How to Install Speakers
Place the speakers., Place the receiver near the TV., Run wire from the speakers to the receiver., Connect the speakers to the receiver., Connect the TV to the receiver., Connect other devices to the receiver or TV., Test and calibrate your speakers.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Place the speakers.
Speaker placement is very important for home theater audio quality, and speakers should be placed before you start measuring out wire.
Speaker placement is highly dependent on where the primary viewing spot is.
This is typically your main couch or sofa.
Your speakers will work best when focused on this location.
Below are some tips for placing your various speakers:
Subwoofer
- The subwoofer's sound is omnidirectional, which means it doesn't need to be pointed in a specific direction.
You can achieve good subwoofer sound from most locations in your living room, but try to avoid placing it near a wall or corner.
It's often easiest to place it near the entertainment center for easy connecting.
Front Speakers
- Place the front speakers to each side of the TV.
Typically you will want the front speakers about 3 feet (0.9 m) (0.9 m) between the side of the TV and the speaker.
Angle each speaker so that it is pointed towards the center of the listening location.
For optimal audio quality, raise the speakers so that they are ear-level when sitting.
Center Channel/Soundbar
- The center channel bridges the gap between the front channels.
Place the center channel either above, below, or in front of the TV. placing the center channel behind the TV will result in muffled sound.
Side Speakers
- These speakers should be placed directly to the sides sides of the listening area, pointed at the listener.
The speakers should be ear level.
Rear Speakers
- Place the rear speakers behind the listening area, angled towards the center of the couch.
Like the other speakers, these should be ear level for the best sound possible. -
Step 2: Place the receiver near the TV.
The receiver can go underneath your TV in the entertainment center or off to the side, as long as it is close enough for cables to easily reach the TV.
Make sure the receiver has room to circulate air on all sides. , After all of your speakers are placed and the receiver has been set up, you can start running your speaker wire to connect it all.
Make sure to leave some slack on each end so that you have room to move the speakers around and make adjustments.
For floor mounted speakers, you may be able to conceal the speaker wire along the base boards or under the carpet if you do not go by a door opening or fixed cabinet along the wall.
For ceiling mounted speakers, you will have to either drill through the ceiling and fish speaker wires down to the speakers, or recess the speakers into the ceiling itself.
Recessing speakers into the ceiling may compromise the attic insulation and will make it difficult to aim the acoustic cone of the speaker. , After you've laid out your wire, you can start hooking everything up.
Some speakers will come with wire already attached, while others will require you to connect the wiring yourself.
If you need to connect the wires yourself, you may need a wire stripper to peel back some of the coating.
Hook the speaker wires to the terminals on the back of the speaker box, being careful to observe the polarity (+ or
-) of the connections.
Many speaker wires are color coded, black being positive (+) and white being negative (-).
Clear insulated wires have a copper conductor in the positive (+), and a silver colored conductor in the negative (-).
You may have to connect bare wire to the back of the receiver as well.
Double check to ensure that you are connecting the right speakers to the right inputs on the receiver. , In order to get the sound from your TV to come out of your receiver, you will need to connect the TV to the receiver.
HDMI is usually the easiest way to do this, though many setups use optical cables to transfer the sound to the receiver. , Depending on how you are routing your sound, you can connect your other devices such as DVD players, Blu-ray players, and cable boxes to either the TV or the receiver.
See the device's documentation for detailed instructions. , Now that everything is hooked up, it's time to test! Many receivers and TVs have sound tests that you can perform, and some modern receivers have automatic calibration tools.
Experiment with music and movies and adjust the levels for each channel until you find a suitable mix. -
Step 3: Run wire from the speakers to the receiver.
-
Step 4: Connect the speakers to the receiver.
-
Step 5: Connect the TV to the receiver.
-
Step 6: Connect other devices to the receiver or TV.
-
Step 7: Test and calibrate your speakers.
Detailed Guide
Speaker placement is very important for home theater audio quality, and speakers should be placed before you start measuring out wire.
Speaker placement is highly dependent on where the primary viewing spot is.
This is typically your main couch or sofa.
Your speakers will work best when focused on this location.
Below are some tips for placing your various speakers:
Subwoofer
- The subwoofer's sound is omnidirectional, which means it doesn't need to be pointed in a specific direction.
You can achieve good subwoofer sound from most locations in your living room, but try to avoid placing it near a wall or corner.
It's often easiest to place it near the entertainment center for easy connecting.
Front Speakers
- Place the front speakers to each side of the TV.
Typically you will want the front speakers about 3 feet (0.9 m) (0.9 m) between the side of the TV and the speaker.
Angle each speaker so that it is pointed towards the center of the listening location.
For optimal audio quality, raise the speakers so that they are ear-level when sitting.
Center Channel/Soundbar
- The center channel bridges the gap between the front channels.
Place the center channel either above, below, or in front of the TV. placing the center channel behind the TV will result in muffled sound.
Side Speakers
- These speakers should be placed directly to the sides sides of the listening area, pointed at the listener.
The speakers should be ear level.
Rear Speakers
- Place the rear speakers behind the listening area, angled towards the center of the couch.
Like the other speakers, these should be ear level for the best sound possible.
The receiver can go underneath your TV in the entertainment center or off to the side, as long as it is close enough for cables to easily reach the TV.
Make sure the receiver has room to circulate air on all sides. , After all of your speakers are placed and the receiver has been set up, you can start running your speaker wire to connect it all.
Make sure to leave some slack on each end so that you have room to move the speakers around and make adjustments.
For floor mounted speakers, you may be able to conceal the speaker wire along the base boards or under the carpet if you do not go by a door opening or fixed cabinet along the wall.
For ceiling mounted speakers, you will have to either drill through the ceiling and fish speaker wires down to the speakers, or recess the speakers into the ceiling itself.
Recessing speakers into the ceiling may compromise the attic insulation and will make it difficult to aim the acoustic cone of the speaker. , After you've laid out your wire, you can start hooking everything up.
Some speakers will come with wire already attached, while others will require you to connect the wiring yourself.
If you need to connect the wires yourself, you may need a wire stripper to peel back some of the coating.
Hook the speaker wires to the terminals on the back of the speaker box, being careful to observe the polarity (+ or
-) of the connections.
Many speaker wires are color coded, black being positive (+) and white being negative (-).
Clear insulated wires have a copper conductor in the positive (+), and a silver colored conductor in the negative (-).
You may have to connect bare wire to the back of the receiver as well.
Double check to ensure that you are connecting the right speakers to the right inputs on the receiver. , In order to get the sound from your TV to come out of your receiver, you will need to connect the TV to the receiver.
HDMI is usually the easiest way to do this, though many setups use optical cables to transfer the sound to the receiver. , Depending on how you are routing your sound, you can connect your other devices such as DVD players, Blu-ray players, and cable boxes to either the TV or the receiver.
See the device's documentation for detailed instructions. , Now that everything is hooked up, it's time to test! Many receivers and TVs have sound tests that you can perform, and some modern receivers have automatic calibration tools.
Experiment with music and movies and adjust the levels for each channel until you find a suitable mix.
About the Author
Jacob Russell
Specializes in breaking down complex creative arts topics into simple steps.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: