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Easy home theatre setup

2004/11/23 12:59:02

Question

In setting up a surround system, how much space should I allot between the speakers and the listening position?


-- Submitted by: J. Eric McCall, via email

Holidays are a time for music, and you must have good sound to make the holiday party turn out right.

In a perfect world, you would sit in the middle of the space between the five speakers, equidistant from them all. That's rarely possible in the real world. We suggest:

1.  Set up the main left and right at the same distance from your seat.

2.  Place the surrounds by the walls to either side of, or slightly behind, the sweet spot.

3.   Use your receiver or your home theatre-in-a-box's delay controls to compensate for the uneven placement.

See also: DIY: Surround sound buying guide - where will I put all these speakers?

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