Surround Sound Systems

In essence, TV surround sound is achieved with the use of 5 speakers. These are left, right, centre and two rear speakers which are placed around your viewing space. The placement of these speakers around the room is essential to get correct if you want the audio to sound like it is truly surrounding you.

In a surround sound system, the front left and front right speakers will usually be the loudest and most prominent speakers that you will hear. The central speaker is for anything completely central in the media you are viewing, like speech for example. The back two speakers are more for ambient sounds and background noise which won't be as common in an audio mix, but overall they will add massively to the surround sound experience.

Some of our packages also include a HiFi subwoofer, which can add a lot more to the overall sound and experience. This is due to the fact that the surround sound speakers may not be able to reproduce frequencies on the lower end of the spectrum, whereas the subwoofer can handle these, so you can be confident that you are hearing the audio how it was intended to be, with that ultra-low sub bass.

With our packages at ElectroMarket, we have put together these custom kits that also include a suitable amplifier as well as the necessary cabling to wire it all together, making it simple to set up.

Is a surround sound system worth it?

If you want a more immersive experience when watching films and gaming, then yes. Implementing a surround sound system into your home TV setup will need some careful consideration into how it would work best in your room, but once you have a setup that will work effectively, you will notice a huge difference in enjoyment with digital entertainment.

Something to consider when looking for a TV surround sound system is the size of your room and availability for placement of the speakers. If you have a larger room with plenty of available space for the speakers, then one of our 5.1 surround sets would be best suited for you. If you have a smaller room with limited floor space, then perhaps a surround ceiling speaker set would be best, as the speakers will be concealed in the ceiling without taking up any valuable space.

When enjoying films and TV at home, surround sound systems will add a layer of immersion to the video. For example, with tense scenes in the horror genre, there will most likely be a moment where there is mostly silence but random louder noises. If noise occurs behind the character in the scene, that noise will be produced from the speakers placed behind you, making you feel like you are part of what you're watching. If this sounds ideal for you, then a cinema system for home use would be perfect.

Surround systems with subwoofers

A surround sound system can be upgraded and improved with the addition of a subwoofer. The subwoofer will produce those extra low sub frequencies that a full-range speaker is not capable of producing, providing a more immersive experience for your home audio setup.

Any of our surround systems that have a subwoofer are extremely easy to set up. The subwoofers we offer are active, so they have a built-in amplifier, which means that all you need to do is connect the subwoofer to mains power and then come from a 'sub out' connection on the amplifier into the respective input on the subwoofer itself.

The best placement of a subwoofer in a surround system is often debated. Many people would have the subwoofer at the front of the room next to the TV, and this is because it is close to the amplifier/receiver so you don't need to run a long length of cable around the room.

Also, a subwoofer usually produces the best results when placed at the front of the room. Don't take this as gospel, though; the same subwoofer will perform differently in different rooms when factoring the overall space and reverberation of the room itself. It is best to move the sub around the room in different locations to find out what placement gives the best results.

Ceiling speaker surround systems

Several of our surround sound systems include ceiling speakers rather than the traditional floor standing and bookshelf kits. Ceiling speakers provide high-quality audio and sit flush in the ceiling for a discrete audio setup that doesn't hinder your home aesthetics.

The placement of ceiling speakers is also essential to consider for the best possible audio in a surround sound setup. Usually, you would find 4 speakers in a ceiling speaker setup, and the best placement is to have two speakers slightly in front of, and to the left and right of the TV, and the remaining two to be at the same intervals just behind the heads of the seating area.

Some of our ceiling speaker kits also include a subwoofer. Generally, ceiling speakers don't produce deep bass frequencies as they are more intended for background music in home audio systems. They still produce a respectable amount of bass, but adding a subwoofer to the system will provide those extra low frequencies that won't have been possible before.