Flat Panel TV Speakers and Subwoofers
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A great way to enhance your television and movie viewing experience with flat screen TVs is to invest in stereo sound. Whether you own a plasma television, an LCD screen, or any other type of flat panel TV, this article will help you set up sound for your flat panel television.
Speaker Basics
Speakers produce different sounds from different audio channels, depending on the type of sound system. You will need at least two speakers to project and combine sounds in front of the listener, achieving a stereophonic effect. For an even better experience with surround sound, you will have to buy more speakers and place them in appropriate spots around the room.
Home Theater and Surround Sound
Achieving a home theater with your flat panel and sound system calls for at least four speakers and one subwoofer — adding up to a 4.1 audio system. Speaker types you will need for your home theater system include: Center Channel Speakers, Front Speakers, Surround Speakers, Rear Surround Speakers, and Subwoofers.
To achieve surround sound, you can choose from the following setups:
- 4.0 Surround - left, right, surround left, surround right
- 4.1 Surround - left, right, surround left, surround right, subwoofer
- 5.1 Surround - left, right, center, surround left, surround right, subwoofer
- 6.1 Surround - left, right, center, surround left, surround right, subwoofer, rear surround
- 7.1 Surround - left, right, center, surround left, surround right, subwoofer, 2 rear surrounds
Setting Up Your Speakers
Did you know that there are different sound system layouts for different viewing (or listening) purposes?
For Movie Surround: Place the front speakers at the edges of your flat screen, facing the center of the listening area. The central speaker must be found either over or under the flat screen TV. For rear channel speakers, keep them as high up as possible on side walls, slightly behind your listening area and in a dipole fashion.
For Music Surround: Your speakers must surround your listening area in a circle, with all components equidistant from its center.
Does your viewing or listening room seem too small to stuff all these types of speakers in? You can purchase speakers that can be installed into your walls and/or ceilings. Surround speakers can be placed in shelves (hence the term bookshelf speakers), or stand by themselves on the floor, depending on your taste.
If you can help it, match the speaker brands when buying for your flat panel TV. Buying speakers that are bundled together are almost always more convenient in terms of cost and setup.
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