How to Optimize Your Home Theater Surround Sound System

The reason we love movies is that they transport us to another world. When watching from home, that's only possible with a truly immersive movie-watching experience. How can you accomplish that? With larger than live images and surround sound. With the right surround sound setup in your home theater system, you don’t miss the creaking of doors and howling of wind during the horrifying climax or have an intimate scene interrupted by cars driving past your Guntersville, Alabama house. AV Enthusiast can design a solution that surrounds you with realistic sound from every corner of the room.

SEE MORE: 4 Must-Have Components of a Custom Home Theater

The Right AV Receiver Can Make All the Difference

Your speakers will only be as good as the signal that reaches them. An AV receiver amplifies the signals coming from your Blu-ray player or media library in order to carry crisp, realistic sound all the way to your speakers. Invest in a Denon or Arcam AV receiver with Dolby Atmos decoding to recreate three-dimensional sound within your home theater system.

Dolby Atmos technology traditionally incorporates multiple speakers throughout the room. Each speaker is seen as a different channel as far as your receiver is concerned. To optimize your sound, you need a receiver that can transmit audio to distinct channels with the same output power to ensure uniform sound throughout the room.

Find Speakers that Complement the Room

The next step is figuring out which speakers to link up to your AV receiver. This will depend on your room's size and style. For a traditional feel in your theater –when facing few space constraints—you can go with a system from KEF that incorporates their latest R50 line of ceiling speakers to get the true Dolby Atmos experience.

If you have limited space or a distinct style that would feel crowded by too many speakers –including the necessary subwoofers to get the ultimate bass sound – you can go with in-ceiling and in-wall fixtures from Sonance. The company’s Cinema Series is designed to disappear into your room whether it’s a dedicated home theater system or multi-purpose media room.

Strategically Place Speakers for Optimal Results

The preferred setup for a Dolby Atmos surround sound system is the 7.1.2 approach. That means there are seven speakers at ear level, one subwoofer and two speakers above the listener. For the seven ear-level speakers the layout is as follows: three in front, two to the side and two behind the viewers. Two Dolby-Atmos enabled speakers are then placed on the ceiling, and the subwoofer is placed in front.

Enhance Your Sound With Acoustic Treatments

Install your home theater system in a dedicated room with acoustic treatments that insulate the sound while blocking outside noise. Insulate the room with wall panels placed at the speakers’ main reflection points. Soundproofing the room from outside noise involves using particular types of drywall, adding additional insulation, and decoupling (creating separation between) the walls.

Enjoy your favorite movies like never before with an immersive surround sound solution. Contact AV Enthusiast to install the ultimate home theater system!