Do rear speakers make a difference?

As home entertainment systems become increasingly popular, advancements in sound technology are playing a significant role in boosting the pleasure of entertainment.

Rear surround speakers capture the sounds that assist in managing the environment and add depth to the sound. Ambient noise in a building or an imprecise whisper of voices becomes more audible with a rear surround speaker. Sounds tempting, right?

Whether you’re looking to enhance your movie-watching experience or just want to up your audio game, rear surround speakers improve the sound quality and allow you to create an almost realistic environment in your surroundings.

In this handy guide, the qualified technicians at Linked Security will try to ease your concern and  discuss how the rear surround speakers make a difference.

What Do Rear Speakers Do for Your Home Theater?

For a truly outstanding home theater experience, the use of rear speakers is essential to achieve an immersive soundscape.  These speakers play a crucial role by producing ambient sounds and sound effects that help set the scene and bring your favorite movies and TV shows to life. With a multi-channel surround sound system, you’ll be able to enjoy the roar of the ocean, the chirping of birds, and the distant whispering of voices in a vast building.

Imagine a movie scene where the action is performed in a vast workspace. The middle speaker is where we can hear the voices of two coworkers speaking to one another. We can hear a lot more as well, including background noises like coughing, other conversations, light typing noises, and phone rings.

We obtain a realistic impression of the environment due to the combination of the surrounding noises and the actual sound of the voices speaking directly to us from the central and rare speakers. The only way a sound system can provide us with a truly realistic experience is if the sounds we hear seem to surround us rather than just emanate from the front. 

Difference between Rear & Front Speakers

While front speakers are positioned on the left and right sides of the home theater system and deliver mid-range and high frequencies, rear speakers are located behind the audience and generate an amplified, comprehensive range of sounds that provide ambiance and layers of depth to the performance. The size and volume of the rear surround speakers are typically equal to or less than those of the front speakers.

In other words, the front-end speaker focuses more on the sound coming from the foreground. Rear surround speakers, on the other hand, bring the background noise to life as well, introducing the rumble of a passing car or the hectic conversation of a shopping center.

The main dialogues of the accompanying visual are frequently broadcast through the front speakers. However, the majority of any particular movie or game sound effects come from the rear surround speaker.

Rear surround speakers are useful for playing back soundtracks that have been mixed for multi-channel surround sound effects. As a result, the depth that the rear surround speakers can provide aids in giving the audio additional depth and enabling the listener to comprehend the setting in which a scene is performed.

Benefits of Rear Speakers

  • Improved Surround Sound Experience: 

A high-quality sound system adds new dimensions to modern multimedia platforms and enhances the level of satisfaction. In contrast to your sound bar or front speakers, which are responsible for handling the majority of the audio and the conversation, the rear speakers are mostly used to play low frequencies or background music. Therefore, if you wish to experience immersive surround sound, rear surround speakers are required. 

  • Increased Flexibility in Room Configuration: 

Your rear speakers should be placed behind you, in each corner of your room, and directed diagonally toward you if you are seated in the middle of your couch and facing your TV. They should be positioned to the left and right of your front speakers, respectively. 

The rear speakers should generally be placed at ear level, like the front speakers. For optimal sound delivery, they should be angled straight down if you’re mounting them on a wall. 

  • Better Sound Separation and Clarity: 

To receive the most accurate, crystal-clear sound field from high-quality Blu-ray home video discs and HDTV content, your rear speakers should be placed behind you, not exactly next to the chair or couch you want to sit on. 

The precision of this small difference is crucial for creating the immersive movie experience that you set out to establish in the first place.

  • Better movie and gaming experience: 

Whether you like to watch movies, sports, or play video games, adding rear speakers to your home theater system will greatly enhance your enjoyment. For movies, you’ll get directional audio that makes you feel as though you’re in the scene. 

You’ll hear the cheers of the spectators when you watch sports. Moreover, for obvious reasons, hearing virtual gunfire behind you in video games helps you locate cover more effectively.

  • Improved overall audio quality: 

Left and right speakers are often located at the front of a sound system to cover all frequencies, including the bass. You won’t be able to experience surround sound in this kind of scenario. Purchasing rear surround speakers when upgrading to a home theater system will improve the depth and quality of the audio.

When Do You Need to Have Rear Speakers?

Your preferred cinematic experience would be incomplete without incorporating the rear speakers in your home theater system. Even though you may manage without rear speakers, possessing them enhances the level of entertainment and improves your setup.

Before you initiate arranging the layout of your home entertainment system, make sure you plan appropriately by keeping a few considerations in mind.

Room configuration

Adding rear speakers to a small room will almost certainly address the conversation’s intelligibility concerns. This is since having various speaker channels too close to each other diminishes the sound, invalidating the purpose of directional audio in the first place.

If there isn’t a lot of space between the screen and where you want to install your rear speakers in your home theater system and your space is limited to a sofa and a TV, you’re better off investing in one of the best soundbars and skipping real surround sound entirely. 

Budget 

Budget is always an influential consideration before making any kind of purchase, especially a considerable investment such as a home theater system. It is common knowledge that decent speakers are not inexpensive, especially because the budget might not always include the cost of rear speakers.

When setting up a home entertainment system, rear surround speakers provide the versatility you need by providing some flexible space within your budget.

It is generally a wise decision to start with high-quality front speakers and then invest in the rear surround speakers when you have more finances. This choice allows you to concentrate on the front sound system, which provides the main tone of the visual, and then enhance it with rear surround speakers when you have saved up enough money.

Your Intention

Another important element to consider when selecting rear surround speakers is how frequently you intend to employ them. If you are not a big fan of television or other forms of media and prefer to spend your time reading or engaging in sports, a surround sound system, let alone those rear surround speakers, may not be for you.

If you enjoy both the audio and visual aspects of music, games, and movies and are a passionate consumer of various forms of entertainment, investing in an advanced set of rear surround systems will be beneficial.

Also, if you simply want to use your home theater system to listen to music, investing in high-quality rear speakers makes some sense since most music is created in stereo and does not come in a surround sound arrangement.

On the other hand, movies, games, Blu-rays, and DVDs provide both stereo and surround sound capabilities. Therefore, if you prefer to employ a home theater system for these entertainment mediums, investing in rear surround speaker systems makes a significant improvement in the sound quality.

Tips to Get the Most From Your Speakers 

Home theater systems frequently incorporate several speakers that are strategically placed in your room, usually near the TV. The 5.1 and 7.1 arrangements ensure that the sound effects and dialogue are placed so that you are in the center of the action with the best sound possible.

One aspect that is sometimes underestimated is what is going on behind you. However, if you’ve ever been to the cinema for an exciting movie, you’ll appreciate how much a fantastic audiovisual experience contributes to the excitement of the film. The sound of gunfire and explosions transports you into the action of the film.

Your rear speakers play an important role in blending the sound from the left and right speakers into a more harmonious image by adding sounds from the opposite channel from the front speakers. The greater the distance between the rear speakers and the front speakers, the more they should strive to fill in the sound; alternatively, the closer they are to the front speakers, the less they need to contribute to the overall audio impression.

Consider this while positioning your rear speakers, and pick the optimum location for them based on where they will sound the best, not just where they can be conveniently placed. The simplest way to determine where the surround speakers should be placed is to sit in your desired seating area and play a sound on your test track. Then, move the speaker back and forth carefully until you locate the ideal spot.

Our Verdict: Do Rear Speakers Make a Difference?

As you can see, we obtain a realistic impression of the environment due to the combination of the surrounding noises and the actual sound of the voices speaking directly to us from the central and rare speakers.

Therefore, if you have the space and financial resources to accommodate them, these speakers are a worthwhile investment that will make your movies and games feel more immersive than ever before. 

Are you still curious about how a sound system can deliver a truly immersive experience? Our team of experts at Linked Security is here to help. We offer expert installation and personalized advice on home audio systems, ensuring that you choose the best system for your needs and preferences. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to elevate your entertainment game – contact us today for more information.

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