Set up surround speakers: how it works

Setting up surround speakers is not rocket science. Depending on the audio material you use or the playback format you use, the recommended placement of the speakers differs. We show you the typical list of the most common audio systems from quadrophony to Dolby Surround to the 5.1 arrangement of Dolby Digital and DTS.

The principle of surround systems

Many companies have established surround systems. Dolby and DTS are probably the best known, SDDS from Sony is a little less common. The placement of the loudspeakers is standardized so that the sound engineer and the sound recipient have the same listening experience. Many providers follow the recommendations of the International Telecommunication Union to create compatibility with other systems. We will present the typical audio systems that you can currently find in the cinema and home theater in a few keywords. The exact placement of the speakers can be found in the picture gallery. The 22.2 system of the NHK as well as higher-order ambisonics systems and wave field synthesis are still a dream of the future for your home user.

1. Many surround systems are based on the stereo triangle of the 1950s: they form an equilateral triangle with two speakers.
2. This means that two loudspeakers are at a distance of approximately 2 m, 30 ° to the left and right of the direction of view of the listener.
3. All other speakers are placed at the same distance from the listener, so that they are arranged on a circular line.
4. The position in the middle is called the "sweet spot". The audio material is optimized for this listening position. The sound in front of and behind it is still ok, but the more you stand to the side of the sweet spot, the less precise the localization and spatial impression become.
5. The "speaker base" is the connection line between the two speakers in the stereo triangle.
6. Many surround configurations can be found in the ITU-R BS.775-3 recommendation of the International Telecommunication Union.
7. The usual spelling of the loudspeaker arrangement is the number of front loudspeakers and behind it, separated by a dash, the number of rear loudspeakers. If an additional subwoofer is used from the front, it is separated by a dot.
8. "3 / 2.1" means that there are three broadband speakers in front of and two behind the listener. A subwoofer is placed near the speaker base. The 5.1 lineup known from Dolby Digital is, for example, a 3 / 2.1 system.
9. The best spatial principles, such as higher order ambisonics and wave field synthesis, on the other hand, do not have a standardized loudspeaker layout. A high number and a homogeneous distance between the speakers are optimal here.

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With Mono plus Mono Surround (1/1) one speaker is set up at 0 ° and one at ± 110 °. The two mono surround speakers are fed with the same signal. Therefore it is not called "1/2".

Either the Scheibner array is used for the quadrophony of the 1970s. Here the speakers are at ± 45 ° and ± 135 °. So it's a 2/2 lineup.

Or the Dynaquad arrangement is used. Here the speakers are at 0 °, ± 90 ° and 180 °. Both quadrophony arrangements are basically the same, you just have to turn 45 °.

In the so-called "LCRS-Surround" (3/1), in addition to the stereo setup with speakers at ± 30 °, there is also one speaker at 0 ° and one at 180 °. This lineup is occasionally used for Dolby Surround material.

In the 2 + 2 speaker system (2/2), also called "two-channel stereo plus 2 surround", the stereo triangle is expanded by two rear speakers at ± 110 °.

A similar speaker layout has been used for Dolby Surround (3/1) since 1975: The stereo triangle is supplemented by a center speaker at 0 °. Exceptionally, two surround speakers are not placed at the same distance, but 60 to 100 cm behind the sweet spot, slightly above the head. They only emit frequencies from 100 Hz to 7 kHz, are fed with the same signal and should not be aimed at the sweet spot.

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The most common speaker configuration is the 5.1 configuration (3 / 2.1 according to ITU-R BS.775-3), which can be found at [[//praxistipps.chip.de/dolby-digital-oder-dts-welches-audioformat- sounds-better_44871 | Doby Digital, DTS-5.1]] is used. Speakers are at 0 °, ± 30 ° and ± 100 ° to 120 °. Place an additional subwoofer near the loudspeaker base.

In the 6.1 setup (3 / 3.1), expand the 5.1 arrangement by a loudspeaker at 180 °. The 6.1 system is used by Dolby Digital EX and [[//praxistipps.chip.de/was-ist-dts-einfach-erklaert_41389|DTS-ES]].

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If you add a loudspeaker at ± 70 ° to the classic 5.1 setup, this results in the 7.1 setup (3 / 4.1). The two additional speakers are therefore considered to be surround speakers. Dolby Pro Logic IIx builds on the 7.1 lineup.

Another 7.1 setup (5 / 2.1) is recommended for Sony SDDS sound. Here the speakers are at 0 °, ± 22.5 °, ± 45 ° and ± 135 °. The localization of phantom sound sources in the front works over a significantly larger area and the localization behind the listener is also improved compared to 5.1 and the 3 / 4.1 arrangement.