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How to Set Up a Surround Sound System

December 28, 2017
Written by Nick Bock

Setting up a Surround Sound System:

A Step-by-Step Guide to a Simple System

It’s Nick Bock again, you may have already read my guide on how to hook up a stereo system.

Back in 2007, I started working at the Stereo Barn to help out in the showroom.

I set up, priced, cleaned, and dismantled the demo equipment on a near-daily basis. I quickly learned the in’s and out’s of hooking up surround sound systems because of that experience.

When I started, I knew the red wires went into the red holes and the black wires went into the black holes, and that was about it!

What I realized is a lot of people coming to our store looking for a surround sound system might not have the slightest clue how to set one up.

Understandably, most people don’t have years of experience connecting surround sound systems so I made this guide to help as many people as possible.

My goal is to walk you through how to set up a simple surround sound system so you can enjoy watching your favorite TV shows, series, and movies.

What do you need to set up a surround sound system?

Having worked in the audio/video business for the past few years, I’m no stranger to hooking up a surround sound system. On an almost daily basis, I’m connecting or disconnecting receivers, cable boxes, Blu Ray players, Apple TVs or whatever so I take for granted how easy it is for me to do so after all this time.

Again, many people don’t know what you need to do to connect a good surround sound setup and that knowledge isn’t something people are just born with (or else I wouldn’t be writing this!).

So, before I dive into any lengthy explanations, here’s a simple list of everything you need for a basic surround sound system:

  1. Display – The display is your TV or projector. This handles the visual side of your home theater system.
  2. Surround sound receiver – The receiver organizes your sources and amplifies the sound.
  3. Sources – A source is anything you get audio/video from, like a Blu Ray player, cable/satellite box, Apple TV, AM/FM radio, iPod, CD player, etc.
  4. Speakers – For a surround sound system, you need FIVE speakers and ONE subwoofer at minimum. This is known as 5.1 surround sound.
  5. Cables – You need cables to connect your sources to your receiver. Typically, you’ll use HDMI cables for this.
  6. Speaker wire – You need speaker wire to carry the audio from your receiver to your speakers.
  7. A/V stand or shelf – Any piece of furniture with shelves will do, as long as you can run wire between each shelf.

This isn’t an end-all, be-all list of requirements. Each home theater system is unique and can get way more complicated pretty quickly, depending on your requirements. However, a basic setup like this will give you great surround sound for nearly anything.

How to hook up a surround sound system in X steps

Now that you have the equipment you need, it’s time to start building your system. Use the pictures I included in this post as a visual aid. They will walk you through these steps to make it easier to understand.

  1. Start by drawing a picture of what you want your surround sound system to look like. Like the blueprint to a house, drawing out what you’re connecting will give you a clear idea of what you are working towards. Draw all of your equipment (sources, receiver, speakers, and display) and then draw the connections between them. Basically, your sources will all connect to the receiver, then the receiver sends the sound to your speakers and the video to your display.
  2. Set up your equipment where you want it to go without the connecting the cables/wires. Put your sources and receiver on your A/V shelf, leaving plenty of ventilation space for each component to prevent overheating. See our guide to keeping your electronics from overheating.
  3. Place your speakers and subwoofer where you want them to go. For a surround sound system, you use 3 front speakers and 2 rear speakers. Use one speaker each for the front left channel, front right channel, and front center channel. These speakers produce most of the sound you hear. Then, use one speaker each for the rear left channel and rear right channel. The rear speakers produce the surround effects you hear in movies, TV shows, and sports broadcasts.
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