema surround speaker set ups. It's called surround channels/speakers or effects channels/speakers.
True, but in a 7.1 system how do you differentiate between the 'rear' surrounds and the 'side' surrounds? This is why terminology has to be fluid. Excellent point though.
Sleepy.... Be faster and have a better background
you have a 2X button hater