Last Updated on May 25, 2023 by Waino Miller
The Best of 7.1 Speaker System
What is 7.1 Surround Sound System: If you decide you want to build your own in-home theater setup, one of your primary concerns is probably your sound system. A great sound can make or break the immersion of a home theater, so this is one aspect you surely want to get right. However, when it comes down to looking at different surround sound systems, it can feel a little daunting.
If you need to find a great system, you might wonder “What is a 7.1 surround sound system?” We can answer that question right here. Also, we will give you some information regarding these speaker setups to help ensure you can achieve the proper setup for what you’re trying to achieve.
What Is 7.1 Surround Sound System?
For when you want a completely immersive sound experience, a 7.1 surround sound system uses 7 different speakers all around your seating area. With sound coming from all angles, you can be sure to feel like you’re in the movie with your favorite characters. Once set up a certain way, you can enjoy great, high-quality sound from all around you.
The speakers used include a center speaker, two front speakers, and four surround speakers. Each speaker plays her own part in helping to give you the best sound possible. Most of the time a 7.1 surround sound system will have 8 different parts since a subwoofer can use to help the bass sounds along.
Setting Up A 7.1 Surround Sound System
In a rectangular or square room that is not too large, setting up one of these surround sound systems is truly a breeze. First, you’re going to want to place your center channel speaker. This speaker goes either directly below or above your TV screen in the center. It’s important that your center speaker goes here because it’s the speaker that will handle most of the dialogue in a movie. Placing it in the center will help you keep focus on what the characters are saying.
The front speakers place on either side of the TV, angled to directly face your seating area. These speakers can place either close to or far from the wall, depending on what sounds best in your room. The most important thing to ensure is that they face your ears while sitting. This will help them to achieve the best sound possible.
Setting up 7.1 Surround: HDMI & Hardware
The four surround speakers are designed to handle other sounds like music and backgrounds. Things that are just as important as dialogue, however, don’t necessarily have to be the center of attention. Also, these speakers can work together to make the sound move around you, giving you that immersive feel a surround sound system is meant to provide.
When setting up these speakers, two of them place to the sides of you, about two feet above your ears as you’re seated. This helps to ensure you can hear what comes from them without the sound taking over the other parts of the movie. The other two are also two feet above you, but they locate behind you, to complete that fully surrounded listening experience.
As stated earlier, most 7.1 surround sound systems come with a subwoofer as well. You can place the subwoofer almost anywhere. However, there are places you may not want to place it, such as in the corner of the room or behind the TV. The best way to find the right location for your subwoofer is to try and experiment. There is no better judge of a properly set up speaker system than a pair of ears testing it out.
What If Your Room Is Not A Square or Rectangle?
Having a room that is not the perfect shape can make it a little more difficult to set up the perfect speaker setup. However, it still doesn’t make it impossible. Most 7.1 surround sound systems can automatically adjust to the perfect sound levels for each speaker.
Using a microphone placed in your seating position can help since it can listen to and test the sound quality electronically. This can then help your system to adjust. This is the simplest way to still enjoy a great sound experience in any shaped room.
Getting a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X system can also help. These are in-ceiling speakers that can place over your seating area to help the sound quality. The sound raining down on you is sure to help any imperfections in the sound coming from all around you.
How To Set Up A Home Theater In Non-Ideal Rooms
In an L-shaped room, you want the speakers and your seating area to be on either one side of the L or the other. If you pull your couch away from the wall, this can also help your sound quality, giving you the best possible chance at a great immersive sound experience. When your TV is in the corner, you must know that a surround sound experience is going to be much more difficult to achieve. In this case you’re better off moving the TV or going with just a simple soundbar or three-speaker system.
For open floor plans, the ceiling speakers mentioned above can be a lifesaver. They should place just behind your seating area for the best and most immersive sound experience. However, these rooms can be difficult to set a 7.1 system in as well, and therefore experimentation may be necessary to find what will work for you.
Final Thoughts
Some rooms better suite for 7.1 surround sound systems than others. However, even rooms that are less than perfect can be set up when using the right techniques and tools. Sometimes it takes some experimenting, but you can surely find the best setting to fit the needs of your room. Now that we have answered the question “What is a 7.1 surround sound system” and more, you now have the knowledge you need to get started on setting up you’re perfect 7.1 home theater experience.
