Home Theater Speakers
How Many Speakers Do You Need?Audio information on commercially available video DVD's is typically available in a digital multichannel format such as Dolby Digital/AC3 or DTS, also known as "5.1 Surround Sound".So what does this 5.1 stuff mean? Dolby Laboratories and Digital Theater Systems (DTS) are companies developing and licensing the major surround sound formats. You need a Dolby/DTS decoder and a multichannel amplifier to take advantage of surround sound. Some DVD players already integrate a surround decoder and provide multichannel outputs but separate A/V (Audio Video) amplifiers are best suited for this job and can be had for less than $500. 5.x generally represents the number of fullrange channels (1 channel = 1 speaker), in this case 5. You essentially need two front channels (these could be your stereo speakers) and a pair of rear channel speakers. If you plan to watch your favorite movies with other viewers and you cannot be seated in the perfect "sweet spot" between your front speakers, you may need to add a center channel. Recently, some fancier 6.x/7.x surround sound schemes have emerged that suggest another pair of rear surround channels and/or a rear center. You get the picture. However, I recommend sticking with 5.x for now unless you seriously plan to congest your living-room with speakers. As a DIYer you're flexible to build additional channels (speakers) later. Finally, what does the x.1 in 5.1 stand for? It's simply a dedicated subwoofer channel for low frequencies from 20Hz - 120Hz. Home-theater gurus also refer to it as the LFE (Low Frequency Extension) channel. So for a full 5.1 surround sound experience you need to build:
Since you may already have a pair of stereo speakers, you'd basically need three additional home theater speakers and an active subwoofer. Smart Building TipsAt this point you might feel tempted to throw in a few cheap surround speakers and be done with your home theater speaker setup. Don't! It's a common misbelief that surround channels are merely reproducing effects. Far from it! Surround and center channels should be of the same high quality as your main front speakers. Remember with DD/AC3 and DTS we're talking fullrange audio channels. Sound characteristics of all speakers involved should therefore match. Imagine a voice transitioning from front to rear speakers. You would immediately notice even small differences if different speakers were used. I understand however that you're unlikely to dispose your (possibly existing) main speakers, especially if they are not a DIY design or the result of a previous project. At the very least I'd try to find matching DIY loudspeakers. If you have the possibility to audition them before a purchase, go for it. I recommend bookshelf speakers or floorstanding speaker kits for front and/orsurround/center channels. You might want to build floorstanders for front andhave bookshelfs serve as surround channels - it's your choice. You could alsogo with an all-bookshelf "satellite" speaker system if space becomes a problem. If you're a hardcore audiophile, you probably want the best quality loudspeakeras dedicated front channels. Links and How-to GuidesOn a tight budget? How do I...? Hooking it up
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