Cinema seats with a speaker on the side wall beside them
Cinema seats with a speaker on the side wall beside them

Place your surround speakers with confidence

Start with Dolby’s guidelines, then adapt them to your room.

Plan it in the Room Configurator

Start with Dolby’s Guidelines

We recommend following Dolby’s guidelines as closely as possible. There are a lot of different variations, so make sure you choose the layout that suits your room best. You can find their setup guides on Dolby’s website.

Cinema chairs with surround speakers on the side walls
Recliners against the back wall, with speakers on the wall either side and above them

Then Adapt Them to Your Room

Every room has its limitations and no room is perfect. If you have a 5.1.2 system and have the couch up against the wall, for instance, you won’t be able to have the speakers slightly behind you as Dolby recommends. Having them directly to your side or mounted on the back wall on either side of the couch might not be optimal, but will work perfectly fine! It’s all about finding a balance between following the guidelines, placing the speakers where they can actually be mounted, and making the overall surround experience sound good!

Two Ways to Lay Out 5.1

The layout Dolby recommends, and what to do when the sofa has to stand against the back wall.

Ideal 5.1

Ideal 5.1 layout, following Dolby’s guide The sofa is in the middle of the room. Left and right speakers are 22 to 30 degrees either side of the center speaker; the surround speakers are 110 to 120 degrees, at the sides and slightly behind the seat. Screen CLRSW 22–30° 110–120° SL SR Back wall
As in Dolby’s guide: front speakers 22–30° either side of the center, surrounds at 110–120°, slightly behind the seat.

Sofa against the back wall

5.1 layout with the sofa against the back wall The sofa stands against the back wall. The surround speakers go either directly to the sides of the sofa, on the side walls (option 1), or on the back wall either side of the sofa (option 2). Screen CLRSW SL SR SL SR 1 1 2 2 Back wall
1Surrounds directly to the sides, or 2on the back wall either side of the sofa.

Plan It in Your Room

Set your room size and seating in the Room Configurator, then place every speaker and see your layout in 3D.

Plan it in the Room Configurator