Surround sound speaker location advice

We are planning to replace our old television with a new one and also set up a surround sound system. The positioning of the tv does not allow it to be centred in the width of the room. This means one front speaker is near to the set while the other front speaker is on the other side of the room. Does this require special attention?

Any advice would be appreciated.

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Hi

Firstly, it is quite common to have your TV and speakers in less than ideal positions - most of us have to compromise as to where the TV and speakers will actually fit.

Having said that, it is good to consider all the possibilities in order to get the best from our equipment.

The front left and right speakers should ideally be an equal distance either side of the TV. The problem with having one speaker on the other side of the room is that you will lose much of the stereo image, and the audio will seem 'removed' from the pictures you are watching.

Have you considered floor stands or wall brackets for the speakers? Might this enable you to move one speaker around towards the TV a bit more? How about one wall bracket and one on a floor stand? What about a ceiling bracket?

Have you bought your surround sound system yet? If so you might consider small satellite speakers which can easily be installed on a wall. This may give you more options when placing the speaker.

Also, have you thought about where the centre speaker and the surround speakers will go?

If you really have no choice where to place the left and right speakers, you can often make up for some problems by having different volume levels from each speaker. Most surround systems will allow you to balance your speaker volumes individually.

Another option is to consider a soundbar. These have multiple speakers in one bar which sits along the front of your TV. You can get a reasonable 'virtual surround' effect from these and they can sometimes be a good option for people who have trouble fitting multiple surround speakers around the room.

Hope that helps.

Paul (Site Editor)

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