Multi channel also known as surround sound speakers are entire speaker systems that encircle the listener, immersing them in the sound from the movie or audio source. To provide this immersive experience multi channel speakers need to be situated to put the listener in an optimum central position. If you are a music lover, a hobbyist or you just need a top quality audio system to enhance your enjoyment, multi channel speaker systems can offer this. All that is required is an effective layout of the speakers and accurate calibration, via the receivers set-up utility, so that each of the speakers employ a correct setting which is relative to the listener's location in the room.
So what types of speakers do you need? The most common surround sound set-up is a 5.1 system which consists of 5 satellite speakers and a subwoofer bass unit, this is the set-up I will discuss here.
Speaker Floor Stand
Front right and left speakers are your first consideration. These front speakers can be wall or shelf mounted or utilise floor stands. These speakers generally provide the main elements of the audio and should be positioned to either side of your television set, providing a decent spread for the frontal audio. Think here about how you would typically place a set of stereo speakers.
Next a centre speaker is an important consideration as it will manage the majority of the conversation or vocal from your source material. The centre speaker is situated above or below your Television set. A higher quality central speaker is often a wise purchase for clarity of dialogue in your sound. The centre speaker needs to be placed as near to the television set as is possible so the direction of your most important sound is correct, even so do not position the speaker too high or low sending the noise over the listeners heads or directed at their feet. Angling this speaker accordingly will help.
The sound carried by rear speakers is more subtle than the front and centre set units, providing atmosphere rather than direct in your face sound. Rear speakers naturally need to be positioned at the rear of the viewing position as well as to the sides and facing the listener. Preferably they should be in-line with the front speakers and spaced similarly. Another consideration for rear speakers is cabling, typically a long cable run is required to these speakers which can pose a trip hazard or just be very unsightly so some forethought is required here.
The subwoofer or bass unit would be seated on the floor and commonly in a corner location to exaggerate the bass sound. The subwoofer provides extra oomph to lower frequency audio such as rumbling thunder and deep explosions. The rear on the bass speaker is commonly where wires are connected, i.e. an independent power cord as well as in some systems the satellite speaker cables. However from the home cinema viewpoint surround sound receivers generally handle the satellite speaker connections directly.
As a solution to the issue of long cable runs wireless surround sound speaker systems have become more common. Wireless speakers allow you to connect speakers to your receiver without restricting the placement of the speakers. Although wireless surround sound systems are as the name suggests wireless, you still need to provide them with power and a connection to a wireless receiver unit which collects the audio signal from the main system receiver. Originally wireless systems provided a poorer quality audio signal but these problems appear to have been largely addressed in the past couple of years. Units such as Samsung's SWA-5000 provide excellent wireless connection quality at a fraction of the cost of previous wire free solutions.
In addition to the 5.1 system discussed here 7.1 speaker systems with side speakers and 9.1 systems that add further high or wide front satellites to the 7.1 configuration are also increasing in popularity. Even additional subwoofers are now being offered in channels such as 9.2 configurations.
Whatever system set-up you choose the important thing to remember is positioning from the listeners perspective and compatibility. It's no good choosing speakers that operate at 4 ohms for surround sound receivers with a 6 or 8 ohm requirement.
I hope this article helps to clarify a few points to those starting out on your home cinema journey.