Surround Sound for Dummies   

Do you remember back when TV was mono (one channel sound)? Believe it or not, most TV sound was mono until the 1980's. Then in the 1990's we went from two channel stereo, to four channel Dolby Surround, to six channel Dolby Digital (and DTS). Now in the twenty first century we have seven channels. Will it ever end?

What dummies need to know, even though they may not want to know, is how to get good TV sound without spending a fortune.

First and foremost, you must have at least a stereo receiver and two speakers to get decent TV sound! Virtually all glass tube (CRT) TVs have cheap speakers and lousy sound. Some rear projection TVs have decent speakers, but their location at the bottom and close together is not good. If your main TV is not hooked up to external speakers, then you must do so immediately! Some cheap TVs do not have audio output jacks to plug into a receiver (all receivers have an AM/FM tuner, two or more amplifiers to hook up to speakers, and multiple input jacks). If you have a cheap TV, you can use your VCR to tune into the TV signal (i.e. change channels), then feed the receiver with the audio output jacks on the VCR, and feed the TV with the video signal from the VCR.

Second, you probably need a subwoofer. This is optional because if your stereo speakers are large (and good quality), they may be able to produce as much bass (low notes and explosions) as a subwoofer. Generally, if your speakers are smaller than your TV, or they cost less than your TV, you need a subwoofer. The bad news is that subwoofers that retail for less than $500 (as a rule of thumb) do not have very good bass. The good news here is that you can hook up the subwoofer even if your receiver does not have a subwoofer output jack, by using an extra pair of speaker wires.

Once you have the absolutely essential external speakers in stereo, and the optional subwoofer, the next step up is surround sound. This means a couple of speakers on the walls beside you (and slightly behind you), or on the back wall. These speakers produce sound effects: audience sounds (i.e. clapping), bird sounds, traffic sounds, echoes, reverberation, etc. Although not absolutely essential, the surround speakers are strongly recommended! The bad news is that this requires speaker wires run to the side walls (or back wall), and usually a new receiver or processor. The good news is that having the latest surround sound decoders, like Dolby Digital, DTS, or Dolby Pro Logic II, is not necessary. So if your receiver is less than 10 years old, it may be quite sufficient. If it is older, you can still get by with an add-on surround sound processor plus amplifier. Another alternative is to wire the surround speakers to your older stereo receiver in a special way that I won't divulge here because, after all, this is for dummies.

Now many "experts" in the audio world will tell that you must have a receiver with Dolby Digital, etc., to give you the extra surround channels. I say that is hogwash. Most TV shows and VHS tapes are encoded with Dolby Pro Logic which has one surround channel. Even Dolby Pro Logic II has only one surround channel in movie mode (contrary to popular opinion). Not only that, many DVDs are mixed with only one surround channel, even though two channels are available (the two channels are identical). The DVDs that are mixed with different surround channels still sound good with only one. Nonetheless, almost all new receivers have Dolby Digital, etc., that will improve the sound of some DVDs, albeit only slightly.

You may be wondering (if you are not a total dummy), why do I need two surround speakers if there is only one surround channel? The answer is, to spread out the sound so that it seems to come from all around you. In fact, you could even use more than two speakers with only one surround channel to spread out the sound even more, but that is not really necessary.

Last, and in some cases least, there is the widely misunderstood center channel. The main reason for the center channel speaker is to center the actors voice on the screen. If you watch TV from off to the side using widely spaced stereo speakers, the dialogue will appear to come from off screen. This can be quite disconcerting and lessen the movie experience. So if your front speakers are well away from the TV, and important people sit off to the side, then you should have a center channel. The bad news is that a typical surround processor will direct more sound to the center channel than any other channel, which means you really should have a better quality center channel speaker than the other speakers (or at least as good). Unfortunately, most center channel speakers on the market are smaller and cheaper than front stereo speakers. Also the low, flat design of the typical center channel speaker produces poor quality sound. The good news is if you put the stereo speakers directly beside the TV, they will be about the same distance to the center of the screen as a center channel speaker placed above or below the screen. So in that case, a center channel speaker is not necessary!

In summary:
1. stereo (front channel) speakers are essential
2. a subwoofer is necessary if your stereo speakers are small but stay away from cheap subs
3. surround speakers are a good idea, but you will need a receiver (or surround processor) with Dolby Pro Logic or Dolby Digital (or DTS) and a surround amplifier
4. a center channel may not necessary, but if you need one do not buy a cheap speaker, plus you will need a receiver or surround processor with a center channel amplifier