Purchasing your home theater setup can be confusing. When it comes to the quality of your audio output, people find it hard to decide on Front Height Speakers Vs Surround Back.
Both choices have their positives and negatives. Here’s a more in-depth look at this scenario and how to pick out your ideal pair of front-height speakers or surround-back speakers.
Contents
What is a Surround System?
This allows us to understand the differences between the surrounding back and front height speakers. To improve your experience, let’s talk about surround sound systems ranging from 2.0 to 13.1 systems.
Surround sound sets home theaters apart, compared to stereo and TV setups.
With a surround sound system, you can make your living room feel like a movie theater by placing speakers all over a big room. These speakers can handle other audio channels such as the left, right, and center channels. There’s also a subwoofer placement.
Two to three speakers should be placed in front of your surround system. The exact amount of speaker is required behind your listening position. These are the surround back and front height speakers, respectively.
The home theater will split your audio signal into multiple surround channels. Each speaker will output a different audio quality to enhance your entertainment experience.
Front Height Speaker
The superior sound quality of the front-mounted speakers on the right and left produces the best and most direct sound.
They should be pointed at the listener. Front height speakers can be placed directly above the main front height speakers. The main speakers can be placed wide to close the space between the speaker and the walls.
Center Speaker
For the best viewing experience, a center speaker is required. Your center channel speaker
can be placed either above or below your TV screen.
What’s the purpose of this speaker, you ask? It anchors the sound quality coming from the front-height speakers and produces any dialogue.
The main speaker can reproduce the same dialogue and sound effects as the front speakers, but it does not directly control them.
The center channel speaker, in other words, ensures that you hear the sound as if it were coming from the TV. This improves the front soundstage.
Surround Back
Surround-back speaker adds to the cinematic experience. The speaker will be behind you in this instance.
They do the following:
You can fill in the background noises like water rushing, children playing, barking dogs, and many more.
Front height speaker can be complemented.
Quick Comparison
| Front Height Speaker | Surround Back Speaker |
|---|---|
| Adds a height dimension | Adds dimension to the back |
| Not supported by all home theatre processor | Supported by all home theatre processor |
| Front heights are used all the time | Surround backs are the least used speakers |
| Not budget-friendly | Budget-friendly |
| No compromise on quality | Quantity over quality |
| Requires a lot of wire connection | Doesn’t require a lot of wire connections |
Comparison of Front Height Speakers Vs Surround Back
A surround sound system typically has five speakers but, in some cases, seven. These are the front, right, and left speakers. These are the main speakers in the system.
Along with the central channel, these surround speakers are joined by two additional rear speakers. Two other speakers are typically added to the back of a seven-speaker system. Both systems also include a subwoofer.
The speakers surround the listener, creating a 360-degree sound experience.
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Adding Dimension
As the name implies, the front-mounted speakers can be mounted on the wall. This height dimension adds dimension to your already 360-degree sound experience.
You’ll have a better movie experience with a front-mounted speaker arrangement than if you use a 5.1 speaker or 7.1 speaker system.
The rear speaker are perfect for a movie marathon with friends or family on lazy Saturday nights. The rear speakers are essential for a surround sound system, whether 5.1 or 7.1.
You won’t have a 360-degree surround sound system without them. Sometimes, however, rear speakers from Logitech may malfunction. However, they are easy to fix!
Area coverage
If you have ample space you wish to transform into a home theatre; you’re in the right place. To get the best sound experience, larger areas will require more speaker.
Maximum room dimensions for front heights are 20ft x15ft. The front-height speaker will enhance your listening experience in this instance.
The Home theatre setup doesn’t necessarily require all seven speakers, especially if there isn’t enough space.
In small rooms, rear speakers may be too loud. Because sound waves reflect off walls, too many sound waves can cause interference that you might not get the best experience.
If you have ample space, surround speakers are essential! Three speakers won’t be enough to cover the room, and your home theatre experience won’t be as good.
It is necessary to consider the space available for surround speaker placement. A home theatre can only take up 20ft by 15ft. Before you buy speaker, think about how much space you have available.
Installation Process
A front-height speaker’s best feature is its easy installation. The angle at which the front-height speaker is placed is all that matters.
So How to Fix the Front Height Speaker Placement?
Your front height should be at 45 degrees to the listener. It is also essential to place the speaker at the correct size.
Imagine that your listening position is approximately 13 feet from the speaker. Your front height should be 14 inches higher than the wall.
Now you are more familiar with the benefits of a front-height speaker to your sound system. These are our top picks for front-height speakers.
Rear speakers installation is comparatively easier than front heights.
Now, Where Should Rear Surround Speaker Be Placed?
Rear surround speakers should be placed at 135 to 150 degrees from the axis and relative position.
The rear speakers are the most used of all speaker in a surround sound system. Because surround backs only cover background noises and music effects, they are the least used.
It doesn’t even play any dialogues! It’s a simple device that sits on your floor and doesn’t play any audio.
Compatibility
Be aware of some drawbacks to the front-height speaker. If these issues don’t bother your concerns, you don’t need to be concerned.
This problem is common. The home theatre processors may not support front-mounted speakers. Before purchasing a pair of speakers, it is advisable to verify the compatibility with your processor.
Budget and Quantity
You can swap out your processor if it does not support heights at the front. New processors are not cheap; you can bet. It is not enough to replace the processor. Also, you will need to replace the amplifier.
Why would you spend that much money? Even more so when you can get a five-speaker sound system that is functional and reliable.
Surprised? Surprised? Quality doesn’t matter because the rear speakers can only reflect background music and effects.
You now know how vital a surround-back speaker can be. Here are some recommendations for surround-back speakers.
Surround back speakers may not be for you if you are a person who values quality. In many cases, most surround-back speaker are not as good or comparable to front speakers. It would help if you did not do this unless you are willing to sacrifice your budget.
The Wire Situation
More speakers equal more wires. Avoid adding the front heights if you need extra cables around your floor.
You may be asking yourself, Do I need front-height speakers?
After you have considered all pros and cons, ask yourself, Do surround sound speakers be necessary? We guarantee you will find the answer!
How to Position Front Height Speaker
Front height speakers should be located in the front stage’s upper left/right corners.
The most crucial step in any project is to place the main speaker (front and center). The optimal location of the center speaker will determine the speaker placement of the surround back and front speakers.
Make sure the sounds from your computer are equal on both sides of the screen. This is important because the front speakers play most of the music and sounds.
Front height speaker are crucial that the speakers in the center and front right complement each other. The following steps can be taken to achieve this:
- Make an equilateral triangle balance. Make sure the speakers are equal distances from the TV. They should also be at the same distance from your listening position. Imagine making an equilateral triangle with the front left, front right, and main listening position as the corners.
- The speakers should be placed slightly away from the central speaker. To put the center speaker in the correct position, imagine drawing a circle around your triangle that touches all corners.
- The process should be placed so that the center speaker is on the top. This should be about halfway between the left and front speakers.
- The front speaker should be positioned at 22-30 degrees from the sitting position.
- Toe-in the speaker: The front-height speaker can be angled slightly to point towards the listening position.
- This will result in a more focused sound and narrow sound. You will not get a narrower soundstage.
- You can give the speakers a slight angle. Many audiophiles are comfortable with slopes between 45 and 60 degrees. You can experiment with 30 degrees on each side of your center speaker.
- If front-height speakers don’t work for you, move the front speakers closer towards the screen. As you do this, listen carefully. If the sound quality is not improved, you can move the front speakers to the side.
- The best place for a front-height speaker is about 60 degrees from where most people are sitting.
- Keep the speakers at your ear level. Consider raising the height of floor-standing speakers.
How to Position Surround Back Speaker
Your surround configuration will determine the exact position of surround-backs speakers.
5.1 Surround Configuration
In a 5.1 configuration, surround back speaker should be placed behind the listening position.
Technically speaking, surround-back speakers are not available in 5.1 configurations. However, you may consider the surround back to be the right or left surround, depending on your requirements.
Dolby suggests that the listening position should be between 110 and 120 degrees. This is not always possible if there is limited space. A 90-degree angle on each end is usually the best option.
THX suggests a range from 90 degrees to 110°. The surround speaker are placed at an angle of 90 degrees, so we shouldn’t refer to back at 90 degrees.
If you use 110 or 120 degrees, the surround speakers can be found at the back of your seating position. There are always compromises.
Make sure the surround speakers are slightly higher than the front speakers. Sitting at a standard height of 1- to 2 feet above your head is the norm.
The surround sound is there to create an ambiance in the main listening position. This can be achieved by placing them slightly apart from your ear level.
As we have said, you shouldn’t expect to hear the direct up-front sound. This is best left to the front-mounted speakers.
7.1 Surround Configuration
The speaker placement in the surround configuration 7.1 is nearly identical.
The big difference between 7.1 surround rear surrounds and 7.1 channel covers is that they surround back speaker.
They don’t need to be placed at 90 degrees from the primary seating position. These speakers produce background sounds.
These speakers should be located at the rear of your primary seating position at approximately 135 to 150°.
The same principles apply, but the surround back speakers must be 135 to 150 degrees. Please visit our article on surround vs. surround rear speaker to learn more.
If you are looking for a way to make all speakers work on surround sound, here we can help:
How To Make All Speakers Work On Surround Sound 2023
FAQs
Can Front Height Speakers Be Used for Atmos?
Yes, most AVRs allow front-mounted speakers with Dolby Atmos playback.
It is strongly recommended that you use Dolby Atmos speakers. It will create a rich audio experience.
Does Surround Speaker Height Matter?
Surround speakers can be used to create a surround sound environment.
It is essential to determine the height of your speaker because this will affect where you hear rain or footsteps approaching.
Your speaker may not be high enough to hear the sound, and it could make the audio less immersive. Without audio cues, you will struggle to see what is happening around you.
It also depends on the height of each person in the room. Before you decide whether to modify these settings, make sure you measure your space!
Is 7.1 Better than Atmos?
No, Dolby atmos is better than 7.1. Dolby Atmos provides additional overhead sound and better calibration software.
This makes Surround 7.1 sound more powerful and precise than the traditional Surround systems.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are pros and cons of front-height speakers vs. surround-back speakers. Knowing what you need is important if you want to buy the best speaker system for your home theater.
Hookeaudio hopes that our comparison will help you decide which to buy.
Last update on 2023-09-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
