In a 5.1 surround sound system setup, the 3 mains, left, right and center channel speakers play the most important roles. The center channel speaker is the one that reproduces most of the dialogue in a movie. The left and right speaker channels will also be used to reproduce the dialogue as well as most of the sound effects and music in a movie. As for the surround speakers, their roles may not be as crucial but it is still important if you want to truly experience immersive sound.
The answer to your question, should surround speakers be angled down? Will be an indefinite answer like a Yes and a No. The main reason for such an answer is because you should do what sounds best for you. To understand this indefinite answer, I am going share with you more details on surround speakers.
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What are surround speakers?
The 2 surround speakers in your 5.1 home theater system are been tasked to reproduce the surround sound effects and music. Like an arrow been shot by an Orc in LOTR from a distance behind you, you can hear the arrow swoosh past you and fly towards the target on your screen. Or the eerie child running footsteps behind you creates that sense of dread when watching a supernatural horror film.
You should always get surround speakers that are in the same speaker series as your front main speakers. As speakers in the same brand and series, share the same sound signature which is important in order to build a cohesive and seamless surround sound field. If it is not possible, then at least get a pair of surround speakers that are of the same quality as your front speakers. If you are on a tight budget, then getting entry-level bookshelf or satellite speakers from a reputable brand will suffice. Do note that smaller speakers such as satellites really lack the low-end frequency and you will definitely need a subwoofer to supplement the bass.
There are various ways to build a seamless surround sound field, for instance, I have seen a 5.1 home theater setup that uses 5 floor standing speakers. I can only imagine how it sounds like.
Rear surround speakers placement
Now I will be sharing with you how to place your rear surround speakers. The surround speakers should be positioned behind you/listener position at a distance of about 8 feet (2.5 meters). If you do not have enough space at the back, you can move the rear surround speakers closer to the listening position. If the back of the listening position is a wall, then place the surround speakers to the side of the listening position. I always feel that the closer the surround speakers are to you, the more you’ll know the surround effect is coming from one of these speakers which breaks the immersion. Placing them further like about 8 feet will make them sound less directional and also increase the size of your overall sound stage.
The distance in between the rear surround speakers should be the same as the front left and right speakers. For the height, they should be slightly higher (1-2 feet) than the listener’s head. By setting them higher than the ear level, the sound will be less directional and more diffused. Finally, the surround speakers should be toed in towards the listener position.
Should I angle down the surround speakers?
As you already know, the recommended rear surround speakers’ height is slightly above the listener’s head but what if you don’t like the sound you are hearing. Maybe you want to explore and see if angling down the surround speakers will improve the immersion. Sure go right ahead but before you do, you need to make sure the following have been implemented.
Break in of speakers
If it is a brand new 5.1 home theater system, you will need to wait for the speakers to break in first so that you can listen to their full potential. You can simply just keep watching movies on your brand new 5.1 system, after about 100 hours of run time, the speakers would have break in and you should already have noticed the improvements in sound quality.
Sound Calibration
Most AVR comes with calibrating software such as Audyssey or their own proprietary calibration system. After you have complete the calibration process, the overall sound quality should have improved. When all your speakers have break in, you should start the calibration again unless you find that is not necessary as you may find the current sound quality is good enough.
Angling down the surround speakers
Once you have done the sound calibration and your speakers have all break in, you should also watch a few favorite movies so to familiarize yourself with the sound quality and performance. Then you can start tilting the surround speakers down towards the listener position ear level. You can take your time to judge if there’s any improvement in the immersion and sound by watching through your favorite movie scenes, especially scenes with ambient sounds, military battles, aerial combats, etc.
You may try tilting down at different angles or even go below ear level if you think it may improve the surround sound diffusion. But going below ear level may lead to the surround sound hitting the back of the seat which will affect the sound quality.
In Conclusion
As mentioned earlier in the article, there is no definite answer, it may sound like an improvement to you but for others, it may not. If after trying and there’s no improvement, and you still find the rear surround speakers sound very directional then maybe 5.1 is not for you. I will suggest that you go for 7.1 instead as the surround sound reproduced from this setup are more immersive than a 5.1 HT setup.
You may want to audition a 7.1 home theater system at your nearest dealer first and decide if is really for you. Do take some time to decide as it will incur more costs like getting a new pair of surround speakers, a new AVR, speaker cables, etc. It will also take up additional space to have the right placements for the surround speakers. Please think it through before upgrading.
