Setting up a cheap surround sound system may not sound like a lot of work, but in reality there’s a lot of planning and thought that needs to go into the process, before you even buy the cheap surround sound system itself. After you’ve read this article, you’ll know how to set up a cheap surround sound system, including all the planning and thought that goes into the process.
Before you buy cheap surround sound, you need to figure out WHAT exactly you need. Like we discussed in the “Bad alternatives to surround sound” article, you can’t just buy two speakers and call it surround sound. You need a 5.1 system at the the very least, which consists of the 6 following speakers: Front left, front right, center, back left, and back right. There is also a subwoofer that makes up for the .1 in the name.
Start by measuring the room that you will be putting the system in. Where are the speakers going to go? Are you going to need shelves to put them on? Consider the height of each speaker and shelf and different ways you can arrange them around the room. The “satellite” speakers (back left, back right) don’t need to be on the other side of the room! They could just be on opposite walls closer to the middle. Also consider if you will be buying a wired or wireless system. Wireless systems connect the speakers via bluetooth, but a wired system will require you to actually run wire around the room. If you’re going wired, think: Where will you run the wire? How many feet of wire will you need? How will you conceal and hide the wire for both visual appeal and wear and tear purposes?
Then consider the decor of the room. What color speakers will best match the room? What size will fit the corners of the room where you will be putting left and right speakers? Make sure you know what you’re looking for.
Then you can actually go looking for cheap surround sound. You don’t need anything too expensive, but don’t cheat and buy something that isn’t truly surround sound either. You want all the 5.1 system, also without sacrificing quality. It is definitely possible, and we’ll talk about what to buy in a later post. For now, just know that you need the real thing, with measurements and designs to match your room and decor.
Then when you finally get the products, look through the boxes and make sure everything is there. That last thing that you want to do is totally install your system only to find out that there are parts missing and you need to repackage everything and return it, or order replacement parts. Always read the customer reviews on Amazon.com to make sure the products aren’t scams and that they actually work, and double check all sorts of Guarantees and Warrenties.
Then you can go ahead and set up your cheap surround sound system. If it’s a wired system, this will involve a lot more work and we’ll need to cover that in another post. However, if it’s wireless, then it will be as easy as just putting the speakers around the room and setting up the central system. Then you’ll be able to enjoy music and movies where the sound is actually placed where it’s coming from. The experience is incredible. This is one more reason you may want to consider a wireless system. There are indeed wireless solutions for cheap surround sound.
That’s all there is to setting up a cheap surround sound system. To summarize, you need to : 1. Check and measure the room for speaker measurements, 2. decide wired or wireless, 3. if wired, figure out how much wire you need, 4. check around for appropriate products, 5. check the boxes for missing parts, and 6. setup the system! Enjoy your cheap surround sound!