Surround Sound Home Audio

Design the room, place speakers correctly, and calibrate like a pro. 5.1 · 7.1 · Dolby Atmos.

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Overview

Great surround sound starts with the room. Before you buy more gear, decide your listening position, measure distances, and plan where each speaker will live. Then you can dial in crossovers, levels, delay, and room correction software for a system that disappears—leaving just the movie or music.

Common Layouts

5.1

  • Front L/R: 22–30° from center.
  • Center: Directly above/below screen, tweeter aimed at ear height.
  • Surrounds: 90–110° to the sides, 1–2 ft above ear height.
  • Subwoofer (.1): Start at the front corner; run a sub crawl to confirm.

7.1

Add rear surrounds at 135–150° behind the listener. Keep side surrounds at ~90–110°.

Dolby Atmos (5.1.2 / 5.1.4 / 7.1.4)

Use in-ceiling or Atmos-enabled modules. Aim for a 45° elevation angle from listening position. Avoid placing height channels too close to walls to prevent reflections smearing object location.

Speaker Placement & Aiming

Start by placing the front stage symmetrically around your screen. Toe-in until the stereo image locks. For surrounds, prioritize even coverage for the seating area rather than a single sweet spot. Subs benefit from corners for headroom, but two subs often smooth response across seats.

Tip: For most rooms, begin with crossovers at 80 Hz, then fine-tune by ear and measurement.

Calibration

  1. Set speaker sizes and crossovers (small speakers + 80 Hz is a solid default).
  2. Run your AVR’s auto-calibration (Audyssey, Dirac, YPAO, MCACC). Verify distances and trim levels.
  3. Measure with a calibrated mic if you can. Smooth large peaks first; don’t chase every dip.
  4. Target ~75 dB reference for pink noise. Keep sub trim conservative to preserve headroom.

Room Acoustics

First reflections from sidewalls, floor, and ceiling blur imaging. Add absorption at those points and keep some diffusion in the rear of the room. Thick rugs, curtains, and bookshelves help—a little treatment goes a long way.

Buying Smart

  • Prioritize speakers and subwoofers over features you’ll never use.
  • Match the front-stage brand/series for consistent timbre.
  • Choose an AVR with sufficient channels for future Atmos expansion.
  • Spend on room correction quality if your room is challenging.

Polk Signature Elite ES90 Speakers

Polk Audio Signature Elite ES90 Speakers

ELEVATE YOUR MOVIES, MUSIC & GAMES - With Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced immersion in movies, music, sports, and games, the ES90 delivers cinematic overhead excellence. Get precise, crystal-clear highs with the 1” Terylene dome tweeter, ensuring detailed imaging. From jets flying overhead to otherworldly effects, experience your favorite movies, music, and games on a whole new level.

Tip: I purchased four of these at $224 each, a bit pricey, but well worth it. Featuring a 5.25” mica-fortified polypropylene midrange woofer, this speaker offers 75% more surface area than typical 4” drivers, ensuring full-range, impactful sound that can effortlessly fill even larger rooms with immersive audio.

Polk Audio PSW10 Powered Subwoofer

Polk Audio PSW10 Powered Subwoofer

POWERED SUBWOOFER FOR EXTRA BASS & PUNCH – 10-inch Dynamic Balance woofer and configured directed port provide accurate bass depth that brings music and movies alive. The perfect home theater subwoofer for small-to-mid size rooms. Features continuously variable 80-160 Hz crossover and 40-160 Hz (-3dB) frequency response.

Tip: I purchased the PSW10 for $200.