Where, O Where?

Once the style of the system is decided, it is time to consider the placement of the components in the room. First, is there more than one way for your furniture to be placed in the room? Then, assuming the furniture is in place, visualize your speakers and components where you think you want them. It may be that space is limited, which would mean that you need smaller, more compact speakers. Or, you may have other considerations, like traffic flow, and room use, that requires you to set the room a certain way.

Room With A View

The room for the placement is important because the style of the system should match the style of the room. If your placement is in a more formal room, the style of the components might be more contemporary or modern, with smaller size speakers that are less conspicuous. You may choose a more European style with metal finishing as an example.

The more informal setting of the average family room may allow for traditional tower speakers and additional surround sound speakers. And, the basic black cabinets would probably fit here better than in the formal living room. And, it is possible that the overall volume of sound may be more acceptably loud in the informal nature of your family room. Therefore, larger, more powerful speakers could be used. Video games and the like are more fun at higher volume levels, even if the parents are reluctant to let that happen.

The basic rule for speaker placement is to get juxtaposed, not complete overlap, between sound zones. For the best surround sound effect, you do need to place speakers some distance apart, and try to get some directional isolation of each speaker output. You want to achieve enough separation to enjoy the sound effects that TV shows and movies design for home theater use.