How to Connect 5.1 Speakers
5.1 speakers consist of five speakers that provide surround sound at home or in the theater. Two speakers hook up behind the seating area, two speakers are for the left and right front of the room, and the fifth speaker is a center speaker. Some come with a subwoofer in addition to the five speakers.
Materials
- Speaker wire
- Wire stripper or scissors
- Surround sound receiver
Method
- Decide which piece of your home entertainment equipment to connect the speakers. You can connect 5.1 speakers to many televisions, DVD and Blu-ray players, computers, and stereo receiver systems.
- Setup and install the speakers at the positions in the room according to the manufacturer’s suggestions. The two surround speakers should be elevated off of the floor by mounting them from a ceiling hook, or a wall mount for the best sound. Turn the front two speakers towards the center of the room, about 25 to 30 degrees is recommended.
- Run the speaker wires so they are out of the way. Allow extra length of speaker wire in case you need to run it around the room to conceal the wire off the floor where it can become damaged.
- Connect the speaker wires to the back of the speakers. Strip the wires to reveal a half-inch of copper wire. Distinguish the brown insulated positive wire from the clear insulated neutral wire. Place the positive wire in the red speaker terminal and the negative wire into the black terminal. Repeat for all speakers.
- Connect the wires to the receiver. Most modern 5.1 capable receivers have clearly labeled markers to distinguish the placement of the wires for all five speakers. Test the speakers and adjust the settings.