Top Tips on setting up your surround sound system

A smart surround sound set-up can morph your lounge into a jaw-rattlingly immersive mini multiplex.

But it’s easy to mess things up. So we’ve pulled together a selection of surefire tips to ensure you exploit your home cinema system’s sonic skills to the fullest.

Step 1: Wires versus waves
Setting up surround sound used to mean trailing cables all over the place, but not any more. Modern systems use wireless rear speakers to save looping wires around your living room and are dead simple to set up.

If you do use cables, then invest in decent quality ones. If you’re running them under carpets you can even get flat cables that won’t leave a tell-tale bump under your flooring.

Step 2: HD ahoy!
If you’re after the ultimate in surround sound, you have to switch to HD. Blu-Ray supports full-on 7.1 surround sound, using seven speakers and a subwoofer to let you wallow in sound to your ears’ content.

Compared to 5.1 surround sound offered by DVD, it’s much more immersive, but you’ll need a Blu-Ray player, top-notch surround sound amplifier and, of course, a couple of extra speakers.

Step 3: Speakers corner
Often overlooked, but of ultimate importance, are the speakers used in surround sound set-ups. Most people settle for speakers provided by amplifier manufacturers, but dedicated speaker manufacturers often make much better kit. If you’re buying a top-notch amplifier, it won’t come with speakers – look for the best balance between price and performance. As a rule of thumb, you’ll need larger speakers at the front, and smaller to the rear. And don’t forget the subwoofer!

If you’re stuck for space, it’s worth investigating all-in-one speaker bars. They provide surround sound from a single box by bouncing sound off walls.

Must have accessories
Source – Whether it’s Sky HD, a cable provider or Blu-Ray, you’ll need the very best input to make the most out of your surround sound system. If you’re using DVD, make sure you buy a good quality player with a proper surround sound output, otherwise it’ll simply mix all the channels into stereo, wasting the money you’ve spent on your luxurious set-up.

Surround sound headphones – If you can’t fit a full surround system into your lounge, or don’t want to disturb the neighbours, investigate surround sound headphones. They’ll blast noise at you from all directions, and improve your movie-watching experience massively.

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