How to Place a Wireless Speaker System for Incredible Sound

Posted by Ellen on April 9th, 2018

If you’re reading this article, you already know that a wireless speaker system is turning the speaker world upside down—an apex predator in the speaker game, and they’re just getting better and better.

First and foremost, wired speakers have a tendency to get in the way. They prevent us from placing speakers where we want them to be, can clash with décor, force us to come up with ingenious ways of hiding them, and can be the cause of extra heartache if you accidentally trip over them. Nope, no thank you — wireless speakers for me.

That being said, let’s get to the good stuff.

How to Place a Wireless Speaker System for Incredible, Wonderful, and All-Around Good Sound

A wireless speaker system works best when it’s placed in a surround sound setup that mimics a theater experience for movies and a concert one for music. Dealing with surround sound first and then the setup, get your notebook out and start taking notes.

Music and Surround Sound Benefits

If you’re an audiophile wo loves music, wireless speakers give you all the good stuff inherent in music, providing a concert experience without the hassle of rowdy people, mosh pits, and spilled beer from that one guy who can’t seem to keep it in the glass. Best of all, when you use a wireless speaker system like HEOS by Denon, which support high resolution audio, you hear music as it’s meant to be heard as if you’re hanging with the band in the recording studio.

For cinephiles, wireless speakers provide a great way to achieve surround sound that offers theater quality sound from the comfort of your living room. This means that you’ll actually hear a car behind, next, and then ahead of you as it speeds by, and the creepy character’s breathing that makes the hair on your neck stand up as he sneaks up behind the secondary character who (sadly) won’t make it to the end.

A Few Words About Surround Sound Speakers

Now that you’re craving surround sound, here’s what you need to know about the actual speakers. First, surround sound speakers come in a variety of forms, such as 3.1, 5.1, 7.1 and 9.1. As the most common setup is 5.1, let’s cover what it entails:

• A Center speaker located above or below the television: this provides the dialogue and soundtrack
• Left and right front channels in front of you (the listener): these provide sound effects and the musical score
• Rear left and right channels behind you: these provide additional sound effects for the atmosphere and ambiance
• A Subwoofer near the television: this adds the extra 0.1 sound and provides bass you feel deep in your bones.

Combine all of these and you get 5.1 surround sound. When you take away the rear left and right channels, you get 3.1 sound, and when you add two or four additional speakers, you arrive at 7.1 and 9.1 surround sound. 9.1 is obviously the best, but it will be considerably more expensive, so don’t stress if you can only get 5.1 — this is definitely more than enough.

The Actual Setup

Image Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/137896/how-to-place-your-speakers-to-maximize-your-home-theater-experience/

You’ve been waiting for it, so here it is: how to set up your wireless speaker system for incredible sound. Feel free to refer to the image above, but here it is in text form in case you’re currently in the midst of directing someone to place them in your living room:

• The center speaker can go directly in front of you
• The left front speaker goes 30° to your left and next to the television
• The right front speaker goes 30° to your right and next to the television
• If you have a wireless soundbar that combines a center speaker with left and right channels, feel free to mount it or place it below the television
• The left rear speaker goes 110° behind you and to your left
• The right rear speaker goes 110° behind you and to your right
• The subwoofer goes next to your television and can be placed either 22° to your left or 22° to your right

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get surround sound in your very own living room!

Go Get Yourself a Wireless Speaker System!

We’ve reached the end and there’s only one thing left to say (strategically placed as this section’s heading): Go get yourself a speaker system and make it of the wireless variety.

Enjoy!