If you’re looking to build your own home theater, one of the most important things to consider is the placement of your surround sound speakers. When it comes to Dolby Atmos speakers, which are designed to provide a more immersive audio experience, the height of those speakers is especially crucial. In this post, we’ll go over how to determine the correct height for your Dolby Atmos speakers to ensure that you’re getting the best possible sound quality.
First, it’s important to note that the appropriate height for Dolby Atmos speakers is ear level. According to Dolby Atmos’s website, this is the optimal placement for these types of speakers. Of course, the exact height will depend on the type of furniture you have and whether you have risers or other factors in your space.
To illustrate this point, we’ll use the example of a project we recently completed: a Sonos Fobber installation with 7.4.6 Dolby Atmos in a retro installation with various seating options. We’ve marked out the correct placement for the speakers, and we’ll show you how we determined the ideal height.
For the front row of seating, we took a tape measure from the floor and determined the height of an average-sized person’s ear (in this case, 46 inches). We then marked the appropriate height on the wall to the left and right of the surround speaker. We mounted the speaker and tweeter dead center with our ear, ensuring that the plate was mounted in the correct location.
For the second row of seating, we took the same measurement and found that the height was about 56 inches. For the third row, which featured bar-height seating, we added an additional three inches to the height of the surround rear speakers, bringing the total to 59 inches. This ensures that low-level effects are coming through at ear level, providing a more immersive audio experience.
It’s worth noting that mounting the surround speakers too high can blend them in with the ceiling speakers, which can reduce their effectiveness. By lining them up at ear level and taking into account the gradient of the theater seating in each row, you can ensure that you’re getting the best possible sound quality.
If you’re looking to build your own home theater, we offer a free consultation service to help you choose the right products and get the correct placement for your speakers. Our team of experts is always on hand to help you get the best possible audio and video experience in your home.