You can have a great surround sound from your home theatre system even when you are not an electrician or acoustic expert. All you have to do is to follow the following steps accurately to install the home theatre speakers for optimum sound.

Wire stripper, wire cutter, decibel meter (like the RadioShack Sound Pressure Level Meter, or similar smartphone app), tape measure, speaker cable – 16 to 12AWG (between 1mm2 and 3.3mm2) are the thing you need.

A thicker cable is better if the speakers are at long distance from the amplifier. For the best sound, ensure cables of equal length for each stereo pair of speakers.

Plugging in: Now, attach cables to speakers, and then connect the amplifier (make sure it’s switched off). If you do it the other way round, your system could be shorted. Colour coded jacks and sockets are easier to connect.

Tuning in: Just at the touch of a button, most receivers automatically search and store radio stations. However, it is better to fix the stations manually, as the automatic scan is not always fast and accurate.

Placing the speakers : Generally most living rooms are not ideal set ups for home-cinema. Whatever may be the shape of your living room, some basic care and discipline helps you to get optimum sound from your system.

Front speakers: These should be kept at one metre away from the TV, on both the sides, facing the sofa.

Centre speaker: It should be placed directly below the TV, or as near to it as possible.

Subwoofer: It should be in the centre of the opposite wall in ideal conditions. If that\’s not possible, place it in the nearest vacant corner inside the room.

Rear speakers: Place them at the opposite corners of the room, to the back or side of the main seat. The rear speakers air higher frequencies, which give the impression of the surround sound.

After connecting the surround speakers to the amplifier with cables, programme the system. With this, the system understands the distance between the speakers and the watcher, with the help of remote control. If you don\’t do this, the sound from closer speakers and the speakers farther will be different and out of sync.

Also, set the volume of all the speakers to the same level. For this, air a test sound to each speaker, and adjust the levels of the sound until all the speakers reach the same volume.

Every room has its own layout and shape, and other furniture will affect the sound. So, you will need to tinker with the speaker-position and adjust the delay in sound and volume levels. For a surround sound system, it\’s better to go for models of the same brand and make, for optimal cohesiveness and unmatchable sound panning.

Do not use powerful big speakers, when you are sitting just a few feet away from the speaker, otherwise you will get your ear drums blown out.

Edward Kendricks writes for CTS (www.cts-networks.co.uk), a home cinema installer.

Edward Kendricks writes for CTS (http://www.cts-networks.co.uk), a home cinema installer.

Author Bio: Edward Kendricks writes for CTS (www.cts-networks.co.uk), a home cinema installer.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: technology, audio visual, PA system, speakers, sound system, sound, audio, gym