Wiring for Surround Sound

fitzie79

I am about to chase the walls in a new build and one of the things I want to do at this stage is to have the room set up for surround sound so that I can install it easily at some stage in the future.

I have seen on various forums that there are both ceiling and wall speaker systems that are recommended. I have also seen "sound-bars" in some shops which don't need wires around the room but I presume these won't give the same impact.

Does anyone have recommendations on whether to use the ceiling or wall systems. Also how do I decide where to place the speakers? Any good websites that will take into account the room dimensions and recommend speaker positions.

davelerave

your seating/telly position will determine the front(2) and rear speakers(2) .the bass goes anwyhere and two ceiling speakers for 7.1 . that's my admittedly basic understanding.

k123456

For a 5.1 system ie 5 sat speakers and one sub woofer. you need six wires, two behind
two front
one centre, that will be where your TV is , this speaker could sit in your TV stand, so no wall cabling needed for the centre
Sub W can go anywhere , this is the one that pushes the bass out, if you are in a semi d, dont place this at dividing wall. A lot of people position the SW behind couch , it's quite big so behind the couch hides it. Also if u are watching a movie, you can almost "feel" explosions etc if it's behind couch.

SW sits on floor, the others best at ear height, when sitting

davelerave

ya.just remembered the 'center'.no wire that's how i forgot:D

knx

The front left and right and centre are fairly obvious as are the surrounds for a 5.1 system. For a 7.1 system however you have surrounds and rear surrounds and most decent av amps are gonna be 7.1. The surrounds should be positioned at either side of your seating position and the rear surrounds behind it. Also if your gonna spend a few quid on the setup you'll most likely be buying an active sub and a speaker wire will not suffice for an active subwoofer as you need power and a line level input. So you should put a little thought into where you might postion this in the future and install a dual box (not double) at this point. Run power to one side of the box for a socket and an rg59 (same as cctv cable) to the other. The rg-59 will then run back with all the other speaker cables. Leave some slack at either end to allow for direct connection into the sub. With regard to choice of speakers you might consider using a mixture of recessed speakers and floor standers. Recess your surrounds and place front left and right and centre at either side and below tv. This will give you the best of both worlds, decent speakers to listen to music with and discreet surrounds for movies.

ronaneire

Your rear speakers are the surrounds for 5.1, 3 front, one left, one right and centre speraker also you will have wiring for your sub.

You would also have to the option for floor standing speakers and IMO are the best as they will be at ear level when seated watching tv.

Also the majority of speakers now can be bi wired and it just something to consider putting in for the fronts.

2011

I would sugfest that you choose the system first and then wire for it. I agree with all of the other posters BTW.

What is your budget???

Here are a few points to think about:

1) Ceiling speakers are more discreet, but will not sound as good.

2) Do not put in thin or cheap speaker cable!!! It will be very hard/impossible to change.

3) Install a HDMI cable for high defenition picture on your LCD/Plasma

4) Go to somewhere like Peats Electronics and look and see what some of the systems sound are like and what they cost. They will also advise you on installation (to a point!!). You do not have to buy there!!

5) As a general rule wall mounted speakers should be no higher than ear height when you are sitting down for the best sound. This does not suit many people with kids etc. so it is about getting a balance.

I like the Bose myself, I find it a good balance between sound quality/price/discreetness. I have friends that would not touch Bose, but they think nothing of spending €60,000 on sounds!!


This should give you an idea of how to position speakers:

fitzie79

thanks for all the replies - much appreciated. that last picture in particular is very helpful

2011

The Bose systems come with very clear instructions and good pictures. With Bose you will find people either love it or hate it!

Stoner

depending on the size of the room, there are nice little recessed ceiling speakers for the rear options. As the some of the above posts suggest a mixture is a good thing.