In our last blog post, we showed you how you can (cheaply and easily) upgrade the sound experience of your flat panel TV with a sound bar.
This is a great option for many people, but not quite enough for those looking for the best sound quality available. Basically, if you’re trying to watching any Arnold Schwarzenegger movie and would like to hear all the explosions and that wonderful (or hilarious) Austrian accent in all its glory, you’ll want to consider surround sound.
But we’re not here to read about Terminator movies—we’re here to share our tips for implementing surround sound at your home or office, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do!
Choose your surround sound format
Before we can write about wiring or anything like that, we’d like to make sure you’re absolutely certain which surround sound format is right for you.
There’s a lot of detail to sound format, which is summarized nicely in this post, but the basic principle is that having more channels adds to the complexity of your setup, but also creates the most realistic sound possible.
The 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS are the most common formats for surround sound, but they’re not the only show in town. For gamers and other audiophiles, here’s a great case for 7.1 home theater setup.
Additionally, we’ve written about Dolby Atmos in the past, which adds an overhead speaker in the ceiling, is a terrific option for creating a truly immersive 3D surround sound experience.
Whichever you choose, the sound format will play a large role in your surround sound setup, and you need to decide on that before you start anything else. To speak with an expert about sound format, drop us a line and we’d be happy to help.
Wires or wireless
After sound format, you’ll need to think about the actual setup of speakers in your house or home theater.
If you’d like to hide the wires of your surround sound system (and who wouldn’t?) you have several options.
First, you can completely hide all the wires by installing them in your walls. Wall plates can help keep cable runs neat and tidy. While this method is fairly labor intensive, it’s a great way to get powerful sound straight from the source.
Another way to solve the same issue is to use a completely wireless system, which is growing in popularity. Before you pull the trigger on a wireless system, we recommend doing your research, as you may end up with more wires than you thought you would get!
Or, if you already have some surround speakers you’d like to coordinate better, you can always use a wireless receiver to program your existing speakers.
Lastly, in-wall or in-ceiling speakers are our favorite method of introducing surround sound into your home theater. There are no wires, the system is strong, and we can customize the aesthetic to the unique interior design of your home or theater. Additionally, in-wall speakers provide extra benefits by pairing them with a whole house audio system for intercoms and other features.
All in all, surround sound will greatly add to your TV or movie-watching experience. If you’re going to take the plunge into surround sound, speak with an expert beforehand to help with planning and execution.
Did we miss anything you’d like to know about surround sound? Leave us a comment below, and thanks for reading!
