Surround Sound Speakers
Surround sound speakers offer the listener a superior audio experience. Whether for television or for music, surround sound speakers are clearly superior to single direction speaker systems. However there are a few points to consider when determining your surround sound system needs. Here are a few basics to keep in mind before making any purchase.
In order to get the most superior surround sound speaker set up in your house it is wise to make sure to measure the dimensions of the room and to make sure that you will have enough speakers for adequate coverage. The typical number of speakers is anywhere between four to seven speakers for most living rooms in the home today.
The typical placement is to have two or three speakers in the front of the listening area (or viewing area for televisions). Two or three additional speakers will also be used for the sides and behind the listening area, the reason being that different signals are sent to different speakers. This is known as multiple channel signaling and is what gives the listener the multi-dimensional audio experience that surround sound speakers are known for.
The front speakers are typically the speakers that will project the most important aspects of the sounds to the listener. For example, if watching a movie, the dialog is typically projected from the front speakers, except in certain cases when a special effect is used (i.e. - the actor is calling from off the screen in which case the speakers from the side may project the sound of the actor’s voice in order to give a dimensional effect). This is the desired effect in which it will seem as though the person is calling from the side, rather than right in front of you.
Typically the front speakers are place directly above or below the viewing screen. This is the most common and logical placement for the front speakers. Placement of the center speakers has monumental importance to the rest of the set up because these speakers serve as the foundation upon which the rest of the system will be laid. These front speakers will work to coordinate the sound effects from the side speakers, which will be the most effective set up in order to deliver a remarkable surround sound experience.
The sound signal is split and directed to the proper speaker by multiple channels. The channels are determined, configured and distributed by the audio visual receiver device, which is also known as the AV receiver. Essentially the AV receiver is the “brain” of the entire system. The AV receiver is the interface from all of the devices and works with the surround sound speakers system. It interprets and distributes all of the signals efficiently in order to create the overall listening experience.
There are two different formats commonly used. The first format is Dolby Laboratories (DL). The second format is known as the Digital Theater Systems (DTS). These two formats are offered by two different competing companies although they are very similar. For example, DTS does not offer sound compressions to the same level that DL systems offer. For the typical listener, this results in delivering a cleaner and crisper sound.
However DTS is not commonly used for TV and typical DVD formats. In fact, most DVDs utilize DL sound options. While it may not make much difference to the typical listener for normal listening, it is a good idea to research the differences between the two in order to know more fully what system will be best suited to your needs.