Key Points
- Surround sound speakers provide an immersive audio experience for movies, gaming, and live events, making you feel like you’re in the middle of the action.
- Positioning surround sound speakers around the room allows for better sound localization and a more realistic audio experience.
- Surround sound speakers offer customization options for sound preferences, including adjusting bass levels and optimizing dialogue clarity.
- Modern surround sound speakers support wireless connections, eliminating the need for cords and cables and allowing for easy integration with other devices.
- Top picks for surround sound speakers include the Sony HT-A9, Samsung HW-Q950A, and Fluance Elite High Definition 7.1 Speaker System.
You may think you don’t need surround speakers after buying the elusive TV you’ve always wanted. While a new gallery design TV looks great on any wall, the TV’s internal speakers may not be as good as the visuals. You can solve this by adding surround sound speakers to your set-up. Consumers who only watch their TVs passively or for news updates may not need secondary speakers, as the built-in speakers that come with the TV will suffice.
However, you will need surround sound speakers for gaming and watching movies. Nothing beats the thrilling experience of surround sound when watching a movie, which makes you feel like you’re in the middle of the action. For sports, you will be at the heart of the match and hear the crowd around you.
This article highlights five essential reasons to buy new surround sound speakers. We also recommend some top picks that offer good bang for the buck!
7 Must-Know Facts About Surround Sound Speakers
- Contrary to many people’s opinions, you don’t need to bleed your wallet to buy quality surround sound speakers.
- Buying wireless surround sound speakers makes your living room less cluttered with wires.
- Bass is part of the surround sound experience, so don’t sideline your subwoofer.
- Big living rooms need more surround sound speakers to completely envelop the room with sound.
- Calibration is key with surround sound speakers to ensure they match a room’s acoustic range.
- A surround sound system supporting Dolby Atmos and DTS:X is an added advantage.
- Some surround sound speakers support Alexa and Google Assistant, so with home internet, you can use voice commands to control them.
History of Surround Sound Speakers
Most speakers were monophonic until the early 1930s when sound engineers entertained the idea of surround sound. Back then, surround sound wasn’t what we experience today; it involved using multiple microphones and speakers to record music.
The experiment with surround sound didn’t stop there, because in the 1950s, multiple-channel systems came on the market. The desire to produce 360-degree sound continued with engineers producing four-channel speakers in the 1970s.
True surround sound came into our homes in 1982 when Dolby Surround was launched. It featured a four-speaker system. Next, audio equipment companies began releasing 5.1 channel systems with Dolby Digital.
Today, we have the best surround sound speakers, incorporating other extra features like wireless connectivity and voice command technology. Moreover, with technology moving so fast, expect better surround speakers with good sound quality in the future.
5 Reasons to Buy New Surround Sound Speakers Today
You can never go wrong by adding surround speakers to your entertainment set-up. Instead, you will enjoy an immersive audio experience that will make your binge-watching and gaming sessions more worthwhile. Below are some reasons you should buy surround sound speakers today.
1. They Provide an Immersive Experience
When positioned correctly, surround sound speakers usually engulf you with realism. They ensure you experience the content as envisioned by the creators. Nothing beats hearing the church clock chimes or the antagonist’s footsteps, placing you right in the center of the scene. Surround sound speakers are also handy for enjoying your favorite playlist. Not to mention you will hear realistic shooting sounds when playing your favorite action-packed games.
The immersive experience in surround sound speakers is not limited to recorded content. It is just as effective when watching live games. You will hear engine sounds around your house when watching a live Formula 1 event, or crowd noises when watching football matches. Overall, the audio experience cannot be matched by standard TV speakers.
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2. You Can Position the Speakers Around the Room
You can accurately pinpoint the sound’s origin with surround sound speakers, especially where the speakers are evenly spread. This is useful when watching content with a lot of dialogue. Think about it, when many people in a film are talking simultaneously or arguing, it is often difficult to hear the dialogue. This is a common issue when your speakers are located in one place.
Moreover, in a living room with furniture and other interior decor, you lose various sound cues because the sound signals are usually stacked on top of each other, clogging the overall sound frequency.
That said, you can solve this issue by getting surround sound speakers and spreading them across your room. Each speaker produces sound independently, and since they are evenly spread out, you will be in the middle of the actors’ conversations.
A surround sound speaker setup also makes it easy to pinpoint faulty speakers, especially when they are spread out. This may not be the case where the speakers are clustered together, as you may attribute any performance drop to the system being faulty. Yet with surround sound speakers, you can quickly tell when one speaker is defective, as you may not hear sound emanating from a specific direction. All in all, surround sound speakers create a life-like audio experience that you can hardly achieve with standard TV built-in speakers.
3. You Can Customize Your Sound to Your Liking
Speaker setup preferences differ from one person to another. Some prefer upfiring speakers that unleash their bass sound, while others want clear dialogue and smooth sound that does not blow off the roof. The beauty of surround sound speakers is that you can control how you position your speakers and the sound quality you expect from each speaker.
For instance, you can customize your subwoofer settings to ensure its bass does not overpower other speakers. Moreover, reducing the subwoofer’s frequency allows other speakers to be audible without distortions. Overall, you can rearrange your speakers or position them differently based on their acoustic range for better sound quality.
4. You Get Clear Dialogue
While having upfiring and blasting speakers is nice, we cannot downplay the importance of clear dialogue. We have all experienced having to rewind a specific scene because we missed a character’s dialogue. Most notably, nothing is more annoying than watching a movie with a friend or family member, and they keep asking what was said.
Well, your fortunes will change if you invest in surround sound speakers. They ensure that movie dialogue comes out clearly and without any delay. Moreover, some surround speakers have different modes that improve dialogue, so you will never miss any conversation, even when watching passively.
5. They Support Wireless Connections
Most modern surround sound speakers support wireless connections. This eliminates cords and cables, which would otherwise make your space cluttered and disorganized.
You can use Bluetooth to connect the speakers to your phone. Alternatively, you can connect them to your home Wi-Fi and stream music directly from multiple platforms. Some manufacturers have taken things a notch higher and paired their surround sound speakers with Alexa and Google Assistant, allowing hands-free control.
3 Best Surround Sound Speaker Systems Today
Now that you know the benefits of surround speakers, you may want to scale up your sound system. Here are our top picks for the best surround sound speakers today.
Sony HT-A9
- 360 spatial sound mapping
- 8K and 4K/120 passthrough
- Built-in Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Apple Airplay 2
- Compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
Dubbed the king of surround sound, it is easy to understand why the Sony HT-A9 commands so much respect in the market. You can never go wrong with these speakers’ 360 spatial sound. They adapt to your living room and create an illusion that you are playing music using 12 upfiring speakers instead of four. From hearing birds chirping in the distance to experiencing gushing wind sounds, the HT-A9 does not miss with its immersive sound experience.
The HT-A9 speakers’ versatile layout makes them easy to install, even for a first-time buyer. Sony packed the HT-A9 speakers with dual microphones that measure the acoustic range of your living room to envelop it with quality surround sound. Moreover, you can include a subwoofer to add a deep bass to the sound output.
We were also impressed by these speakers’ wireless connectivity, which makes integration easy. You can connect them via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Plus for homeowners who do not want to use a remote, the HT-A9 supports voice control. All in all, you will be mesmerized by the Sony HT-A9 if you are in the market for a 12-amplifier channel surround sound speaker.
Samsung HW-Q950A
- 11.1.4ch Soundbar
- Dolby Atmos/DTS:X
- Alexa built-in
- Bass Boost, SpaceFit Sound
We recommend buying the Samsung HW-Q950A if you are shopping for surround sound speakers that deliver performance and aesthetics. You will experience an immersive audio experience with the HW-Q950A’s 11.1.4 channel speakers that generate unparalleled surround sound.
Thanks to this speaker’s Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, you will flood your living room with realistic audio as the creators desired. The HW-Q950A’s additional subwoofer reveals these speakers’ true capabilities, making them a worthy investment for deep, rich sound.
Aside from HW-Q950A’s impressive sound qualities, these are other additional features to admire. The speakers support wireless connections, allowing you to connect them via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Moreover, the HW-Q950A has built-in Alexa, which is effective for voice commands.
We were very impressed by these speakers’ adaptive sound control that optimizes sound based on the content you play. Following dialogue is not a problem with these speakers, as Samsung packed them with an active voice amplifier that catches every word in your movies.
This speaker system’s only drawback is its high price tag. However, it offers the best bang for your buck when accounting for its design, performance, and additional features.
Fluance Elite High Definition 7.1 Speaker System
- Includes floorstanding towers, center channel, surround, and rear surround speakers
- Features a 10-inch subwoofer
- Supports Dolby surround and DTS systems
- Wired connectivity
Buy the Fluance Elite High Definition 7.1 Speaker System if you want to create one of the best cinematic experiences in your home. The best thing about these surround sound speakers is their sound superiority. Dialogue is crisp, thanks to Elite’s seven speakers that support Dolby Atmos.
We must also mention the speakers’ bookshelf design, which makes them an exciting addition to your décor. Don’t be disappointed by Elite’s inclusion of one subwoofer because it still delivers the deep bass we all want in modern subwoofers. The Elite system’s silk tweeters also allow you to enjoy high and precise notes when listening to music. All in all, this Elite speaker system is perfect for your home audio and décor.
How to Pick the Best Surround Sound Speakers
We recommend researching the different types of speakers before spending your hard-earned money on a system you will not enjoy. Here are some tips to remember when shopping for surround sound speakers.
- Sound quality
- Connectivity
- Budget
Let’s look at these factors in detail.
Sound Quality
Nothing is more annoying than buying surround sound speakers and later realizing they do not meet your expectations. Unfortunately, many manufacturers sensationalize their surround sound speakers as the best-performing, highest-quality models on the market. However, we recommend testing the speakers to make sure they match your audio experience needs.
A good tip is to prioritize speakers with essential features like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to get the best sound quality. You may also want to buy surround sound speakers with extra subwoofers or tweeters to boost the sound output.
Connectivity
A huge selling point for modern surround sound speakers is their wireless connectivity. You can connect these speakers to your phone via Bluetooth. Some surround speakers support Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to stream music on various platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud. Another benefit of wireless connectivity is that you don’t have to clutter your living room with multiple cables and cords running from the surround sound speakers to your TV and console.
Budget
Compare different speakers’ specs with the asking price to ensure you’re getting good value for your money. A speaker with more channels (5.1 or higher) will likely cost more than one with fewer channels (3.1 or lower), although this will also likely depend on the brand. Of course, speakers with features like Dolby Atmos support and built-in voice assistants like Alexa add to the price.
Wrap Up
Besides improving the overall sound quality, surround sound speakers envelop you with sound, giving you an immersive experience. You will not only feel like you are in the middle of the action, but you will also get clear dialogue when watching movies. Finally, you can customize the speakers to suit what you are watching. Check out one of our top picks for new surround sound speakers and enjoy better audio today.
- $1,498.00Buy Now on Amazon
- 360 spatial sound mapping
- 8K and 4K/120 passthrough
- Built-in Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Apple Airplay 2
- Compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
11/27/2023 05:06 am GMT - $1,194.99Buy Now on Amazon
- 11.1.4ch Soundbar
- Dolby Atmos/DTS:X
- Alexa built-in
- Bass Boost, SpaceFit Sound
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
11/27/2023 05:06 am GMT - $874.99Buy Now on Amazon
- Includes floorstanding towers, center channel, surround, and rear surround speakers
- Features a 10-inch subwoofer
- Supports Dolby surround and DTS systems
- Wired connectivity
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
11/26/2023 10:41 am GMT
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