How To Design A Surround Sound System

[@taco7546]

I have spent so much time trying to find the "Perfect" setup for my home from the purists and this 12 min video taught me more than all the rest!

[@spencerbigum1309]

Finally someone talking about odd room shapes! Awesome video, thanks for sharing!

[@jackryder6732]

There are so many videos out there, non took the trouble to teach the way a teacher theaches like this gentleman. Draw on a paper, Everyone failed you pass. Good job. Will connect to your channel. Any questions I can send to your email with the pictures.

[@leerichards5192]

Agreed. Thank you. If you don’t have a rectangle room, as most (UK) don’t. This was really helpful.

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

lee richards glad to hear it!

[@infinitechoes]

Thanks. I am building one & m gonna use each and every tip you just told.

[@dbwiseman1066]

Once again an outstanding use of a older teaching aids and the information was spot on especially for a not so very good room set up that I have,

[@xemphios]

Looking into something simple for for my living room and was wondering about angled ceiling speakers due to limited wall space and a far rear wall. Thanks for the input about the times you used them and the experience you and your customers had. I'm no longer worried about going that route!

[@bagofnuts9809]

Super helpful. Thanks for taking the time to explain the fundamentals and then apply them to real world conditions.

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

Thanks for watching. We love your comments, so keep them coming!

[@Mechabjornis]

Nice, thank you. This finally got me moving to get all my Atmos speakers and new reciever installed.

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

Mechabjornis glad it helped!

[@itsdannyftw]

Great video, really succinct and covers so much in a short amount of time thank you!

[@dvsubramaniam4020]

Very impressed with the innovative approach

[@MBA07071977]

I with you were in Brazil to make my HT. Amazing video! Congratulations.

[@ABSOLICE]

I watched a few of your videos, the home theater information is consistently of high quality. You have shared some great tips I hope to apply in my own build, and actually it seems I might need professional help to get this done properly. Thank you! please keep making videos. Also the illustrations help but your freehand drawings are pretty bad, lol.

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

Haha - I thought they were really good! ;)

[@freeheeler09]

Nice Job! Great level of detail. Thank you for sharing your expertise!

[@simiannye]

Nice explanation.....Thank you!!!

[@ely_lucas]

How would you “angle in” the in-ceiling speakers? I’m looking at a setup similar to the ones at the end with the in-ceiling speakers and curious if you need a certain speaker to get the angle or if it’s in the way it’s mounted. Thanks and loved the video.

[@1stzard]

Same I have some overhead speakers that I havn't installed yet, it has tweeters in the center and the whole speaker is angled slightly. So you can rotate it towards the cash seat(s) I believe

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

Most of the speaker manufacturers have an 'angled' in-ceiling speaker. Specifically for this kind of application. For the front speakers, and the surrounds you can point it towards the cash seat, for the atmos speakers you just want those down firing, so no need for angled speakers there

[@1stzard]

@@SmartHomeBrothers What if you use the angled for the atmos? best position then? I already got a pair haha

[@texxhexxmm]

With a 2m high ceiling but enough space for a 5.1.4 or even 7.1.4 would you with the 45° for top Front and rear top? With the Low ceiling the speakers come closer of course.

[@nayantharamathew165]

Please do a video for 3D theatre

[@AGC828]

Q: What if you have 2 rows of seating? Where would you place the "side surround" speaker? between the "king's chair row and the 2nd row...which would mean the height would have to be roughly 1.5' above the $row and a foot above the ear for the 2nd row? Would you still use bookshelf speakers? or would bi-pole di-poles be better??

[@benbalk8925]

I have a vaulted ceiling in my room which peaks out at about 18’… does Atmos work in such a room?

[@contentpreview123]

Love your video

[@bradeinarsen]

I love your advice about directional in-ceiling speakers for surrounds. I have an area with no left wall for my setup and this will allow me to put in surrounds without building pillars for them. Should I stick with in-ceiling or should I use wall mounted on the right where i do have a wall??? (I'm thinking they should be the same, in-ceiling).

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

I think you'll be fine with In-ceiling. We've used directional in this way, or angled a number of times.

[@heldermachado780]

How about the atmos speakers in line with the midlle of the center and left/rigth ? I think in a real general it would work better

[@MovieCaveDave]

I’m in the UK and our ‘average’ houses are hardly ever rectangular, I have had to compromise so much, I have a door at the back left rear, a wall that doesn’t allow me to add side speakers so I got dipoles/bipoles and they are all on the back wall and then the rear surround backs are also on the back wall but higher, and btw this is a lounge only 18’ x 18’ [L] [C] [R] Seating [RSL] [RL] [RR] [RSR] That is the only solution I Had, using Denons Audyssey and some bipole/dipoles, I have managed to get it the best I can for a 7.1 set-up, One day I will have a dedicated room, great video, we do what we can, with what we have. 🙏🏼

[@muju3282]

Nice bro good explan 👌👌👌💯

[@craigmonty]

What about when the seating position is hard up against the back wall in a normal shaped room (say 12' from the screen in a 12' by 16' room)? That seems like it would be extremely common in a lot of households but most setup advice has the seating position more central in the room.

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

yeah scenario we see a lot. Really you just make the most of it. It's not the 'perfect room' or the 'perfect speaker layout' but you use the same suggestions to do the best you can. Rear speakers can still be 60 degrees from the center seat. Atmos speakers can still be 45 degrees off center. If speakers can still go in-wall, they can be around ear level. You'll have some compromises, but the listening experience will still be fun.

[@craigmonty]

​@@SmartHomeBrothers Thanks for the reply. Rear speaker placement is usually where i run into issues as the vicinity of the back wall always plays a part. The end up being closer to 90° than 60° of the centre seat and i worry if they start to lose their "surround effect" in that position.

[@uneCENT]

I can't get a straight answer from any local integrator on whether or not I should go 5.2.4 or 7.2.4. Ive got a 14' wide x 26' length room. Because my room is only 14' wide, should I do 7 floor channels? If so, should I put the rears on the back wall OR in the ceiling behind the atmos speakers? Thanks!

[@davidstein9129]

Where's the close-up shot on the flip chart? I can't read it!

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

That’s a good idea for future videos, thanks!

[@nickcarnevalino7462]

quick question - i have a pair of 8" ceiling speakers (Micca) witch i want to add to my 5.1.2 (up firing klipsch) BUT they have adjustable tweeter cones - do i want to point the cones directly down to the floor?

[@sparklestudios2083]

My basement is 10 feet high, 12 feet wide and about 25 feet long...what would be the best place for the seating ? Should I go for 2 rows or 3 rows ? I am thinking about short throw projector with Klipsch HT 7.2.4 setups.

[@bmbrown9111]

How close is to close when you have in ceiling surrounds with in ceiling atmos speakers?

[@chrishenderson9087]

I have an unfinished basement and I’m just starting to design my basement. What would you say is a perfect to almost perfect home theater size for atmos?

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

Chris & Helen Henderson see a lot of theaters in the 16’ x 20’ range +\-

[@chrishenderson9087]

Thank you, I appreciate it..

[@gregbonomo3382]

Love the video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Quick question. You refer to atmos speakers. I had just purchased the Yamaha aventage Rx A880 receiver, Svsp sub, and 5 focal surrounds, all in ceiling. What do you recommend for the 4 atmos speakers(also will be in ceiling) Would appreciate your feedback

[@TheWizzyWizard]

How about a video explaining how to do Atmos in a small 12x12 room, where the seating area is against the back wall. How would you place the speakers? Is trying to do Atmos even worth it in a room like this?

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

Jo, for sure. Remember Atmos doesn't have to be 11 or 13 speakers, it's not the qty of speakers, but how the sound is engineered in the room. So a 7.1 setup can still be a Atmos surround. 5 Surrounds, and 2 Height or Atmos speakers overhead. The way I look at it, the more speakers a room can comfortably sound, the more I can hear the object of sound like an airplane moving through the room, which makes it feel all the more immersive. But if it's surrounds and two heights, you'll still get that effect just on a smaller scale. If you haven't already, there's a whole series in Tym U on Theater Design, and we cover this in more detail there.

[@TheWizzyWizard]

@@SmartHomeBrothers Thanks for the reply and feedback. I have since purchased 4 SVS elevation speakers. Would you place them on the front and back walls? On the ceiling? or the side walls given my room setup? Thanks again!

[@TheWizzyWizard]

@@SmartHomeBrothers Also, if you could link me to "Tym U on Theater Design", I would appreciate it. Thanks!

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

@@TheWizzyWizard learn.tymhomes.com/tym-u2-letter1627001019161

[@greendonkey2005]

hi, excellent video, very informative. I got 6 connections on ceiling for a 7.1. Planning to make it 5.1.2, using middle 2 as atmos speakers and outer 4 as front/rear speakers. Thinking of bose acoustimas 5.1 with 2 ceiling speakers with a receiver. Does that satisfy dolby atmos?

[@joelane4670]

So your saying I can put my Surroundsound speakers up high towards the ceiling?..Because I’m in pretty much one of those scenarios where I have no room in the back to put them..thanks! Joe

[@Sai-rl8re]

nice review bro i have one doubt as a begginer i dont know which receiver to buy either 5.2 av receiver or 7.2 av receiver. i didnt have much interest in surround sound, i have only interest in music quality, i am confused some times that may 7.2 av receiver have best music quality rather than 5.2 av receiver, so if i want to buy a av receiver only for the music purpose which one would you tell me to buy a 7.2 av receiver or 5.2 av receiver

[@valdeze]

In your opinion, how important are the angles for the atmos ceiling speakers? I want to eventually do a 7.2.4. my room is 13ft by 13ft, with 9ft ceiling. if I follow the recommendations of 35° to 55°, my rear Atmos speakers would only be about 1'6" from my back wall. And my front Atmos speakers would be almost on top of my left and right front speakers. would you recommend I keep it this way, move my ceiling speakers a little bit in towards my king seat, Or maybe go with a 5.2.4? Bonus question: should the height speakers point directly down, or angle towards the King seat.

[@koreymayo8884]

But what if I have 3 rows of seating and I want a 5.2.2 setup? Do I need 3 rows of the 2 surround speakers and 3 rows of the atmos ceiling height speakers?

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

Wouldn't say you 'need' them, but assuming you're averaging close to 7' per platform that's nearly 21' of space for 2 surrounds and 2 atmos to cover. Adding a few surrounds and atoms will definitely help the object of sound move through the room

[@Darthmel450]

What happens when your sofa in close to back wall how do I run my back speakers and atmos

[@shaneallen8464]

What if the couch is against the back wall and your wanting a 5.1.2 setup?

[@GOLDEN4122]

hi.... my room cant have the ceiling speaker installed, so going for the front height and rear height speaker with7.2.4 , will this setup good for atmos ..??

[@carcar5911]

Would it make any difference if I hung 2 bookshelf speakers from ceiling for Dolby atmos instead of flush in ceiling speakers?

[@supremecelo]

I did the same. It's working very well here

[@carcar5911]

@@supremecelo should they be right above your head pointing down or slightly in front of you pointing towards you?

[@bryanjohnson2118]

I am just now checking into this. Should I buy in wall speakers or stick to those I can set up to hang from ceiling

[@carcar5911]

I have the same question. Did you find an answer?

[@USMC-ce2ek]

Thank you for this! We have a new construction room 23X24 with 10' vaulted ceilings. what would you suggest for ceiling speakers and placement? We like Klipsch

[@ericpham8205]

Would six in circle and top and floor would be better total 8 be amazing

[@atilask02]

What do you think about a 5.1 with the 5 speakers on the ceilling? Does it feel weird about The sound coming from the top? Or ir can be corrected with the angel of the speakers?

[@douglaspiress]

Hi, first of all love your videos they work as inspiration for my project. Was wondering if you could maybe help me out. I am currently working on my man cave. It will be a nice large area. I’ve been searching online for the best “affordable” home theater systems and pretty much all websites points to klipsch. I am considering buying their r-625fa 7.2.4 system (around $ 4k). Do you anything about them? About this brand? Would this be a good option for my price range? If not, what other brand would you recommend. I will much appreciate if you

[@pogoprofilms]

So I'm in a similar situation to the last two examples. There's a closet in the back/side of my little theater room that prohibits me from putting the surrounds for a 5.1 setup at 90 degrees. It would probably be more like 80 degrees. Will this work do you think? Or should I put directional speakers in the ceiling behind at more of a 110 degree angle? It's an 8 foot ceiling.

[@juandoe7802]

What is a rough estimate to install 4 ceiling speakers in a living room setting and run the wires to an amp?

[@micahwhite6903]

Do you have a preferred brand of equipment the utilizes Atmos?

[@jackryder6732]

How do I send you an email with pictures for help. Thank you sir

[@harrisdharmawan5965]

Hi, how to set up 5.1.2 in a square room? 5x5meters (16x16ft) ? Any advise? Is it possible to maximise Dolby atmos?

[@cornpop8570]

How much does this cost?

[@lovishthecoverking]

sir i dnt have space behind back wall or my sofa....want to do 5.1.4 can i mount rear cieling right in line with surrounds overhead or lil behind my sofa??

[@ericpham8205]

It could be used to drive gravity, emf and sound to do greatest thing

[@DCUPtoejuice]

absolutely amazing presentation. I want to work for you I live in New Jersey.

[@acelakid94]

Speaking of less than ideal setups. Many people advise against putting a 7.1 setup in a room that’s “too small” (9’x11’ for me specifically), but I did that and it sounds pretty good to me. Movies that I watch sound very similar to when I watched them in the commercial theater. I sit 3.5’ from the back wall, do you think I can try a 7.1.4 atmos setup?

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

You might start with a 7.1.2 at first. Put the speakers in front of you, see how you like it. You definitely can try a 7.1.4, where the rear atmos will be so close to the rear surround speakers, you may not notice that big of an effect.

[@elbrujomaya]

No spend in atmos expensive receiver. Just place the rear speakers in the ceiling believe is the same effect, special raining effects.

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

if that's best for the budget, totally fine, but definitely not the same thing. Atmos surround engineering is 'object based' it's absolutely different from traditional surround. likewise, a Atmos receiver, and non atoms receiver will produce two very different sounds, that are executed completely different. Again, no problem here with making a budget decision to pass on Atmos, but think it's important to be clear, they are two very different things.

[@tazoriginal]

What speakers were used on the last example?

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

Taz we used Paraigm ci elite speakers, and the angled ones for the surrounds

[@gregmendez6938]

Thanks for this video! I have the very same situation in my home theater room as the example you give at the 9:40 mark, where I have no back wall (for over 30') and I am not able to mount my side surrounds at or near ear level, as they are both obstructed by doors. The room is about 12' wide, by the way. Instead, I have Klipsch CDT-5800II in-ceilings pointed at the cash seat for my rear surrounds and Klipsch RP-500SA side surrounds, mounted just above the door frames (as low as I could mount them) at 90 degrees to the cash position. I must say, the setup sounds good. Far from perfect, but I am happy with it. I want to augment the setup with 2 or 4 CDT-5800II in-ceiling speakers for ATMOS channel, but am unsure which. Any advice there?

[@gregmendez6938]

None?

[@tabularasa820]

In a few years someone is going to un-ironically say: “I’m working on my 13.8.8.8 set up. 13 ear level speakers, 8 subwoofers, 8 ceiling level speakers, 8 in-floor speakers. The new in-floors add the sound of flying over objects or bullets bouncing off the ground.”

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

would be pretty cool

[@nickcarnevalino7462]

hehe upward firing subs mounted to the ceiling on the floor below

[@atanner4]

Where would you put the Atmos speakers in a 7.1.2? You only went over a 7.1.4.

[@rindershow212]

You would put the two Dolby speakers in the front above the front speakers.

[@tech4life884]

All Dolby Atmos does is manipulate the volume and placement of where the audio is coming from on the speaker itself. Just volume manipulation.

[@argon5685]

Hey do you know you look like the actor from a movie. His name his Channing Tatum. You really look like him

[@allenbillings3207]

Can you go over side surrounds for two rows of seating

[@AlejandroRodriguez-pn2ci]

So how many channels av receiver do I need for a 9.2.2 system?

[@SmartHomeBrothers]

Alejandro Rodriguez 11.1 receiver

[@alexanderscott3790]

As a seasoned audio/ht guy myself , im never really caring so much about Atmos! Im, first,, most concerned about the biggest, high quality, hi-res projected picture i can fit in a given space! Second, i want a high quality front L/C/R setup , integrated with proper subwoofer needs. 3rd, 2 maybe 4 properly placed and dialed in surrounds. 4th, effectively treat the acoustical environment. 5th, decor, and lastly, MAAAYBE subtle ButtKicker type seat or floor shaker integration. Having 187 channels of FILLER loudspeakers placed all around the room isn't ao important to my enjoyment of the system, personally! I feel quality over quantity , n careful balance n care in maximizing the main elements is of most importance, for me. Of course my other pet peave is that most people can't even properly place 2 loudspeakers in a room correctly! Now they're trying to haphazardly put 16 channels in m exist EA speaker position is going to yield quality sound reproduction??! Usually NOT! Less is definitely more here. I think. But hey...

[@Jimmy7aidar]

Hello if I have huge space and I only use 5.1.2, is it possible to put speakers close to me instead of the screen?

[@rindershow212]

Which speakers are you referring to ?

[@Jimmy7aidar]

@@rindershow212 I got Onkyo 5.1.2 speakers and I got a little bit big room that fit 7.2 but I cannot get one, so is there a way I can use only my 5.2.1 on a big room? like getting the front speaker close to me instead of the screen?

[@rindershow212]

@@Jimmy7aidar ok there are many things here that can be done. But what is the reason why you cant get a 7.1.2? As far as bringing your fronts closer to you I wouldn't do that becuz you want the front sound stage(FL center FR) to correspond with the visual (video) . But what you can do instead of bringing your front speakers closer is to bring everything from the back closer to the front. And another thing is that if you have powerful enough speakers and two powerful subwoofers then you dont have to move anything becuz you will get good sound pressure from the good speakers and two subwoofers. I dont know what kind of speakers you have or the specifications of your onkyo. But if you can email me a pictures of your setup then it will give me an idea of how big the room is and how to configure.

[@rindershow212]

@@Jimmy7aidar Well if you already have the 5 channel onkyo then no need to by a new one. And also as for the two back channels in the 7.1 you are not really missing much. 7.1 is nice as you will hear certain sounds from behind but if you dont have it now then you are ok until you can upgrade. . Now for you to make the sound fill your room...the 5.2 is ok for now. How many subwoofers do you have? 2 I hope as it will fill out the room better. Your room size is good enough for what you have. You just need more volume and 2 subs and you will be good. I just looked at the specs of your onkyo and technically it's also a 7.1 if you use the surround back/ height terminals in the back of the receiver. But you will need an external amplifier to power it. I'm not sure how techy you are when it comes to doing this. Your system came with one subwoofer so I would suggest you buy another subwoofer and pair it with what you have. Then go into the receiver menu and set all the speakers to "small" .this will allow your subs to handle all the bass!! So my suggestion to you at this point. Is to get another subwoofer and tweak some of the settings in the receiver menu for example raise the dB levels of the speakers, set the crossover to 80hz e.t.c and you will be blown away. Is your room opened or sealed? Opened rooms tend to lose sound pressure because of the opened space.

[@LeonBlack666]

You gotta work with what you have, if those purists hate those designs, they should try and design the theatre better and make the client happy then

[@marquiniopinio]

ok so step1, get rid of your 50m2 apartment and get a bigger one.

[@jpweek5885]

I'm going to say this really slowly and I'll say it only once..... so listen.... they....still.....just....manipulate....volume (and...mayb....eq....and ...delay)... ..on....the.....speakers...theres...just....more....speakers..... A....dinosaur...does....not.....actually....run....across...your....living.....room - there....are....health .....and.....safety....concerns.....associated.....with.....that.....and.....also....terrorism....if...it's....a ...muslim....dinosaur.. Jeez

[@TomBartol]

You don't know what are talking...

[@poopsmcgee7901]

bro, sunscreen.

[@ABSOLICE]

I watched a few of your videos, the home theater information is consistently of high quality. You have shared some great tips I hope to apply in my own build, and actually it seems I might need professional help to get this done properly. Thank you! please keep making videos. Also the illustrations help but your freehand drawings are pretty bad, lol.