Home Theater Speakers

There are two things that make up a good home theater system: a flat screen that renders clear, sharp images, and a speaker system that delivers high-quality audio. This is why home theater speakers don’t just come in one piece—you get an entire speaker system. The average Canadian home theater has at least five speakers, each one playing a distinct role to complete your home viewing experience.

The first step in choosing speakers is to recognize each type and its role in overall home theater audio. The basic speaker components are as follows:

Center channel speaker: This is where you control the other speakers and where the overall sound comes from. In most Canadian home theaters, it’s the speaker located closest to the TV.

Front: The front speaker is responsible for home theater sound effects. Ideally it should be placed at the center, but as this will block the screen, most Canadian home theater systems place it on one of the sides.

Left and right: Side speakers usually emit the background audio, and sometimes all or part of the dialogue. They are placed on either side of the TV.

Surround: These are the smallest speakers and are usually distributer around the room. Home theater surround speakers deliver various levels of sound and help round out the audio.

Subwoofer: The subwoofer is responsible for bass and other low-frequency sounds. This can be placed anywhere in the room because the sound is omni-directional.