DIY Surround Sound System
The idea of whether or not to install your surround sound audio system yourself has come to your mind and maybe against all common sense advice it has landed on deaf ears or maybe you have stubbornly decided to address this DIY home installation project by yourself.
Good for you! you go! You start by watching a DIY speaker calibration video on Youtube. Then decide to explore your sizzling home attic just to find out that it looks more like an alien planet with all the structured cabling that you do not know what it does.
It Is Not Rocket Science But It Is Hard to Professionally Install a Home Theater System
Then, the horrible picture of the lower part of your body hanging from the ceiling crosses your mind and you maybe realize that it is going to take a lot more than what you originally thought to properly install the home theater system.
You re-evaluate the idea of hiring a home theater professional installer but still push ahead and tell yourself this is not rocket science, anyone can do it, it is just cables, an audio and video receiver and some speakers, and a subwoofer.
A Home Theater Installation Company Can Install The Speakers, Cables, and Audio Receiver for You
Where to really start this home theater project clouds your mind. Then once again, a second thought about the idea of maybe the smart decision is to reconsider all the hard work needed, all the tools necessary to get it done right, all the technical aspects to evaluate when installing the speakers and the receiver so maybe then you search online for reliable and professional home theater installation service by a reputable company that can install your speakers, speaker cabling and your audio and video receiver.
Then at that moment, you realize that the sales guy at the home theater store possibly made you purchase a home theater audio system that may be too advanced, technologically speaking, than what you initially thought and it may be an impossible task to install it.
Do It Yourself
Protect the furniture
Then you finally make up your mind and decide you can do it. You start by actually pre-ing the work area to protect your furniture from any accidents and moving all the heavy furniture out of the way before beginning the actual installation process.
Read The User’s Manual
Then you open the user’s manual for more specific clues that likely came along with the home theater audio system package you purchased and 200 pages later after trying to read the instructions in Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Korean you finally land on the pages that are in English.
Speaker Installation
Place The Speakers Correctly
We highly advise when installing an audio system is to keep in mind that with a surround sound audio system or a surround system installation, nothing at all is going to work if the folks seating in the room do not get that immersive feeling an audio system delivers by locating the speakers correctly which varies depending of the room layout.
Install The Speaker Cables Inside The Wall
After several hours stuck in the attic breathing in all that insulation (and wondering if you are scratching more than your pooch since the fiberglass is all over your neck and arms). You manage to safely install all the speaker cables inside the wall without breaking a water pipe, burning the house, or cutting the Romex cables (power cables) and or the alarm cables for the alarm system. Now are ready to connect the audio and video receiver. But wait there’s more! how do I install my in-ceiling in-wall speakers you ask yourself.
In-wall and On-wall Speaker Installation
You proceed to make several more trips to the attic, then you realize the speakers need to be perfectly aligned and symmetry is important for optimal audio performance. You start by measuring the room and then continue by measuring the ceiling from some reference points that you think may work. Then, after a little prayer, you end up with a ceiling that now has a few extra speaker holes that make it looks more like swiss cheese as you tell yourself “Everything is okay because you finally installed the speakers” (as you now you realized you now are gonna have to call a painter who is gonna have to fix the holes, re-texture and repaint the entire ceiling. Now you finally move to connect the audio and video receiver while you clean all that drywall dust and insulation from your eyes.
AV Receiver Installation
Placement of The AV receiver
You may start by placing the audio and video receiver in the entertainment center or in the AV rack. Then you realize that somehow now you need to run the oxygen-free speaker cables inside the wall.
The Back of The AV Receiver
You start by quickly visually inspecting the back of the audio-video receiver. You tell yourself “what happened to the IN and OUT inputs” You proceed by wondering “What’s with RS232, ARC, HDMI, Assignable, Monitor, and all these colorful RCA ports?” then you say “Where are my connections for my white, red and yellow cables?” “Was I supposed to run an internet line to this receiver? should I call my internet service provider since this needs to be connected to the internet?”
Where Do I Connect the Speakers?
Then you try to connect your speaker cables to the speaker ports but you are not sure which cable goes where and why you have more speaker posts than the number of speaker lines.
5.1 Surround Sound Receiver?
Once you have the amplifier connected you begin connecting the speakers. If you went with the standard 5.1 home theater stereo system the receiver should have 6 speaker ports consisting of 2 front speakers, 2 rear speakers, 1 center speaker, and 1 subwoofer.
Positioning 5.1 Speaker System
A 5.1 receiver is a decent entry-level audio receiver. You begin searching for all the guidelines for the positioning of the 6 speakers for a 5.1 sound system as well as possibly those instructions to expand the secondary zone later.
5.1 Speakers and The Space Between the Rear and Front Speakers?
It is important to keep in mind that with a 5.1 AV receiver, you want to have enough separation between the rear speakers as well as the front speakers to let the audio waves expand. And remember that the front speaker goes where the screen is and the rear speakers or surround speakers go in the back of the room.
7.1 Audio System?
If the receiver you bought allows you to install an additional speaker and you are at that point. Think about upgrading from a 5.1 to a 7.1 surround sound system or maybe use the audio and video receiver as a 5.1.2 Atmos system. If you decide to go for a 7.1 system then you will need to additionally install the 2 middle speakers in the middle of the room to obtain that extra layer of audio delivered by those to additional channels of audio.
Zone 2?
Guess what! maybe the salesperson at the home theater store sold you a receiver that had an additional zone since you mentioned you may add an extra audio zone when you were are done mastering and installing your home audio system and he simply could not pass the extra commission and the pat on the back from the store manager by up-selling you the most expensive receiver in the store.
AVR with All The Whistles?
Particularly since you are a rookie, you thought you were saving money by installing it yourself and especially since this is your very first audio system. You went ahead and purchased a super-advanced AV receiver that comes with Atmos and Bluetooth capabilities, WiFi, online apps to connect to Spotify, Pandora, and XM Internet radio plus all the whistles.
The Audio and Video Receiver Comes with Several Ports
Then you realize that the AVR has a lot of ports! yes, a lot! and now wonder if you are using the correct slots. Fortunately, a lot of devices have the ‘slots’ properly tagged depending on the different functions they provide.
TV Installed On The Wall or Projection System with My Audio System?
The positioning of the speakers is crucial and depends on the room layout, placement of the projection screen is important when installing an audio system and applicable if the audio system will be integrated with a video system. Do you not what a video system is? basic installation of a video system can be a projection screen or television. One of our main specialties is providing the best TV installation service all over Houston. While these really are not excessively complex installations you will be blown away by the number of people who do not know if they want to have their sound system integrated with a television mounted on a wall using a low profile tv mount or a projector screen with a projector.
Spending Money on an Audio System
If you are making the investment in an audio system and then think a DIY surround sound audio system is for you and a DIY project for the weekend is suitable for you. Then, please put in the time to read the user’s manual, protect your furniture, place the speakers correctly, install the speaker cables inside the wall, learn how to connect the av components that need to be connected to the audio and video receiver, understand the basic differences between a 5.1 or a 7.1 system, know if you would like to integrate a video system with your audio system and try to spend the money wisely to get your money’s worth from your investment. Now you can kick back, relax and appreciate your brand-new surround sound system.
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