This resource will provide everything you need to understand surround sound setups and choose the best one for your room.

Note:These guides are based on zero-clutter home theatre speakers: in-wall and in-ceiling.

2.1  Speaker System Set Up

Use this diagram to understand where each speaker is meant to go for your Dolby / DTS configuration.

5.1 Speaker System Set Up

Use this diagram to understand where each speaker is meant to go for your Dolby / DTS configuration.

7.1 Speaker System Set Up

Use this diagram to understand where each speaker is meant to go for your Dolby / DTS configuration.

Large Speaker System Set Up

Use this diagram to understand where each speaker is meant to go for your Dolby / DTS configuration.

Jensen's 5 Golden Rules for In-Ceiling & In-Wall Speaker Set Up

• Wall speakers where possible and ceiling for the rest to fit room
• Line up ceiling speakers with fronts or wider if large seating area
• Ceilings speakers either front, rear or side of listening position
• You localise sound better in-front of your ears than behind - Place front speakers & middle woofer as close to central to ear height
• Place Rear / side wall speakers tweeter level ~0.5-1m above ear height depending on what works well for the room

Unless you’re up to your neck in the industry you might find this surround sound stuff a bit confusing.

We put this resource together to clear all of that up for you.

You will find out specifically what each possible surround setup looks like.

That will include the modern Dolby ATMOS systems that are growing in popularity.

You will also be able to choose the best setup for your specific room type. (We’ve designed this guide around three unique types of systems to make your job easier.)

A quick note on “up-firing” ATMOS speakers

You will find some ATMOS speakers are designed to fire up at the ceiling and bounce back to you.

They’re designed as a compromise for people who don’t want to put speakers in their actual ceiling. But unfortunately, this never sounds as clear and real as using in-ceiling speakers.

Your ceiling will reflect certain frequencies of sound better than others, not to mention the audio has dispersed during its travel.

That means you’re not experiencing tight, directional details.