Are you planning to set up an awesome home theater system but facing tight space constraints in your room? Or maybe you are lacking the funds to complete the surround sound system that you really want? Don’t be disheartened, there is a way to solve this and without the need to compromise the sound quality. As you can always go for a 3.1 home theater setup.
You can still enjoy watching your favorite movies and TV shows right at the comfort of your own home, it can still be immersive and exhilarating even though is a 3.1 HT setup and not your usual 5.1/5.2 HT system. You must be wondering what kind of setup is this? No worries, I am here to provide you with the information and benefits of this 3.1 channel home surround sound system.
Table of Contents
What is a 3.1 home theater setup?
A 3.1 home theater system consists of the front main speakers and a subwoofer. The front mains are the center, left, and right speakers. The center channel speaker is mainly used for dialogue, as it improves voice clarity when watching a movie. Without the center channel, the voice and the dialogues are softer and not as clear which usually you’ll need to turn up the volume to improve the situation.
More Details at Amazon – Klipsch R-52C Center Channel Speaker – Black
The left and right main speakers will mainly focus on the sound effects and music of the movie, television shows, etc. They will also reproduce voice and dialogues but more of a supporting role in this area. In a 3.1 setup, your AVR will recognize that there are missing rear surround speakers and will send the surround channel information to your main speakers instead.
The role of a subwoofer is to supplement the bass of your 3.1 home theater system, to reproduce a low-frequency range that most speakers are unable to reach. They are efficient with what they do, providing you with the body-pounding bass and the rumbling subterranean frequency response that greatly enhances your movie experience. By integrating a subwoofer into your home theatre setup, you will have the flexibility to use bookshelf speakers instead of bulky floor-standing speakers.
As a rule of thumb, you should always get the same model and series for these 3 main speakers, so that they will have the same sound signature and quality. This is important if you want a seamless and cohesive sound from your home theater system whenever you are watching a movie or listening to music. You wouldn’t want each speaker generating a slightly different sound signature which most likely you will detect and it will definitely ruin your movie experience.
More Information at Amazon – Klipsch R-12SW Subwoofer
Benefits of 3.1 home theater system
There are many benefits you can get from setting up a 3.1 HT system and I will list out the main benefits here for you.
Great for small space
If you are having space constraint issues and still want a home theater system, then setting up a 3.1 sound system will be the best choice. As you only need space for 3 speakers + 1 sub instead of 5-7 speakers + 1 sub.
Upgradable to 5.1
Maybe in the near future, you will be moving to a bigger place and you may have more room for your home cinema setup. You can now upgrade your 3.1 to a 5.1 or even a 7.1 home theater system. All you’ll need is to get the surround speakers and speaker cables as you already have the rest.
Easier on the wallet
You won’t be forced to purchase something you’ll regret such as getting an HTIB where you’ll have no way of upgrading it in the future and usually their overall sound quality is inferior to separates. You can get a 3.1 sound system first and save up to upgrade it in the future.
Doesn’t compromise sound quality
By saving money on not buying rear surround speakers and cables, you can use all your budget to get the best quality speakers for your front mains, subwoofer, and AV receiver. As most likely you will be playing music in stereo, getting high-quality left and right speakers is even more crucial. Since you are getting a subwoofer to supplement the bass region, you can choose to get the best quality bookshelf speakers that you can afford. Usually, at similar pricing, bookshelf speakers are better than floor-standing speakers in terms of build and sound quality.
Less clutter
Without surround speakers, you won’t have wires lying across your room, thus your room wouldn’t look messy. A 3.1 sound system will definitely look neater than a 5.1 or 7.1 sound system since it has lesser audio components.
Soundbar vs 3.1 home theater system
Under the same circumstances such as space constraint, tight budget, etc. You must be wondering why I didn’t mention soundbar (5.1) as an alternative choice since it takes up much lesser space and is usually more affordable. This is why I am going to take this opportunity to do a comparison between a soundbar and a 3.1 sound system.
Let’s start with the surround sound capability. We all know that a soundbar uses the walls of your room to bounce off the sound and create the surround sound effect. This means the soundbar really needs better speaker placement than a 3.1 setup. Without accurate speaker placement, the sound bounces asymmetrically and it easily breaks the cohesiveness of the surround sound. This will happen quite often especially for small rooms or in space constraint situations as it often means you don’t have enough space at the rear for the rear surround to bounce accurately off and reach the listening position at the back. For a 3.1 sound system, the surround sound effects are reproduced by the L/R speakers and it doesn’t require wall bouncing, so it is better and easier to place.
More Details at Amazon – Klipsch Cinema 600 Soundbar 3.1 Home Theater System
Another problem for the soundbar is the way the speaker drivers are located and are usually placed horizontally below ear level, for some cases way below. For music playback, the sound quality will definitely be bad due to this. Unlike your left and right speakers in a 3.1 setup which you can easily place the tweeters at the ear level of the listener. You can argue you can move the television higher up and situate the soundbar where it reaches ear level but this would ruin your viewing experience, just imagine you need to look up at an awkward angle whenever you watch a movie at home.
In terms of sound quality and even the surround effects, whether in small or big rooms, a 3.1 home theater setup will be the winner. Just imagine you are in a large and wide room, how in the world can a soundbar bounce sound off the sidewall to reach you, it is just not possible and your surround sound will be all wonky.
To be fair, in the right circumstances, a favorable room shape and size with the right reflective surfaces, not to forget at the right height where the tweeters/speaker drivers are at ear level, the soundbar will definitely beat a 3.1 home theater setup in terms of surround sound quality. No doubt about it.
To sum it up
If you are serious about getting a decent home theater system but lack the room space and budget. I will recommend going for a 3.1 home theater setup first and slowly upgrade it to 5.1. Go even higher than 5.1 if possible such as Dolby Atmos which seems to be the pinnacle of home cinematic experience. If sound quality is not a concern, then just get a soundbar with a subwoofer, as it doesn’t take up much space and fits neatly in any modern home. Some soundbar models come with wireless rear speakers which will greatly improve the surround sound effect.
In the end, words are difficult to describe the sound quality, so you should take some time and audition these various setups. Start with a soundbar, then a 3.1 home theater setup, and go as far as you like from there. Your ears will be the best judge.
