If your room is particularly large, consider 6 to adequately cover the space. However, in a bigger room, you will definitely benefit from using a range of different speakers types, as this will allow you to cover the room better. We all probably know by now that speakers come in different sizes.
Different sized speakers produce different sound levels, with larger speakers generally being louder. Make sure you shop around before buying so that you can find the speakers that are right for the size and layout of your home theater.
As standard, ceiling speakers usually come in either 6. As with other speakers, this size refers to the cone, not the speaker. This means the actual face of the speaker will be bigger, but not by much.
For choosing ceiling speakers, I recommend this article by Crutchfield. A pair or two of 6. The overall size increase means they pump out much more bass than a 6. Your placement will also depend on your intended use, as background music requires a different setup to immersive surround sound. One of the easiest ways to figure out the right placement for ceiling speakers is to draw up a plan of your home theater room.
This will allow you to decide on the best speaker placement before you start cutting. If you feel like temporarily wiring them up, do so, and then play some music or an audio track through them. You'll find helpful tips as well as key factors to consider when deciding between different speaker features and models.
Try to place speakers at least 2 feet away from corners and other surfaces that might interfere with or reflect sound, such as tall or bulky furniture. Home cinema speaker setups typically have 5. This is 5 speakers and a subwoofer, the. This is then a 5. For a 5-speaker setup, the right and left surrounds should be to the right and left side of your main seating position.
For a 7-speaker setup, the two additional back surround speakers should be placed behind the main listing position, at equal distances from the main listening seat, and about half as far apart as the right and left surrounds. They should be about as high as the left and right surrounds.
If you're installing 5, 6, or 7 in-wall or on-wall speakers for a home cinema surround sound system:. If you're installing 5, 6, or 7 ceiling speakers for a home cinema surround sound system:. Place the center channel speaker right in the middle of the front left and right speakers. Also aim its tweeter if possible directly towards your seating position. See the images below for placement of surround speakers in 5 and 7-speaker setups. If you have aimable tweeters in your surround speakers, you'll generally also want to aim those towards your seating position.
You may also position these speakers closer to the adjoining wall than the front speakers. The sound will reflect off of a higher point on the wall, which is generally desirable for surround speakers.
A Dolby Atmos surround sound system incorporating only in-ceiling speakers is not recommended. For a 5-speaker setup, the left and right surrounds should be to the left and right of your main seating position, as far apart as your front left and right speakers.
To bring out the best from any home cinema setup, you'll need a subwoofer with a high crossover if you want to get good full-range sound.
The subwoofer will deliver low frequency sound that adds to the existing sound from your ceiling and in-wall speakers giving a full range home cinema experience. See our range of subwoofers for your ideal product. If you plan to spend a lot of time in a room listening to music, rather than using music as pleasant background sound then investing some time planning your speaker locations is a good idea.
Try to place the speakers at least 2 feet away from corners and other surfaces that might interfere with or reflect sound, such as tall or bulky furniture. To obtain a good stereo effect, place the left and right speakers an equal distance from your prime listening seat, at ear level while seated. If the speakers are in a wall that's 10 feet from your chair, place them no more than 10 feet apart from each other and no less than 5 feet apart.
For a good stereo effect, place the left and right speakers an equal distance from your prime listening position, and if possible aim the tweeters toward your seat. For example, if the speakers are 10 feet from your chair, place them no more than 10 feet apart from each other and no less than 5 feet apart.
Measure the distance from the speakers to your chair in a level, horizontal line — i. For listening to music from in-wall and ceiling speakers it goes without saying that generally the more you spend on your speakers the higher the performance quality clarity and quantity power handling.
In rooms you'll move around in or frequently entertain in, speaker placement designed for critical listening won't work. The music will be too loud in one area and too soft in another, a flaw that will be most obvious when the volume is low.
By employing three or four speakers in a room, or by judiciously using a combination of direct and reflected sound, you can create a relatively even soundfield. You'll hear some degree of stereo effect regardless of where you are in the room. We've written the guidelines below to help you achieve that desired effect. Some of them are situation-specific, while others are more general. As you read them, note which ones apply to your room, needs, and goals. Try to keep speakers about 2 feet away from corners and other surfaces that might interfere with or reflect sound, such as tall or bulky furniture.
For rectangular rooms of less than square feet, two speakers should suffice. Place them near opposite corners. For L-shaped rooms, or for rectangular rooms larger than square feet, use 3 or more speakers.
Stagger them across the space for good sound dispersion. If you do end up using an odd number of speakers, stereo input single speakers can be a good choice. For a narrow, long room, place the speakers at either end. Wall speakers can go either at the ends themselves, or on an adjacent wall. This guide will help you get started. If you're still shopping for your gear, check out our in-ceiling and in-wall speaker buying guide.
Good speakers placed in their ideal locations may sound better than excellent speakers in the wrong spots. Planning a system that's mainly for background music? Aim for balanced sound throughout your space. If the speakers are too far apart, you'll have music playing too loudly in some parts of the room and too quietly in other spots.
Use two pairs of speakers for balanced sound in larger rooms. We recommend installing in-wall and ceiling speakers at least inches away from an adjacent wall or ceiling.
Sometimes you want music overhead but have room for just one speaker. The solution? A stereo-input speaker , which plays both the left and right channels of your music. A stereo-input speaker is a great way to add background music to a small space. Or you may want several stereo-input speakers in a hallway or an odd-shaped room that's not well suited for stereo pairs. A centrally located stereo-input speaker is a great fit for the bathroom.
It produces both channels of your stereo music source from a single location. Want background music in a long, narrow hallway? Install a stereo-input speaker at each end for balanced sound throughout the space. Creating a space where sitting and listening to music is the main focus? In-wall speakers positioned at ear level recreate the live sound experience.
Try to place your left and right speakers the same distance from each other as they are from your prime listening seat. This gives you balanced, focused sound. Setting up a music listening room? Space your ear-level speakers the same distance from each other as they are from you for the best sound.
Is your home theater going to be in your living room or family room? The ideal in-wall speaker placement in both rooms is about the same. The height of the left- and right-channel speakers may vary, depending on what activities take place in your room. You want your front and rear in-wall speakers at about ear level when standing.
This elevated placement gives you great music performance as people are moving around. It also gives you immersive sound effects when you watch a movie. It's tempting to install the in-wall speakers right beside the TV for aesthetic reasons. But your system will sound better if the front speakers are spread out. If you can, place your front left and right speakers the same distance apart from each other as they are from your prime viewing seat. This gives you a wide front soundstage that simulates a theater.
In a mixed-usage room you want your front and rear in-wall speakers at about ear level when standing. Speaker placement in a dedicated theater room follows the same guidelines as above, except for the speaker height. Since you're not using the room for anything else, you want each speaker at ear level or slightly higher when seated.
This gives you the best surround sound experience. Building a dedicated home theater room? Install your in-wall speakers at about ear level when seated for the best sound. But, your TV looks best when its middle line is at eye level. Choosing the center channel and TV mounting locations calls for a balance between the two factors.
Decide the height for both before installing either one. You might find taping up cardboard cutouts of each helpful for determining the best spots. In most installs, the center channel goes under the TV. Try to leave at least a few inches of space between the top of the center channel and the bottom of your TV.
This prevents the TV from blocking some of the center channel's sound. If your speakers' tweeters can swivel, aim them toward your seating position. Your surround speakers should be spaced about the same distance apart as the front left and right speakers. Planning to use overhead speakers for special effects? For Atmos systems, Dolby recommends using four in-ceiling speakers. One pair located in front of your listening position, and a second pair behind it.
Check out Dolby's speaker setup guide for a deep dive into Atmos speaker placement. Adding a pair of overhead speaker channels to your system? Place them slightly in front of your seats for immersive sound effects. Making sure you have the right tools on hand helps ensure a smooth installation. Below is a list of the tools used in a typical install.
Check the owner's manuals of your speakers to see if anything else is required. It's important that you use speaker wire that's approved for in-wall runs.
Check out our in-wall wiring guide for more info. Identify any potential hazards behind the wall or ceiling. Use a high-quality stud finder that can detect metal pipes, AC wires, and other obstacles hidden behind your walls. It's worth investing in a high-quality stud finder that can detect obstacles hidden behind your walls. Photo courtesy of Zircon. Try to inspect as much as possible without making a hole.
See if you can detect which way joists run and where empty wall space between studs might be. You may not know what's behind the wall with absolute certainty, so you might have to cut and patch exploratory holes. In an existing room, you'll want to drill a pilot hole to determine if each of your speaker locations will work. Before you begin, turn off the power in areas you'll be working to avoid electric shock.
Then drill a small hole in the middle of where you want to place your speaker. Use caution when drilling so you don't plunge your bit into a pipe or electrical conduit. Insert a sturdy wire like a bent coat hanger into the pilot hole. If there might be power lines behind the wall near your pilot hole, wrap the exploratory wire with electrical tape.
Explore the surrounding area. Don't cut any drywall until you've drilled pilot holes and checked all of your desired speaker locations.
If one of your locations doesn't work out, you might want to move one or more of them. They're also useful if you're renovating an existing room where the old drywall has been removed.
These brackets mount between two studs or joists. Your drywall hanger will cut the speaker holes for you. Rough-in brackets let you easily mark where each speaker will go before the wall goes up. They also give your speaker a sturdy bracing between two studs. Your speakers may have another room located adjacent to them. Consider in-wall or in-ceiling speakers that have a back-box to limit the sound that leaks through.
Back-boxes improve bass response by providing a sealed enclosure around the speaker. They also keep dust and dirt out as well. We encourage a thorough viewing since he goes into detail about the entire installation process. After you check it out, scroll down for some additional tips. Cutting into drywall and plaster creates a fair amount of dust. Cover any furniture near your installation before you begin your work.
This eliminates a lot of the dust clouds that are generated during installation. If your house has plaster-and-lath walls or ceilings, installing your speakers will be more complicated. Plaster tends to crack and crumble easily, so you should be prepared to do some touch-up work.
Running in-wall wire could be particularly challenging. It may be worth running out-of-wall wire, and using carpets, cabinetry, and other spaces to hide it. Installing speakers in a drop ceiling is different than a normal drywall installation. Reinforce where the speaker is mounted with a large piece of plywood above the foam panel.
Mount it to the cross braces, and then cut the speaker opening into both the plywood and the drop ceiling. For high-quality pressboard drop ceilings, you'll be able to cut directly into the sturdy ceiling panels. Once your speakers are installed, you're ready to make any final adjustments. If you have aimable tweeters, direct them toward your seats before installing the speaker grilles. Check for tone controls on the speaker.
If the speaker is within a foot of a corner, set the bass controls to the "minus" or "cut" position. Learn more about room acoustics and treatments here. Have questions about planning your new system? Our expert Advisors know the gear inside and out. Contact us today. Free lifetime tech support is included with your Crutchfield purchase.
Hi there, I'd like to do a 9. My problem is that there are no walls on the left and right sides of the home theater area, the left side is the kitchen and the right is the dining room and no physical separation. I do not want to use floor-standing surround speakers if I can help it, because of wires and aesthetics. Can I do ceiling speakers that act as sides? Any thoughts on the best way to do this? Great post. I'm in a bit of a quandary the only place I have for rear surrounds is on a small wall that runs between the raised ceiling in the living room to the normal height ceiling in the kitchen open concept home.
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