Hey all, just bought a house and it's is pre wired for surround sound. There are 6 speakers locations, 3 in the front and 3 in the back of the living room. I'm a noob to all things like surround sound. What kind of system do the wires suggest I should get? 6.1? 5.1? I don't want to leave any wires exposed or just cover them up. I want to use what's provided since it seems pretty convenient. Any suggestions on system would be great. Price point would be entry to middle tier, not looking for high end at the moment.
Solution
Where are the wires coming out in referece to where the TV and couch could be.
If front speakers are right by where the TV is then it is likley setup for 5.1 (there is no such things as 6.1 for movie home theater setup).
If front speakers are not right by tv but a little closer to couch area then it could be for 7.1 or 5.1.2 (the .2 is for dolby atmos for celing speakers)
As far as 3 in the rear that is kind of weird, is one the cables a coax/rca cable as that would be for a sub
If front speakers are right by where the TV is then it is likley setup for 5.1 (there is no such things as 6.1 for movie home theater setup).
If front speakers are not right by tv but a little closer to couch area then it could be for 7.1 or 5.1.2 (the .2 is for dolby atmos for celing speakers)
As far as 3 in the rear that is kind of weird, is one the cables a coax/rca cable as that would be for a sub
why_wolf
Estimable
- Aug 28, 2015
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That sounds like a 6.1 arrangement. Though you can always just not use the center back location and do a classic 5.1 setup instead.
Frankly most surround sound is either 5.1 or 7.1, they kind of skipped over 6.1. It won't break anything to do a 6.1 setup. You can of course always do a 5.1 setup and add that 6th speaker later, so long as your A/V can handle a 6.1 setup. Just note that since 6.1 was skipped over that means your options are really 5.1 or 7.1 A/V receivers. 5.1 can never go higher than 5 speakers but 7.1 can do 7 or less speakers.
Just a side note you do not want to buy a system in a box (something that comes with the receiver and all the speakers in one package) I can guarantee you to almost 100% certainty that they will not let you use the prewirred connections your house has. They also are generally the worst quality.
So you'll need to buy your parts separately; receiver,4 speakers, 1 center speaker and a bass if you want. My suggestion is if you don't want to spend a bunch of money right now then get a good received $250-500 and just 2 left/right speakers ($100-200 ea) for a simple 2.0 setup. Will still be worlds better than whatever sound you TV can put out on its own. Then you can just add more speakers over time as you feel like it.
I don't have a recommendation for a receiver. But I do like the speakers Polk audio makes, their prices are decent too.
Oh also be 100% about those speaker wires. Most just use copper wire that you twist around the connection pole. But some brands use these plugs that are custom to their brand only.
Frankly most surround sound is either 5.1 or 7.1, they kind of skipped over 6.1. It won't break anything to do a 6.1 setup. You can of course always do a 5.1 setup and add that 6th speaker later, so long as your A/V can handle a 6.1 setup. Just note that since 6.1 was skipped over that means your options are really 5.1 or 7.1 A/V receivers. 5.1 can never go higher than 5 speakers but 7.1 can do 7 or less speakers.
Just a side note you do not want to buy a system in a box (something that comes with the receiver and all the speakers in one package) I can guarantee you to almost 100% certainty that they will not let you use the prewirred connections your house has. They also are generally the worst quality.
So you'll need to buy your parts separately; receiver,4 speakers, 1 center speaker and a bass if you want. My suggestion is if you don't want to spend a bunch of money right now then get a good received $250-500 and just 2 left/right speakers ($100-200 ea) for a simple 2.0 setup. Will still be worlds better than whatever sound you TV can put out on its own. Then you can just add more speakers over time as you feel like it.
I don't have a recommendation for a receiver. But I do like the speakers Polk audio makes, their prices are decent too.
Oh also be 100% about those speaker wires. Most just use copper wire that you twist around the connection pole. But some brands use these plugs that are custom to their brand only.
Just an update to questions..the room is large and square-ish. The 3 front speakers are about 9-10 high on Wall where the tv is. The rear 3 are on another wall roughly same height I the back of the room. All wires look to be for speakers because I doubt anyone would want a sub 10 feet off the ground above their heads lol..wish I could post pics
why_wolf
Estimable
- Aug 28, 2015
- 221
- 10
- 5,110
It really sounds like a 6.1 setup. I guess the previous owner jumped the gun and didn't wait for 7.1 to come out. https
/www.todayshomeowner.com/images/article/6-1-speaker-setup.gif
/www.todayshomeowner.com/images/article/6-1-speaker-setup.gif
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