Home Theater Basics

Home theater systems have become increasingly prominent in homes due to their ever-shrinking price tag. Like the addition of home offices, home theater rooms have turned from luxury to necessity for many families. For the immersive home theater experience, not only is a wide screen necessary, but so to the surround sound and booming bass that used to only be found in commercial cinemas.

System Types

Dolby Digital should be the minimum you should strive for when getting your system up and running. DTS (Digital Theater Systems) is an alternative to Dolby Digital. Both can produce 5.1-channel surround sound, meaning five speakers and one powered subwoofer. Surround speakers produce mid-high frequency sound, while the subwoofer provides the low frequencies, or bass.

THX is a process designed by LucasFilm to recreate the theater experience. Systems that have met a specific set of standards are given THX certification. THX is not a sound system on its own, but used in conjunction with sound formats like Dolby Digital and DTS.

Surround Sound Speaker Layout

Speaker layout varies with your system type. While 5.1 is the minimum for a home theater system, speaker setup can be expanded to 6.1 or 7.1 that also provides surround sound from the rear.

Surround sound systems are typically set up with two front speakers, to the left and right sides of the television, a front speaker placed on top or just below your television, and two rear speakers placed from 90° to 110° of your seating position. Speakers should be placed at or slightly above ear level while seated. In large rooms, speakers tend to sound better placed above ear level, dispersing the sound more evenly.

For proper speaker placement of various system types, check our optimal speaker setup guide.

Subwoofer Placement

Also known as LFE, which stands for low frequency effects, subwoofer placement differs according to your room set-up. Bass response from a subwoofer should be omnidirectional, i.e. you should not be aware of where the sound is originating. The subwoofer should be placed directly on the floor.

The closer you place the subwoofer to a corner wall, the deeper the bass response. This is beneficial if you have a weak subwoofer. However, for more powerful systems, this can lend to a "muddy" or "boomier" or sometimes unidirectional sound. In this case, moving the subwoofer away from the wall will result in cleaner, less directional bass.

Experiment by getting down to ear level and moving the subwoofer around the room. Listen and let your ears be the judge. Once you have found the location where the low frequencies sound best, that's where your subwoofer should reside. Ultimately, this depends on your room's shape and the contents of the room. Furniture and other objects can make a big difference.