by Mark Zeiger

Created on: March 20, 2009

Surround sound dramatically enhances the home viewing experience. Perhaps even more so than a large screen, enveloping yourself in the sound of a movie or program provides a more rewarding experience. Surround sound systems can be purchased fairly cheaply these days, but in today's economy, many of us are looking to shave even more dollars off the cost by assembling our own surround sound systems. This is easy to do, as long as you have an amplifier that provides enough speaker inputs to accommodate a 4, 5, 5.1 (surround speakers plus sub-woofer) or even 6.1 speaker configurations.

Say you've decided to assemble your own system. How then, do you choose the best rear speakers? I spent a fair amount of time and energy trying to figure this out, but then I talked to a sound engineer who told me The Secret to rear speakers.

DVDs and VHS tapes that are set up for surround sound include selectable soundtracks that are engineered for different listening configurations. In the surround sound mode, the sound engineers take care to separate the various components of the soundtrack so that they are "true to life," and oriented to the listener's ears. Thus noises heard on the right and left come from the appropriate speaker. Most dialogue is routed to the center speaker for greater clarity and understanding. Bass tones are routed to the sub-woofer.

A specific category of sound is generally routed to the rear speakers, and herein lies The Secret: most of the secondary, ambient sounds are routed to these rear speakers. This would include the crunch of tires or footsteps on gravel, the sound of crickets in the background in a night shot, water dripping, and other sounds that enhance the experience, but are not central to understanding the sound of the program. Occasionally, something more will be routed through the rear to add more depth to a left or right speaker sound, such as a car driving by from behind the viewers left shoulder. Mostly though, these are all secondary sounds, and they tend to be treble-heavy, without a lot of bass notes. This means that the rear speakers don't HAVE to be that good! Technically, the speaker from an average portable radio is perfectly sufficient to transmit the rear-speaker portion of the soundtrack to the listener.

Therefore, if you're collecting speakers for a home-assembled surround system from garage sales, second hand stores, or the vestiges of past home stereos in your attic, the pair of speakers you deem to have the least quality can go in the rear.

After that choice, there are other considerations. Since these speakers are behind you, and less important, they can be smaller than the other speakers. This allows you to save space, and perhaps improve placement by mounting them on your walls. If you plan to place them on your floor, try to find speakers that are tilted up, "aimed" toward your head. Rear speakers from a car stereo system are often configured this way, and work very well.

That's all there is to it! Purchase a pre-assembled system if you must. Search out top-quality rear speakers if you want to show off to your friends. Pay for the best if that's your way. But if you want a surround sound system that has what it takes to send your favorite movie's sound to your ears without spending a lot of money, find an inexpensive, decent pair of rear speakers. Your movies will sound just fine!

Learn more about this author, Mark Zeiger.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.