Home Theater Speaker Layout Options
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- čas přidán 14. 09. 2020
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In today’s world of immersive home theater, you may have seen number sequences like 7.1.4 or 5.2 or 3.0. It helps to understand these abbreviations as you are going to see them pop up when you start researching home theater receivers. Decoding this sequence is very easy once you know the key! The first digit is the number of speakers in the room that are not Dolby Atmos speakers. Dolby Atmos speakers either go in the ceiling or on top of your main speakers to fire up and bounce off of the ceiling. So for example, if the first digit is a 5, this means there is a left, center, right, and a pair of surround speakers. The next digit is the number of subwoofers. You will normally see most configurations call for one subwoofer, but we highly recommend at least 2 for a serious home theater room. The third digit is the number of Dolby Atmos speakers. So for example, if you have a home theater setup that is 5.2.4, this means you have 5 main speakers, 2 subwoofers, and 4 dolby atmos speakers.
Most home theater receivers max out at 11 channels, which enables a 7.1.4 setup with 11 powered and non-powered sub channel. There are a few on the very top end of the price scale that allow you to do 9.1.4 and even 11.1.6. For the purposes of this help guide, we will stop at 7.1.4 as for most rooms that is more than enough for an amazing experience!
As you go through these different configurations, bear in mind you’ll have choices on what type of speaker to use. For the main speakers, surround speakers, and rear speakers you can use an in-room tower or bookshelf speaker, an on-wall speaker or an in-wall speaker. The Dolby Atmos speakers can be either an in-ceiling speaker or an elevation speaker that would sit on top of your tower or bookshelf speaker. We are even starting to see some tower speakers with the elevation speaker built into the top which is pretty cool.
You may wind up laying out the perfect room only to find that the way your room is constructed doesn’t allow you to put speakers exactly where they should go. This is especially true for in-ceiling and in-wall speakers. A common problem with placing these speakers is the placement of the studs. If there is a stud in the way of where you need to put an in-ceiling atmos speaker, we find it better to move them to the left or right rather than front to back to find the spot where they can fit in the ceiling between the studs. For side speakers, we will usually suggest you move them slightly backwards, and for rears, move them further apart rather than closer together. If you have more detailed questions, jump over to AudioAdvice.com and chat or give us a call.
Once you’ve decided what setup is best for you, you’ve picked out your gear, and you’ve wired everything up… now it’s time for arguably the most important step in the process: calibration. Home theater calibration is a huge topic, but don’t be intimidated. With a little reading, you’ll be getting out the tape measure and setting levels like a pro. We have multiple articles at audioadvice.com on home theater calibration that will go through some of the different software options as well as how to properly run them. We can’t stress enough how much of a difference this will make to the sound of your theater.
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#HomeTheater #SpeakerLayout #HomeTheaterDesign - Věda a technologie
Thanks, clear and concise and straight to the point, will be very helpful for me moving from 5.1 to 5.1.2
The design thing you guys did is really cool
The .1 for subwoofer means there is one dedicated LFE channel. It does not matter how many subs you connect to it. If the receiver is capable of processing 2 separate subwoofer channels, it gets to the .2 . Most of the time you'll only find receivers capable of 1 LFE processing because that is most common.
I used a random 3d modeling tool a few years ago to design my home theater, but I wish I had your software available at the time. This is great stuff!
Thanks Jon. We spent a lot of time designing and building it. Our original plan was to charge customers to use the software to design their systems. However when Covid hit, we decided to make it free. We are so glad we did. The response has way exceeded our expectations and it's pretty cool to watch how many people are using it daily to design systems.
@@newnamfamily I’m impressed to hear that. Will it work with irregular shapes/sizes and be able use to factor in anomalies such as uneven walls and ceiling height
@@glennelliott4989 For simplicity we set this up using a rectangle as the base case for a room. However, for people who have a open back or maybe slanted ceiling, it's best to start with the rectangle and modify from there. If you are working on a new room that is abnormal in shape, then start first with the tool and then setup a consult with our team and we will help you work through the differences.
This video was OUTSTANDING! It is exactly what I was looking for…thank you and I will be viewing your special design configuration app to get more details.
Awesome, thank you!
A very informative video.... thank you
Very informative.
Best info with strong professional presentation! Had to be on my toe/ears to catch the numbers even tho I have a 7.1 setup.
Thanks for the kind words! Glad it was helpful.
Good info!
Fantastic video. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good info.
After 2 yrs of fiddling round I finally used this software and set up my 9.2 system using the HT design measurements. Wow my 9 vedlayer speakers got my livingroom sounding like a theater all Klipsh
That is great to hear. Glad we could be of help. You should also check out our playlist then on the best free audio and free video tips to improve your set up. Here it is: czcams.com/play/PLu2zsBSyspw3xeqAcErYORjnm1ba_n-zg.html
I've brought Samsung HW-Q950A 11.1.4 but I don't have any wall behind in my living room and I don't want to use Towers as Toddlers are always running around.
I am inclined to install rear Satellite speakers to Front Wall - Left and Right of SoundBar/using Vogle's Wall Mount VLB500. I would like to know how bad idea is this ?
Splendid! Thank you, Kind regards Mel UK
Thanks!
@@AudioAdvice You're Welcome
I have slanted ceilings from left to right About a foot sloping down to the right but I want Dolby at most
Thank you for the concise and informative video. I noticed the front speakers point towards the listener. What happens if I can only use on/in-wall speakers? How do you aim them? Does it matter?
Thanks! On wall speakers usually have a pretty wide dispersion pattern and work fine aimed straight ahead.
@@AudioAdvice or you can modify the corners of your front wall to be angled towards the main listening position then mount your LR inwalls.
For 7.1.n, pull back the surround/side speakers a little towards the rear would give a better effect in scenes where object flies past you.
Nah just put two speaker into your ceiling so you get atmos and dts x
Great video
Thanks very much!
I’ve currently got a 7.1 setup however I have the back row (of two rows) of seats against the back wall with my rear surrounds above them, i.e.: terribly placed rear surrounds. I’m changing to atmos with 4 speakers and was going to lift my rear surrounds to the ceiling, reassign them as rear heights and add 2 ceiling speakers making it 5.1.4. Your design tool doesn’t allow for atmos height speakers so I’m wondering if the better match for rear heights would be middle tops or front tops? (or wouldn’t it really matter)? Any recommendations would be very helpful, thanks in advance.
Most of the time, using actual in-ceiling speakers for your atmos channels is best if you can pull it off. In your situation, the setup you describe should work. However, if you want us to look at your room more closely and give you more educated advice on it, jump over to www.audioadvice.com and give us a call or you can line up a free design consultation where we can look at your exact room and help you out.
I have 7.1 system at the moment just sold my old amp so have to buy new one which will have atmos my room about 7.5 meters long do you recommend i move the rear 2 speakers high for atmos ?
In many cases like yours it may be better to have atmos rears vs. traditional rears in the room. Here is the link to the design tool. If you put in your dimension, it will actually show you pretty much what would be ideal for your room. If you are still unsure, just chat with the team at Audio Advice and they can look at your design and tell you: www.audioadvice.com/home-theater-design/
Our new build comes pre wired and set up for 5 ceiling speakers. Would you still recommend floor speakers and use 2 or 4 of the ceiling for Atmos? Tv Room is about 16’ x 13 with a ceiling height of 10’ I was thinking of the sonos arc plus 2 of their ceiling speakers for soround
The Sonos Arc would do well as you are thinking but we would add the sub before the in ceiling speakers. Thanks for watching
i have 1.1.4 system in two different rooms both have older receivers. i get great overhead plus center, front and back dimensional sound without atmos decoding. It even works on some You Tube demos.
Hi! what is your opinion about those bipolar/dipolar speakers for surround? are they ok? also for surround music? Thanks in advance!
Those were the best way to go before object based surround formats arrived. For those, you want a directional speaker. For music recorded in 5.1 they are still fine. Thanks for watching
If we have 7.1 AVR and 2 rows of seats, we will enjoy a 7.1 configuration. We will set up 5.1.2 effect olny front row?? 2nd row will suffer ?? Can you advice..
There are a couple of options here. If you mainly watch by yourself or on the front row only, then you'd have the Atmos a little in front of the front row. However, if you typically have quite a few people in both rows, you can split the difference and put the Atmos between the two rows. If you put in your room dimensions and setup in the Audio Advice home theater design tool it will actually show you these two different setups. Go try it and see what you think: www.audioadvice.com/home-theater-design#designer
Thank you. I got 5.1 speaker in my small room. Is it capable to play Dolby atmos? Considering I'll change my receiver with Dolby atmos feature.
Glad it was helpful. You really need one more pair for Dolby Atmos. Please reach out to our team at www.audio advice.com for some advice on speaker choices.
I like this guy. great host.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good video bro....I am From Kerala.. ❤️
I have an open loft with 3 exterior walls and a vaulted ceiling. The wall is 7’ and the ceiling at the peak is 12’. The room is 15.6’ wide and 25’ long. I’m turning it into a theater room with two rows of seating. The problem I have is with the vaulted ceiling and the open side of the loft. I can hang a big black curtain that I can close when it’s movie time but what will I need to do for sound saturation? Also I want a 5.2.4 atmos or a 7.2.4. Any advice is greatly appreciated 🙏
Please reach out to our team at www.audioadvice.com for the best advice regarding your room. Thanks for watching
I have a big question. I have an onkyo txrz820. I thought I could do 7.2.2 atmos. Turns out I can only do 5.2.2 atmos or 7.2. My question.. should I return the atmos upfiriring speakers and do 7.2.2 or keep them and do 5.2.2? I'm thinking the upfiriring atmos speakers don't really make that much of a difference. So I'm leaning towards the 7.2. Am I wrong? Please help!
It depends on the room, if you have flat ceilings we would recommend one pair of surrounds and one pair of Atmos height which is 5.2.2. Thanks for watching
You talked about 2 subwoofers are good where do you recommend placing them two in the front or one in the front and the other in rear?
If you have the flexibility and some adjustment options, one in the front and one in the rear in opposite corners works very well. Ideally you would have a way to adjust phase on the subs or a processor with independent sub outs (but that is rare) Thanks for watching
If I have a 5.1.2, can I place my rear surround speakers in the ceiling and adjust settings accordingly?
No, main and surrounds are meant to be on plane with the listeners ears. There is no setting in receivers that will modify the sound to change that. However, because of our anatomy humans are not good at locating precise direction of sound from behind, so you would most likely not notice unless you were specifically listening for it. The further you can place them behind you the less noticeable the raised soundstage will be.
So I guess the key takeaway is to consider atmos speakers in ceiling, but would; 1) this also be a good solution for sloped/vaulted ceilings?
2) Would the atmos speakers bennefit from having an angle pointing towards the center of the room?
3) Would it work with the couch/listnening position close to the backwall? (I'm worried that the angle of the atmos speaker at the back will "send the sound over" if you get what I'm saying?
We need a little more info about your setup and the room geometry to give you the best recommendation. Please feel free to reach out to us in chat at audioadvice.io/aa-chat and we will talk through all of your goals and your budget for getting the sound possible in your room size. Thank you so much for watching.
Hi there, I am taking my chance to get your personal advice.
I have dedicated home theater and room enclosed but not in perfect size, 15 x 15 feet with 9 feet ceiling height. I already have 4 klipsch 5650ii installed in the ceiling for atmos purposes. I will upgrade my front speakers and I am torn between Klipsch RF 7 iii/64iii vs Martin Logan ESL X/ ESL C. This will be use for movies 95% of the time. What do you suggest? Would you suggest other tower speakers brand? No issue with the budget, my worry is my room size and Martin Logan is more for music than movies. Thank you in Advance. I am looking forward to hear from you.
This is a great question. As you might imagine, to answer it well, we have a few more questions for you that will impact our advice. It's probably easiest if you jump over to www.audioadvice.com and you can call us or chat and we can get into more detail on your system and give you the best advice. We sell both the Klipsch and Martin Logans so our team has a really good sense of where each performs best.
Thanks for this video. I will need some information, what is the microphone (brand) at 8:46 ?
That is part of a Sencore audio test kit, that originally cost several thousand $$$. The current kit is around 2.5k. For home use, you do not need something that expensive, usually, the microphone included with your AVR is fine. This one just allows us to do more precise level calibrations and room analysis. Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice Thank you for this quick response
What constitutes as a "Fairly small to medium sized room"? My room is 18x12' but could be closer to 16.5x12' if I build the front sound stage. Thanks in advance
Great question. The trickier part is room geometry so we just try to keep it in the simplest terms for our videos. At first glance, it sounds like your room is a pretty medium to large-sized room, but having said that, please come have a chat with one of our home theater chat experts on audioadvice.io/aa-chat and we will be glad to help you out! Thanks for watching.
can you use ceiling speakers for rear/surrounded?
Yes as that used to be recommended before Atmos. With Atmos they should be lower. Thanks for watching
Was wondering about that also
Im using 7.0 😅 i dont need sub for it using 3 way 2x15 sub😀 All speakers are like that whit 2000w amps for each pair. It sounds amazing in DTS 😀 great video👍 😀
Thank you! Wow, is that 14, 15" subs in one room! That must sound amazing.
Hi thx. yeah it sounds awesome😀
Hi, I have a 12x14 room. Do I need Atmos? Will it make difference? OR I am good with 5.1/ 5.2?
If you like movies that are geared more towards action or suspense you will definitely appreciate Atmos. Thanks for watching
I just moved into a home with 4 existing in ceiling speakers. Best bang for buck to use those in a 5.1.4?
Yes, that would be your best bet. Thanks for watching
Could really use a little advice here , please.
@8:25 they show a small room and mine is. But I have to have the sofa against the wall , which would be the bottom of the screen.
Can't really place anything behind or beside the sofa........but I can do a ceiling mount. Can I do this for my rear speakers?
Sure. While it’s not the best place if it’s your only option, having rears is better than none at all. Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice Thank you! I don't have a lot of options , but I'll definitely do my research on placement. My layout is a little strange. Thanks again.
Thanks for the information. I really wanted to use your 3D tool, but it's glitchy. It erased my inputs and I had to start over. Then I saved them only to have them disappear again. It's a great idea but needs more power!
Sorry you had issues, we will check on it. We have had thousands of people save their designs, we may have a glitch with the last rev. Thanks for sharing
@@AudioAdvice Thanks. I tried it again and got it working. I appreciate your response
All the videos I've seen on speaker placement are for dedicated theater rooms with only one sweet spot... I've never seen a family living room with a single chair hanging out in the middle of a room before. I guess I'm missing something here. How should the speakers be placed in a typical Family Living Room?
Great question. Think of the sweet spot as the place you normally sit on your couch. You may not be able to get your speakers symmetrical in relation to where people sit, but just do the best you can, then use the level and distance controls on your home theater system to balance it for the area where you usually sit. Thanks for watching
If using a ust projector then how to place the front centre speaker as I worry its position will impact the projectors ability to hit the screen; i cant afford an acoustically transparent screen so front centre normally goes beneath but i worry about the ust.
There are a few solutions to make this work. We suggest chatting with our team of experts at audioadvice.com for a few options.
Your videos are great. One thing you didn’t really touch on is the need for the layout to replicate the exact layout Dolby specifies. If you have to layout speakers in a way where the relationship between the surrounds and the Atmos channels is off from the way it’s intended, it just becomes a lot of sound and not true Atmos. You can’t take a pair of stereo speakers, put the right speaker directly in front of the left speaker and expect to get proper stereo imaging. Stereo imaging relies on a relationship between the left and right speaker position and the listeners position to them. Likewise, Atmos relies on a precise relationship between primary sounds (channels 4 and 5 or 4, 5, 6, and 7) and Atmos surrounds in order to accurately place sounds that the listener will perceive as having true vertical travel and dimension. So one pretty much needs a shoebox shaped room to get Atmos playback to resemble anything done on the mixing stage.
Not really. Like... At all. Atmos is object based, every modern avr has some kind of setup tool for speaker position and room measurement.
That is EXACTLY the biggest Home Theatre benefit of Atmos against traditional channel mixed formats.
Your statement holds kind of true for 5.1 and 7.1 , but in those cases surround effects are less specific anyway and you get away with rough setups more often than not.
Hai,This is Francis from India,kerala...could you pls tell me How to place speaker in 5.2 channel avr? Thank you...
Francicettaaa
I'm Brazilian and I have a question. Can you help me? I'm going to buy a Samsung Dolby Atmos Soundbar that has two rear speakers. I know a good setup is to use pedestals behind the couch.
Yes, that will work great. Depending on your setup, you can use them as sides or rears. Also you can try building your room in our home theater design tool to see where it is recommended to place them: www.audioadvice.com/home-theater-design
@@AudioAdvicethank you so much, your answer was amazing! God bless your work always.
Can i use my bose accoustimass 10/3 for dolby atmos if i buy new reciever with dolby atmos settings ? My new TV got Dolby atmos and i wanna use it with netflix and amazon prime ..
While you do connect those older Bose speakers to a home theater receiver they are not really made for Dolby Atmos. You need 2 more speakers Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice i can buy 2 more original accoustimas and put it direct to av reciever. But will it works with old reciever ?
@@Artem_ZpCity No, the system only accommodates 5 speakers. Just check your manual and you will see. All of the speakers wire to the subwoofer and there is a custom cable that goes from the subwoofer to a receiver, you are limited to the 5.
@@AudioAdvice can u give me one more tip? Accoustimass and 7.1 reciever. Where i need to put rear speakers ( surround or baxk speaker )? Thx a lot
@@Artem_ZpCity Yes, you could do that, you would need a pair of speakers similar in sound to the ones you have, you will need to make sure the receiver is Atmos capable and you can use our free tool to see where you should put things www.audioadvice.com/home-theater-design#designer
If there are two speakers already in the ceiling slightly behind the primary listening position, would you recommend a 5.1 setup or a 3.1.2 setup?
You could certainly try both but it’s probably better as a 5.1. Thanks for watching
This is hard to follow if you use inwall speakers, and another thing if I'm not wrong Dolby atmos requires or recommends a more direct speaker placement, while THX uses slightly different placement and hights. Nice video helping people for free ^^
Thanks for watching. In walls would go in the same places. We used the information provided by Dolby to lay out all these.
The issue I have is the Rear Speakers. Since they are wired it is a real pain to run Wires throughout the Room.. Only have a Dolby 7.1 with Atmos Capable Receiver and 2 Atmos Speakers. 5.1.2
Yes, that is a pain in a lot of homes, easy with new construction where you can plan, but harder in an existing space. Thanks for watching
WHICH SPEAKERS DO YOU RECOMEND TO BE PLACE CLOSER TO THE TV..THE SUB.OR THE TOWER SPEAKERS
Hey I am try to build a homethater
Is it posibol to have a 9.4.4 setup
The current tool does up to 9 bed layer, 4 height and two subs. We can do a custom design with more subs. Please reach out to our team to discuss. Thanks for watching
I need help
hey i know this is a crazy set up......can someone give me some advice on a 3.1.4
Chat or call our team at audioadvice.com and they can give you advice!
5.1 setup is highly recommended for Laserdisc viewing.
😅😂😂
can't use the simulation: it's not in metric... Is it possible for a metric option?
We plan to add metric in the next software release which should be in about 90 days. Thanks for watching
I have Onkyo 5.1.2 or 7.1 the best is 7.1 refined sound
Interesting, do you have in ceiling downward firing Atmos speakers? We normally prefer the 5.1.2 for movies. Thanks for watching
Where do I put my rear speakers if my couch is right against the wall?
Me too. I also have room behind my flat screen, as it is in my bedroom! 16x16
I would put them at ear level on or in the wall OR on a stand on the floor to the left and right of you if u have the space.....
You'll have to do side surround
@@DriveupLife22 should they be a ear level or higher
avoid 7.x.x if you don't have space. 5.x.x will do. rear speakers have to be behind you, but if you don't have space use side rear speakers only
I would like to see 5.1 vs 3.1.2
3.1.2 would not give you any lower channels around you, so we doubt it would work that well. Our favorite for the money is 5.1.2 Thanks for watching
For me personally 5.1.4 is the minimum for a modern day set up you just won't get the stuff flying around your head feeling with just 2 speakers.
The more the better! Thanks for watching
I just want a 5.1.4 for my little living room on my apartment
A 5.1.4 system can sound great, thanks for sharing
9.2.4 is where it's at .
I'm both excited and upset after watching this. I now realize that my 7.1 system won't cut it for very long. I should have done 5.1.2. I still could. Maybe I should. I think I should.
You should, thanks for watching
The video is informative but converting the livingroom into a homecinema can only go so far.
No CM? Really?
I found your layout tool too restrictive. It would not let me enter my room dimensions of 22' x 14' x 17' (L W H).Secondly, it limits you solely to a dedicated theater room vs I am trying to set up a family room. Once it sees a problem it pops up a warning and pretty much ends it for you at that time. There is no ability to acknowledge the warning and move on. For instance it told me that my front speakers are too wide but doesn't give you the capability to add front wide's or front heights to compensate.
It would be nice to be able to select a speaker, for instance a tower speaker and drop it into the layout and then add speakers to achieve your goal whatever that may be 7.1.4 etc..
My problem exactly! My room is 30' X 30' and it's one large room for Kitchen, Dining, Living (where the set up is) and entry way. Not easy to config.
See my comment above. If your room is oddly shaped and you can’t physically place speakers in strict accordance with Atmos guidelines, all you have are lots of speakers making noise, not accurate Atmos reproduction. The layout requirements are much more stringent and less forgiving. The more speakers you add, the more rigid the layout of those speakers must be IF the objective is to get a legitimate representation of the actual sound mix.
No kidding. It is assuming you have a dedicated room. My listening room is way outside the boundaries of the tools capability (although a common room type. The landing at the top of the stairs of a bungalow). But in general I give them props for giving it a shot. If the tool can work for you it's probably a really good tool.
This video is more like a setup from 15 years ago when everyone had a receiver. It's so outdated because it does not include Soundbars with Dolby Atmos that have Satellite Speakers without the upfiring speakers. But yet soundbars are so less expensive than these newer home theater equipment that you forced to buy separately especially with over $1100 just for the receiver.
Greetings friend! We appreciate your point. For the right person, soundbars are getting more and more impressive every year. However, they simply cannot produce the experience of a full surround set up with speakers all around you. We do full installs of home theaters and we also consult customers who are looking for the best experience for the money with a high-performance soundbar. If you are looking for the best high-performance soundbar for Dolby Atmos, you might be interested in our other video on The Best Dolby Atmos Soundbars: www.audioadvice.com/videos-reviews/best-soundbars/ Thanks for watching.
9962’s comment is like complaining that your Kmart bicycle isn’t an F16 jet fighter.
@@ferrisbuhler8866 You might want to look back what home theater equipment was like back then. So you like receivers well ok then, Sound bars is where it's at now.
Thanks for sharing this information. Why would a 5.1.4 be preferable over a 7.1.4 setup? You mention this around 5:27 czcams.com/video/ASgjB1PeOng/video.html
We said it would be better than a 7.1.2. Many receivers just have 9 powered channels and we feel the 4 Atmos speakers provide more immersive sound than rears and one pair of Atmos. Of course 7.1.4 would be better, but there are not many receivers with 11 powered channels. Thanks for watching.
@@AudioAdvice I sent an email describing my question - THANKS for the channel!
ahhh ceilings don't have studs. they have joists. walls have studs.