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Home > Speakers > Surround Sound Speaker Placement

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Surround Sound
Speaker Placement
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for 5.1 & 7.1 Home
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 Choosing the
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Finding the best surround sound speaker placement Blu-ray
players - and
for your room can make or break your 5.1 or 7.1 should I buy one?
home theater system.

Don't go to all the effort of choosing the right

speakers for your room, spending your hard-earned
money on quality equipment, and then just put them
any old place when you get to installing them. If you
spend some time thinking about placing the speakers
properly, then you will make the best of your
surround sound setup.

The most important speakers are probably the center

and front left and front right speakers. These are the
ones that do most of the work when reproducing a
movie soundtrack.

However, to get the best out of your system, it is

important to get the best possible positions for all of
your surround sound speakers. And, the surround,
rear and subwoofer speakers also play an important
role.
Let’s go through each speaker type and find out what
are the important issues for home theater speaker
placement.

Center Channel
Speaker Placement
The center channel speaker plays a crucial part in a
5.1 surround sound system. It is the main speaker for
the dialogue in a movie, so it is crucial we place this
correctly.

You should position the center speaker just above or

below the middle of the TV screen. Usually
underneath, but this will depend on the height of
your TV screen and if there is a suitable place to put
it.

Just try not to place it too far away from the screen or
the sound may appear to be removed from the
picture. This will sound unnatural and spoil the
impact of the soundtrack.

Ideally, your main seating position will also be

central to the middle of the TV. So, the center
channel speaker should be pointing directly at you.
The position above or below the screen isn't so
important as the position relative to your ears.
Ideally, the tweeters of the speaker should be level
with your ears when you are sat in your viewing
position.

This is because higher frequencies are more

directional.

The tweeters are the small speaker cones in your

speaker.

In a bookshelf or floorstanding speaker, the tweeters

are usually positioned above the larger woofer
speakers. However, in a center channel speaker, they
are usually fitted in line with the woofers. 

You may be able to remove the speaker grille if you

can't see where the actual speakers are. Be careful
though!

If you can't get the speaker into a position that is

level with your ears, then try to angle the speaker up
or down slightly. Just try to ensure it is pointing at
your head when you are sitting down.

If possible, the tweeters of the center speaker should

be the same height as the tweeters of the front left
and right pair. Although, this can be difficult to
achieve exactly.

This will allow a more consistent sound when the

audio is panned across the front three speakers.

You will find that as long as they are fairly level, say
within 1-2 feet, then you won't notice too much of a
problem when the sound moves across the speakers.

If in doubt, play a movie and watch a scene with

plenty of effects moving across the front speakers
and listen to how it sounds.

Using your own ears and judgement is probably the

most important aspect of speaker placement.
Also, try not to place the speaker behind the front
edge of the TV. Especially if it is on top. This means
that the sound will hit the TV first and this will affect
the sound that reaches you.

Wall brackets, floor stands, or shelves can be used to

place the speaker - just try to make sure it is stable
and on a solid, flat surface. In many cases, this can
be the most difficult speaker to find a good position
for.

If so, you might want to consider a piece of furniture

designed to hold a TV and the center speaker.

A speaker designed specifically for the center will

usually be a wide, horizontal shape. This should
allow it to fit along the edge of a TV screen and to
spread the sound evenly.

However, you can use any type of speaker as your

center - such as a normal bookshelf speaker. But,
bear in mind the shape of this type of speaker may
be more difficult to install in an ideal position.

Also, you may not get the wide soundstage that you
can get with a dedicated center channel speaker.
 Front Left and Right
Speaker Placement
The front left and right speakers are the equivalent of
the stereo pair you might use with your hi-fi system.

They handle much of the music and sound effects in

a movie soundtrack but sometimes will also
reproduce the dialogue.

Therefore, it is important to try and balance the

sound field across the front of the screen. So that the
front left, center and front right speakers
complement each other.

The front speakers should be an equal distance left

and right of the TV - and both should be an equal
distance from your seating position. You should
imagine a triangle with the speakers and yourself on
each corner.
 Front Left and Front Right Speaker Placement

If you imagine an arc across the front of the room

from your seating position, you can try and get the
center speaker at the top of the arc.

Then, the front left and right speakers will be slightly

further forward. This ensures they will be a similar
distance away from the listening position.

If this proves difficult, don’t worry too much. Your AV

receiver can compensate for the difference in
distance between speakers.
Get as close as you can in your room, but don't start
knocking walls down to get it exactly right!

The suggested range for the angle of the front left

and right speakers from your seated position is 22 to
30 degrees (see below). So, use this as a guideline
when positioning the front speakers.

This angle may not be possible depending on the

size and shape of your room, so don't get too
distracted by the numbers.

Front Left and Right Speaker Placement Angle - Top View

Ideally, these front speakers will have their tweeters
at ear height when you are sat in your viewing
position. This should be about the same height as
your center speaker.

Many people like to have the front speakers angled

slightly so they are pointing at the central seating
position. This is called 'toeing-in' the speaker.

However, this can come down to personal taste and

can also vary between speakers. The best idea is to
play with the angle of the speakers and decide which
you prefer.

You will get a wider soundstage if you don't toe-in

the speakers - and a narrower, more-focused sound
if you do.

As with the center speaker, if you can't get the front

speakers at ear height, then it can be beneficial to
angle them up or down towards the seating position.

Although, whether you can do this can depend on the

type of stands or brackets you are using.

Many speakers are designed to be placed on the

level, so it's up to you if you think angling them
improves the sound.
 Surround Speaker
Positioning
The surround speakers are there to create the sense
of space in your room. Ideally, the surround speakers
in a 5.1 surround sound configuration should be
placed just behind, or to the side of, your seating
position.

Dolby recommends an angle of 110° to 120° from

your listening position, as in the image below.

However, if that’s not possible, the next best location

is nearer the 90-degree angle either side.

THX recommends between 90° to 110°, so I wouldn’t

feel the need to get too precise. You can put your
protractor away!
 Angle of Surround Speaker Placement in a 5.1 Speaker System

For example, if you have your couch up against a wall

then you can put the surround speakers either side at
90°.

In many rooms, you may struggle to get the exact

position, but always try to get as close as your space
will allow.

Depending on your room, you may have to make

compromises due to the position of walls, doors,
windows and furniture. But, there are usually ways to
get as close as you can with a bit of thought.

The surrounds should be slightly higher than the

front speakers in the room. In the region of about 1
to 2 feet above head height when sitting down.

This is because the surround channels are there to

create an ambient sound in your room. So, you
should benefit if they are slightly further away from
your ears.

The idea isn't to get the direct up-front sound that we

want from our front speakers.

These speakers will often be directed at the central

seating position, much like the front speakers.
Although this can depend on the design of the
speaker.

They can also be angled down to point at the seating

position if the stands or brackets allow. But, the need
for this can depend on the type of surround speakers
you have.

You can try angling standard direct-firing (monopole)

speakers straight at your listening position.

 Although, some people may find the sound a bit too

direct when you do this.
Therefore, placing direct-firing speakers quite high
above your seating position is worth considering.
This will increase the sound dispersion before it
reaches your ears.

Experiment and let your ears decide which sounds

the best.

Angle of Surround Speakers in a 7.1 Speaker System

The speaker placement for 7.1 surround sound is
similar. However, the left and right surrounds should
be slightly more to the side of the listening position -
between 90° and 110°.

The two extra rear speakers should be behind the

listening position at around 135° to 150°.

Apart from that, the height and angle of the speakers

should be the same as with a 5.1 speaker system.

Bipole and Dipole Speaker

Placement
If you have bipole or dipole surround speakers, then
you don’t need to worry about angling them.

The design of these speakers will provide the

ambient sound you need. They will usually mount
flat against a wall.

Bipole speakers are also known as bipolar speakers.

To get the best from bipole speakers in a 5.1 setup,

the ideal place will be directly behind the listening
position. Pointing towards the front speakers.

Place them about 1 or 2 feet above the listener – in

line with, or slightly wider than, the front speakers.
If that’s not possible, then the next best option is
directly at either side – 90° to the listening position.
Again, 1 or 2 feet higher than the listener.

For dipole speakers, the correct positions are 90°

either side of the listening position. This means the
speakers in the unit will be facing to the front and
back i.e. not at the listening position.

These should be 1 or 2 feet higher than the listener,

as in the previous examples.

One advantage of bipole speakers is they are more

flexible in their positioning.

This video covers some of the issues I have

discussed, and highlights some of the compromises
that are sometimes required:

Tutorial - Speaker position problems and solut…

solut…
 Placement of the
Subwoofer
The subwoofer is the maverick of surround sound
speakers! It's the cool guy who goes where he wants
and doesn't follow the same rules as everybody else.

The main reason for this is the subwoofer has a very

specific job - to reproduce the really low bass in a
soundtrack.

Low bass frequencies are not as directional as higher

frequencies due to their long wavelength. This means
that it is harder to tell where the sound is coming
from in the room.

Therefore, subwoofer placement in a room is much

less critical than with other speakers - which can be a
blessing given the size of the darn thing!

Wherever you have a spare bit of space in your room

then you can pretty much stick it anywhere.

Although, there are a few general guidelines worth

considering if you can.
In general, avoiding the corners of a room can be
important for the subwoofer. This is because it is the
bass frequencies which can become 'boomy' by
being in the corner.

Having said that, you can sometimes use a position

near the corners of a room to your advantage and
really boost bass sound from your subwoofer. Your
neighbors might not be so pleased though!

The potential disadvantage is the bass becomes too

overpowering in the room and harder to control.

Have a play around with the position and see what

you think. It is something that you will have to try for
each individual room as no two rooms will sound the
same.

One thing to listen out for is areas of the room where

the bass is especially quiet - or loud. Because of the
long wavelength of bass sound waves, it is easy to
create standing waves in a room.
This can cause the volume of the bass to vary
throughout a room as the sound waves add together
- or cancel out.

The shape of your room can also affect the creation

of standing waves.

A square-shaped room can be a particular problem

as the walls will be the same distance apart from
each other. Try to avoid placing the subwoofer an
equal distance between two opposite walls.

This can result in the reflecting waveforms canceling

each other out. Therefore, don't have the speaker
exactly in the middle of the room. Try to place the
subwoofer nearer one end or the other.

The main thing to check is that a drop in the bass

isn't happening around the listening area, which is
not what we want. If you find this is happening, then
you can move the subwoofer a bit. A few inches may
do it.

This can drastically improve the bass levels in the

important listening area.

Another solution, especially if you have a large room

with a few quiet areas, is to have a 5.2 or 7.2 setup
with an extra subwoofer.
 7.2 Surround Sound System

A second subwoofer can be very useful in leveling

out the bass throughout a room - especially in the
important areas where people are sitting.

For the best results, you would have to move the

subwoofer positions around your room and listen for
a change in the bass levels. You are looking for a
consistent level of bass at all listening positions in
the room.
There isn't going to be a perfect position for the
second sub which will suit all rooms.

One trick is to have one person sat in the listening

position and another to move the subwoofers
around. You may be surprised at how much
difference a few inches one way or another can
make.

As you might guess, the downside of a 7.2 setup is

that it can be harder to set up a room with two
subwoofers. The low-frequency bass sound waves
from two different places could start to cancel each
other out.

So, you could end up making the bass sound in the

room worse!

Once you get into this kind of territory, then you

might want to hire an expert with sound meters to
test the room and position the subs properly.

However, try giving it a go yourself first, use your ears

and listen to the effect of moving the subs around.

General Speaker
Placement Guidelines
We have looked at the placement of specific home
theater speakers. If you want to understand more
about the different speaker types, you might want to
take a look at the article 'The Best Home Theater
Speakers in 2019: Top 12 Reviews & Buying Guide'.

In terms of general guidelines, you might want to

bear the following in mind for your surround sound
speaker placement.

Remember, it's not the end of the world if you don't

follow them to the letter.

But, the nearer you can get then the more chance
you have of getting a great sound in your room.

1. Every Room Is Different

The first thing to remember is that your room is
probably not going to be the perfect shape for a
home theater sound system.

Most of us will be using a communal living area for

our home theater equipment, and so it is very
difficult to get the perfect setup.

However, that doesn't mean that we can't try to get

the best sound possible from our amplifier and
speakers. While you may not be able to get every
point exactly right, you will still be making the best
use of the space you have available.
Most people will have to make some compromises in
their location of their speakers. That's fine, just aim
to do the best job you can. It will make a big
difference to the sound in your room.

Once you have the speakers in the best location you

can, you can adjust the settings of your AV receiver
with volume, phase and tonal balancing. This can
help to compensate for the actual position of each
speaker in the room.

Most modern AV receivers will have some form of

automatic room correction which you can run using
the supplied microphone.

This can be pretty effective, and you can still

manually tweak the settings to your taste if you
prefer.

2. Not Too Close to Walls, Floors

and Ceilings
I've already mentioned this for the subwoofer, but it
holds true for all of your speakers. Try to avoid
placing the speakers too close to walls, floors and
ceilings.

This can be difficult in smaller rooms, but you will

alter the sound of the speakers if they are too close
to these surfaces.

The bass will increase if too close to walls or floors

and this will artificially change the sound of your
speakers.

Also, the sound waves can reflect off these hard

surfaces and delay the sound waves reaching your
listening position. This will create poor clarity and
stereo imaging.

However, just to confuse you, some smaller speakers

may actually benefit from placement on or near
walls. Some are designed to use this increase in the
low-end to help their sound.

This is because they are too small to get a good

bottom end on their own.

Check out the information that comes with the

speaker if you are not sure.

As a general guideline, the bigger the speaker then

the more bass it creates on its own. It will be more
important to keep these away from walls.
 3. Avoid Corners
Try to avoid placing the speakers in corners. This is
like point 2 - except the issues are even more of a
problem to the sound in your room because it is
where the floor, wall and ceiling meet.

The corner of a room can do strange things to the

sound waves bouncing around your room, especially
the bass end. The bass will often appear 'boomy' or
'muddy' if your speakers are too close to the corner.

Having said that, I’m now going to completely

contradict myself. No change there!

In some rooms, you can try placing the subwoofer

near to the corner to boost the bass in the room.

If you aren’t getting the type of bass you want, putting

the subwoofer there might give the bottom end a
tone that you like.

Just be aware, that this can also result in excessive

bass which is hard to control.
Speaker placement can be full of seemingly
conflicting advice. But, the truth is each room is
different and something that works well in one room
may not work in another.

Experiment and listen!

4. Avoid Obstructions
Always try to make sure there is nothing getting in
the way of the sound reaching your ears.

You won't get the best sound from your speakers if

furniture, curtains, even your TV itself, are obstructing
the sound from getting to you.

Obstructions will cause the sound waves to bounce

around the room before reaching you.

What you want is for the sound to go directly from

the speaker to your ears.

5. Try a Listening Test

Play a constant sound - like a piece of music you
know well - and sit in your normal listening position.
Listen carefully to the sound.

Then, move the speakers by a few inches, or change

the angle they are pointing, and hear how this affects
the sound.

This is easier if there are two of you - one to listen

and one to move the speakers.

It may surprise you how moving the speakers by a

small amount can alter the sound.

This can be especially useful when finding the right

position for the subwoofer. You have more freedom
where to place the sub, so you can experiment more.

Conclusion
Follow these guidelines and you will be well on your
way to the best speaker placement for your surround
sound system.

The main thing to remember is that they are just that

- guidelines. Don't feel that you must follow each
point exactly.

Get as close as you can, depending on the size and

shape of your room and type of speakers.

The center and front speakers are crucial to a

surround sound system. These should receive most
of your attention. Get this right and you will be well
on the way.
However, it is easy to forget about the surround, rear
and subwoofer speakers. If you want to get the best
out of your speaker system, then the correct
surround speaker placement is crucial.

When they are all in the best positions, then they will
work together to give you a great surround sound
experience.

Don't waste the potential of your home theater

sound system by not giving it a chance to sound its
best.

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About Home Cinema Guide

Paul started the Home Cinema
Guide to help less-experienced
users get the most out of today's
audio-visual technology. He has worked as a
sound, lighting and audio-visual engineer for
around 20 years. At home, he has spent more
time than is probably healthy installing,
configuring, testing, de-rigging, fixing, tweaking,
re-installing again (and sometimes using)
various pieces of hi-fi and home cinema
equipment.
Learn More About
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