Surround sound speakers lie at the heart of any immersive home entertainment experience. Whether you're watching the latest blockbuster, enjoying a live concert, or diving into a thrilling game, a well-designed surround sound system can completely transform your listening experience. In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up and get the best performance from your surround sound speakers for TV and home cinema systems in 2025.
Understanding Surround Sound Basics
A surround sound setup uses multiple audio channels strategically placed around your living space to create an immersive sound experience from every angle. When compared to stereo systems that only play audio from the left and right, surround speakers add rear, side and sometimes ceiling channels that help to reproduce sounds that would mimic a theatre-like experience.
Most users usually start with a 5.1 surround sound system which consists of one subwoofer and five speakers. Surround speakers TV setups are usually set up in the front, to the sides and behind where the user is seated to create the simulation of depth and motion. Surround speakers rear are especially important for placing you right in the middle of the action, making everything feel more lifelike and exciting.
Choosing the Right Surround Sound Speakers
When looking for the best surround sound speakers for your home, what should be at the top of your list is the layout of your room, connectivity needs and your usage preferences. You might be planning to set up speakers for 5.1 surround sound or a more advanced setup. Finding the right match will ensure that you get the most immersive and enjoyable experience possible.
Speaker Types and Their Roles
Each speaker in your surround setup plays a specific role in creating an immersive audio experience:
- Front Speakers (Left, Centre, Right): These speakers are responsible for the “mids”, handling dialogues and most of the sound you hear primarily.
- Surround Speakers Rear: These are speakers positioned behind the listening area. Surround speakers rear help to provide ambient and directional sound cues.
- Subwoofer: Handles deep bass like explosions in movies or the bass guitars, drums and 808s in music.
- Surround Bar Speakers: These are often used in smaller rooms and are an amalgamation of multiple channels into one sound bar. They’re compact, powerful, and space-saving.
- Wireless Surround Speakers: Ideal for minimalist setups or if you’re going for a cleaner look. Allows for flexible placement and reduces clutter.
If you are looking for flexibility, wireless surround speakers are worth taking a look at. They work for people who do not want to deal with cable management, and many models now stand neck and neck with wired alternatives as well in terms of performance and latency.
Factors to Consider When Buying
When choosing the right setup, there are several factors that could rightly guide your decision. Some of them include:
- Room Size: Larger rooms may need bigger speakers or more channels to deliver a truly immersive sound.
- Connectivity: If you would like your setup to be cable-free, Bluetooth surround sound speakers are excellent for easy pairing with smart TVs.
- Aesthetics: Slim speakers or in-wall models can help preserve your room’s design.
- System Type: For convenience, a surround bar speaker might be enough. However, if you're looking for the full cinematic immersion, a system with wireless surround speakers or traditional speakers for 5.1 surround sound would be ideal.
- Content Use: If you're mainly watching shows and movies, choose surround sound speakers for TV that bring a balance to vocal clarity and spatial effects.
Recommended Brands and Models
At Nottingham HiFi, you'll find a wide range of surround sound speakers built for durability, high performance, and every kind of listening preference.
- Monitor Audio Bronze FX: Engineered specifically to be used as rear surround sound, these speakers feature a unique angled design that helps deliver a much wider soundstage and better sound dispersion. These are ideal for creating an enveloping soundstage in 5.1 and 7.1 surround systems.
- KEF Ci3160RLM: Ultra-slim surround sound speakers designed specifically for wall-mounted installs fitting contemporary living spaces. In spite of their low-key sleek profile, they do not fail to deliver dynamic and detailed sound, marking their space as a smart choice for surround sound speakers for TV.
- Q Acoustics 3010i Cinema Pack: A fantastic full system of speakers for 5.1 surround sound, offering rich, deep bass, and crisp dialogue, and integrating seamlessly between channels. It still stands tall as an excellent entry point for users who are building their first home cinema.
All of these models can help you build a surround sound speaker system that perfectly matches your space, style, and entertainment needs.
Setting Up Your Surround Sound System
Once you've chosen your equipment, setting it up correctly is key to getting the best possible performance, especially when building a speakers surround sound TV setup in your living room.
Proper placement of your surround sound speakers can make a huge difference in how immersive your system sounds. Ideally, front speakers should be placed at ear level, the centre speaker just above or below the TV, and rear speakers behind or to the sides of your seating area. Keeping your subwoofer near a wall or corner can also help enhance deep bass without distortion. Let’s dive deeper!
Speaker Placement Tips
Positioning of the equipment greatly impacts how your system performs:
- Front Speakers: Place the centre just below the TV and the left and right speakers equidistant from your seat.
- Surround Speakers Rear: Mount behind or to the sides, slightly above ear level, angled towards yourself.
- Subwoofer: Experiment with locations for non-boomy bass; generally, a corner, front wall, or a spot where the bass sounds most balanced and powerful is recommended.
- Surround Bar Speakers: Should be centred beneath the TV and not blocked by furniture.
Proper placement of your surround speakers rear and other components ensures that your speakers for 5.1 surround sound deliver the clearest and most immersive experience possible.
Connecting and Configuring Your System
If you are purchasing wireless surround speakers, follow the pairing instructions and make sure that the signal strength is optimal. If going wired, try to use quality cables and match the speaker channels properly to your AV receiver.
Systems with bluetooth surround sound speakers are useful for quick pairs with TVs and smartphones. Many modern receivers and soundbars support app-based tools for calibration and easier setup.
Calibration and Fine-Tuning
You can use your AV receiver's built-in calibration microphone to automatically balance the levels or adjust the EQ to specifically match your sound preferences.
Some audio cues that can help you in the customisation are:
- Make sure that the voices and dialogues are heard from the centre.
- Rear effects should feel like they are ambient and not too overpowering.
- Bass should enhance and not overwhelm.
Fine-tuning your surround sound speakers ensures they perform at their full potential in your specific room.
Enhancing Your Home Cinema Experience
Once your surround sound speakers are in place, a few additional upgrades can truly elevate your home entertainment to cinematic heights:
- Pair with a 4K Home Cinema Projector: Combine your speaker setup with a high-performance projector for home viewing, such as the Optoma UHZ55 or the Epson EH-TW7100. These will not fail to deliver the kind of razor-sharp visuals and rich contrast that you would expect to be paired with an immersive surround sound system.
- Control Acoustics with Panels or Curtains: Investing in acoustic treatments like wall panels, rugs or just heavy-duty curtains can help reduce the reverb in the room and thereby enhance sound clarity. This is especially important if you’re using surround sound speakers for TV in a room with hard surfaces or high ceilings.
- Properly Encoded Content: For getting the most out of your surround performance, select games, music and movies in encoded formats like Dolby Digital, Atmos or DTS. They help to unlock the full potential of your surround sound speakers.
- Organise your setup with an AV rack: This not only helps to declutter but also makes it easier to integrate components like wireless surround speakers, Blu-ray players or streaming boxes.
Wrapping Up
A proper set of surround sound speakers can be a great investment, and they can completely transform your viewing and listening experience. Regardless of whether you’re looking to build a basic 5.1 system or looking to experiment with surround bar speakers and other wireless options, there will be a setup that suits your room, budget and preferences in the market right now.
Have a look at our vast catalogue of surround speakers at Nottingham HiFi to find your perfect match and start building your dream home cinema setup today.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is better, 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound?
To set up in most homes, speakers for 5.1 surround sound would suffice to deliver excellent immersion and sound quality. On the other hand, a 7.1 setup adds two extra rear channels and is suited best for larger rooms.
2. What is speaker surround sound?
Speaker surround sound TV setups use multiple speaker positions to make the sounds feel like they're being played back from all directions, enhancing realism.
3. How many speakers do I need for surround sound?
The most standard surround system comes with five surround sound speakers and one subwoofer (5.1). More advanced channels add extra speakers for improved depth in sound.
4. Which is better, a soundbar or surround sound?
Surround bar speakers are simpler to install and are very compact. However, when compared to a true surround system, it is inferior due to its inability to provide deeper, directional audio to provide a more immersive experience.