A Guide to Setting Up Surround Sound in Your Home and Yard

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Prices on 4K ultra HD TVs hit new lows during the 2015 holiday season, with 60 to 65-inch sets going as low as $600-$700 and some secondary brands dropping as low as $500. But getting a 4K TV without a good speaker system is like buying a Rembrandt and putting it in a cheap drugstore frame. Don’t do that.

To fully enjoy an ultra HD TV, you need a good surround-sound system. With today’s technology, you can even extend your sound system from your entertainment room into other parts of your house and your backyard. If you’re planning on investing in a 4K or an HD TV — or if you’re just looking for a quality sound system — here are a few ideas for setting up your home and yard for surround sound.

Surround Sound Basics

Surround sound simulates the way your ears hear in 3D more closely than traditional mono or stereo systems. Mono sounds artificial because it only projects sound from one speaker, while we have two ears. Stereo adds two speakers, but both are positioned in front of you, whereas sound normally comes from multiple directions. Surround sound takes a step closer to reality by adding more speakers. The speakers are typically arranged in a six-speaker configuration called a 5.1 channel setup.

In a 5.1 setup, below your cable/satellite box or DVD/Blu-ray player and your multichannel audio electronics controller are several speakers. A pair of front left and right channel speakers serve the role of stereo. Between these sits a center channel speaker, which anchors your sound system for clearer movie dialogue.

In addition to these front and center speakers, to either side of your seating position are a pair of left and right surround channel speakers. These simulate the sound of objects moving across the screen, such as the whoosh of a car.

In addition to these five channel speakers, there is a subwoofer speaker which handles bass sounds. Because the subwoofer is dedicated to bass, it is not considered a separate channel, which is why this configuration is called a 5.1 channel setup.

Entertainment Room Setup Options

The 5.1 channel setup is sufficient for average home users, but there are other options for enthusiasts. In a 7.1 channel setup, two back channels speakers behind the listening position simulate sounds to the rear.
In a 5.1.2 variation of a 7.1 setup, the 5.1 system gains two speakers placed vertically above the front channel speakers. This creates a sense of sounds overhead.

Other options add 9, 10, or 11 speakers. You can also add additional subwoofers.

Expanding to Other Rooms

You can expand your surround-sound system outside your entertainment room to other parts of your house. Today’s multi-room audio technology offers three major options: wired, wireless and hybrid. In a wired system (best installed when building a home), you run wires from your receiver to other rooms in your house. Many receivers allow multiple zone controls, so you can play different audio on speakers in different rooms. This feature is known as multi-room, multi-source capability.

Wireless systems such as Sonos achieve the same effect by connecting your Internet service to your sound system. For a wireless system, you need Internet access, an access point to link your Internet service and sound system, wireless speakers and amplifier modules, a wireless music source and a remote control, which is normally your mobile device.

Hybrid systems run wires off your wireless system to other areas of your home. This is often useful for rooms which can only have ceiling speakers, such as dining rooms.

Outdoor Options

You can extend your speaker system to outdoor areas such as decks, patios, spas and swimming pools. This can be done by assigning one of your system zones to your backyard, using an outdoor amplifier and adding weatherproof speakers. For pools, you can even use waterproof underwater speakers. Underwater speakers install into standard pool light niches which fit into your pool wall.