The decision to invest in surround sound is a subjective one. It all depends on how you use your TV, how many movies you watch and whether you can afford it. If you’re a movie buff then a home theater experience is a great investment. If you mainly just watch TV with the occasional movie then it probably isn’t.

There is definitely nothing quite like watching a movie in DTS, THX or even Dolby 5.1. Movies were made for this. Sound production is as important as the visuals in today’s movies. Being in the center of the action on screen by being immersed in the surround sound is the best way to experience it. Despite this, movies and TV can be enjoyed without surround sound, it just isn’t as such a complete experience.

The whole premise of surround sound is to recreate that cinema feeling at home, hence the term, home theater. To put yourself, the viewer in the middle of the action. When these movies are made, the sound is split into channels and divided between front, rear and bass. Sound mixing projects sound onto the most appropriate channel depending on what’s happening on screen. For example if the subject of a scene is a car chase going right to left across the screen, the audio will be configured to do the same.

Initially the cars will be heard on the right front channel, the gradually brought in to the center, faded out of the right and gradually in to the left front. Then fully into the left front and faded out of the center. The sound will then fade out of left front or otherwise be equalized depending on the scene. Whatever happens on the screen has to be reflected in the sound. The same process happens on all six speakers depending on the needs of the visuals.

To get the most out of any surround sound system the speakers have to be placed in the right positions. Sound is mostly directional, so knowing where to put each speaker will make the most of the capabilities of each. Bass is non-directional so can be put anywhere. The bass-box is traditionally placed somewhere at the front near the screen, but it doesn’t really matter. The center speaker should go either below or above the screen. The front satellite speakers need to be at the front, and equidistant from the screen. The rear satellites will need to be opposite the fronts, but behind the seating.

It is important to get the placement right as the soundtrack is mixed to a prescribed setup. Dolby 5.1 technology uses this kind of configuration in order to allow you to experience the audio in the way it was designed.

The choice of whether to invest in surround sound or not depends on how and what you view. While the setting up my seem a little laborious, and some of the equipment may take up a lot of space, it isn’t necessarily so. If you mainly watch TV then it really isn’t worth the investment as TV isn’t recorded with surround sound in mind. If you watch movies and have the desire to be in the middle of the action, then surround sound is a definite advantage.