How to Hook Up Speakers

Positions, everyone

For the money you spent on stereo equipment, the least you could do is set it up properly.  After all the to-do of selecting the perfect home theater system, overlooking some simple guidelines can really hurt a potentially great sound.  Take some time to measure out distances and get proper placement for all your audio knick-knacks. 

For an example, we'll use a basic 5.1 surround sound system; that is three front and two rear speakers.  Decide where your primary listening spot will be, then place your left and right front speakers facing straight out, equidistance from your chosen spot and center speaker. 

Use speaker stands or mounts if need be, you want them at about eye level.  If you notice a little acoustical feedback, you probably put the speakers to close to your equipment.  The surround speakers can be up to two feet higher than the front, and should face slightly in toward the listening area.

Forgot speaker wire?

Minimizing interference in your speaker wire is achieved by using the least wire possible and a 16 gauge wire or lower.  If you are forced to run cables a great distance (especially for your rear speakers) budget for the lowest gauge your speakers will tolerate and always use the same length for each set; when the wire tab starts climbing, it is tempting to cut corners. 

For connecting the cables to your home theater speakers, use 24K gold plated banana clips to ensure a tight, superior signal transfer.  And a final pragmatic tip straight out of Heloise, get multi-colored cables so you know what is going where. 

Your subwoofer emits non-directional sound so it can be placed about anywhere.  Make sure it is at least 6 inches from the wall and you should be set.  Try out different placements if you like.  A 6.1 or 7.1 surround setup requires one or two more rear speakers which are placed just behind the first two.  Use the same guidelines and you'll be all right. 

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